Case Study

Hazelwood Mine Rehabilitation Project

Major project to rehabilitate the Hazelwood power station and mine in the Latrobe Valley, including transforming the mine pit into a lake.

All work delivered within required timeframes, preventing impacts to subsequent activities

Bulk earthworks
Surcharges and benches
3km water pipeline to fill pit
Fire safety water-sourcing pipelines
Mine security gatehouse
Extensive drainage and batter stability works
Landfill capping design and delivery
Re-engineering a former ash pond into an asbestos containment area
Eastern overburden dump site investigation
Developing an EPA-compliant investigation program to inform the site’s environmental water model

Coordinating work across the 4000-hectare site
Strict construction deadline to start filling the former mine pit with water
Numerous unrecorded services
Lean budgets, large production targets and complex interfaces
A geological profile that often conflicted with actual conditions
Seasonal weather patterns limiting bulk earthworks to dry months, adding to schedule pressure

Collaborating with the client to proactively understand site conditions and avoid hidden surprises
Supporting ENGIE to change their systems to those needed for overseeing a massive project with numerous disciplines
Providing the client with excellent visibility of project performance, forecast cost and completion dates
Initiation and development of resource levelled integrated program delivery schedule to effectively manage multiple, concurrent projects and interfaces
Implementation of processes to mitigate against significant scope creep being experienced
Utilisation of drone surveys providing real-time progress metrics across the large geographic spread of works

Working with the client, designers and EPA on an alternative landfill capping design, saving the client 35% of their initial project budget
Improved bulk material haul efficiencies resulting in a $2m reduction in costs
Challenged technical specifications to increase utilisation of in-situ material, further reducing costs by c. $1m
Saving the client $250,000 by reusing 500m of 750mm diameter steel pipe
Reducing the extent of in situ pipe welds needed for the Eastern Ring Main Pipeline, saving around $20,000
Optimising the placement of isolation and scour valves

Safety: Zero Lost Time Injuries to date
Cost: Improved efficiencies preventing the client from realising a forecast $5M overspend
Program: All work delivered within required timeframes, preventing impacts to subsequent activities

Lachlan Smith – Senior Consultant
David Courtot – Construction Manager
David Gill – Project Manager
John Massie – Design Manager
Stuart Twelftree – Design and Estimating Consultant/Environmental Compliance Manager
Alex Malesevic – Senior Project Engineer
Andrew Hines – Senior Project Engineer
Rory Lamont – Senior Site Engineer
Dalton Burton – Site Engineer
James Rodgers – Project Engineer
Mitch Thomas – Project and Quality Assurance Engineer
Samuel Wilkinson – Site Engineer
Matt Powers – Site Engineer
Tom O’Sullivan – Project Controls Engineer
Amanda Fontaine – Mine Stability Technician