Liberty Industrial Appointed for Ellendale Diamond Mine Demolition

DMIRS appoints Liberty Industrial to complete the demolition of the former Ellendale Diamond Mine.

Liberty Industrial had been engaged to undertake the demolition, disposal, recycling, and rehabilitation work at the former Ellendale Diamond Mine situated 140km east of Derby within the Bunuba Native Title Lands.

The site, which covers approximately 123.9km², was declared an abandoned mine site by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS), under section 9 of the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act 2012 in December 2015. Many of the existing structures are now heavily deteriorated, damaged, or fail to conform to structural engineering standards.

With several months of strategic project planning with DMIRS and carefully coordinated remote-area logistics completed, including mobilisation of a fully staffed temporary camp facility, Liberty Industrial has commenced the demolition of mining-related infrastructure. This includes multiple conveyors, diamond processing areas and sorting shed dump hoppers, alongside site-wide rehabilitation.

5. Located adjacent to the Balili Conservation Park or Devonian Reef Conservation Park, the site and its surroundings are rich in cultural history, with the flora and fauna endemic to the site as well as any heritage-marked areas, to be managed respectfully.A key focus of the contract was to enhance the employment and engagement of local people and subcontractor teams. The rapid closure of the Ellendale Diamond Mine in 2015 had a significant impact on the community and local businesses. Liberty Industrial has worked collaboratively with DMIRS toward changing the inherited legacy and perception of the site.

Active project engagement and strategic procurement planning have prioritised establishing cooperative relationships with the local community as well as creating meaningful work opportunities that promote the efficient and effective use of local subcontractors and businesses.

“Liberty Industrial’s procurement policies reflect our support of sustainable procurement practices and incorporate strategies for engaging with local businesses and people.
“We are proud to be working with the community and ensuring there are opportunities for local businesses to contribute to this important project”, said Brett Kirby, Liberty Industrial’s Western Australia Manager.

Due to the complexities inherent to the site, work is being conducted in a sequenced and controlled approach, which has concentrated on a conscientious – and thorough – clean-up of each area. This has included complete concrete removal and processing of scrap materials for recycling and reuse.

With the arrival of Liberty Industrial’s 120-tonne high reach excavator and project manning levels now reached, multiple work fronts are currently operating to ensure the coordination of the project is adequately supervised and aligned with the project schedule.