NCIG, an industry association formed in 2004 to address rail and port coal infrastructure issues, said construction of the terminal would include the installation of inbound and outbound systems, a coal stockyard as well as other civil, structural and mechanical works.

Located on the Hunter River to the north of Newcastle, the new terminal is expected to increase the productivity of the Hunter Valley coal chain.

Thiess managing director Dave Saxelby said the new facility would ease gridlocks, help boost shipments and export capacity and meet the future requirements of one of Australia’s busiest deepwater ports, as well as stimulating local employment prospects.

“We have a policy of generating as many local jobs as possible at all of our 200-plus projects. We expect to do the same again at Kooragang,” Saxelby said.

Thiess has completed previous projects on Kooragang Island as well as other coal handling facilities elsewhere.

Thiess process operations manager Dave Abbott said the company’s most recent projects were the construction of a number of major coal stockyards and load-out facilities in Queensland’s Bowen Basin.

Part of the design of the new Kooragang terminal involves the installation of client supplied equipment for the conveyor system which is expected to provide a capacity of 30 million tonnes per annum.

As much as 8000 metres of piling and 8500 cubic metres of concrete will be needed as well as the supply, fabrication and erection of 4600 tonnes of structural steelwork and plate work.

The new Kooragang terminal is scheduled to be ready for operation by the end of 2009.

NCIG is made up of Hunter Valley Energy Coal, Centennial Coal Company, Donaldson Coal, Excel Coal, Felix Resources and Whitehaven Coal Mining.