Abbot Point Coal Terminal
A rich history of project involvement
The Abbot Point Coal Terminal (ABCT) has been exporting coal since 1984 and is one of Queensland’s five major coal export terminals. Starting in 2005, Zutari has been providing engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for three expansions of the terminal to 50 Mtpa, and is currently conducting a study for the ultimate expansion to 230 Mtpa.
The X21 expansion, completed in 2007, involved a terminal capacity increase from 15 Mtpa to 21 Mtpa. The project, which was undertaken so that future expansions to accommodate increased capacity could be staged to suit demand without disruption to terminal operations, comprised a new stockyard bund, yard conveyors, and transfer towers, together with a third stacker-reclaimer.
The X25 expansion entailed a second bottom dump rail receival station and a new 6 000 tph in-loading stream involving four new conveyors, including two with shuttling heads, as well as the upgrading of numerous conveyors from 4 000 tph to 6 000 tph. The work, completed in 2008 won an Australian Bulk Handling Award in 2009, together with a PACE Zenith Award for the control system.
The X25 project was a heavily brownfield project requiring upgrading nearly all the original terminal facilities. Our planning, design, and contracting strategy, and implementation planning were integral to the project’s success in the operating terminal environment. Both X21 and X25 were completed in a timely manner and within budget.
X50 expansion
The X50 expansion has doubled the terminal’s capacity to 50 Mtpa. Zutari, in joint venture with Hatch, undertook all civil, structural, marine, mechanical, electrical and control systems design and procurement, and is assisting the owner on site with construction management services. The project included:
- A third bund and associated stockyard
- Conveyors totalling 6 km and several new transfer stations, interconnecting to existing facilities
- Four new stacker reclaimer machines
- A second out-loading conveyor stream, surge bin and sample station
- New offshore jetty conveyor, berth and shiploader
The work involved six major construction contracts as well as several additional smaller contracts and separate procurement contracts completed in 2010.
Zutari also undertook the master planning for the expansion of the APCT to 230 Mtpa, as well as the preliminary engineering of the future X80 and X110 expansion stages.
Starting in 2005, Zutari has been providing engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for three expansions of the terminal
Benefits
The Abbot Point Shiploader SL 2 has become a benchmark for future machine designs.
The Port of Abbot Point is one of Australia’s most significant emerging bulk ports. In 2014, the port celebrated 30 years of operation and marked a major production milestone of exporting 300 million tonnes of coal.
The recommended contracting strategy for X50 produced a time- and cost-effective outcome. The Abbot Point Shiploader SL 2 has become a benchmark for future machine designs.
Recognition for excellence
In 2011 the Abbot Point Coal Terminal X50 Expansion was named Project of the Year by Consult Australia and Facility of the Year by the Australian Bulk Handling Review.
Zutari was responsible for the design of all offshore facilities, including the jetty, berth, shiploader, and offshore materials handling, for terminal’s original development in 1981, which won two Engineering Excellence Awards in 1985.
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
