Australia Timeline

The Burnie Harbour Breakwater project was successfully completed using techniques developed during World War II.

The Island Bend Dam, completed in 1965, received the Construction Achievement Award from the Australian Federal of Civil Engineering Contractors for Outstanding Performance.

Fluor completed the 20,000-foot Dromana Tunnel in 1973. The general superintendent gave a tour of the new tunnel to then-Chairman Bob Fluor. The new tunnel enabled effluent from Melbourne's South Eastern Purification plant to flow to Bass Strait through a 35-mile-long outfall.

Start of a series of projects for oil and gas processing facilities on the offshore platforms of Bass Strait and onshore, reducing Australia's dependence on imported energy.

Dampier-Perth pipeline completed, bringing gas from the North West Shelf to Perth and Western Australia, reducing W A's use of oil from 70% to 45% energy consumption.

In 1989, Fluor expanded the Hilton mine with a new lead-zinc concentrator.

Plant Design System (PDS) 3-D modeling was first used for Mobil MEK Filter Project, South Australia and later for Ernest Henry Mine. Fluor won an ongoing series of projects and retrofit offshore oil projects in the 1990s by combining PDS with photogrammetry.

Fluor was part of a joint venture to draw gas from the Bayu Undan fields in the Timor Sea, 500 kilometers north-west of Darwin and 240 kilometers south-east of the East Timor coast in the Australia-East Timor Zone of Co-operation.

Fluor was part of a multinational alliance to support BPs development of a clean fuels refinery in Brisbane.

BHP Billiton’s Iron Ore Expansion Programme was implemented in 2001 to increase their iron ore capacity and operations in the region. Market factors driving the programme included: ‘Speed to market’ to capitalise on the high iron ore demand driven primarily by China; deliver an expansion ‘programme’ rather than a series of stand-alone projects; and the need for a dependable EPCM service provider during the boom times of the Western Australia economy. A series of projects followed over the next 14 years.

The RGP2 project, part of BHP Billiton's Western Australia Iron Ore Growth Programme, included the development of a new mine at Orebody 18, comprising an ore handling plant and non-process infrastructure and services. Additionally, the JV modified the Orebody 24 mine to produce lump and fine products, constructed a new car dumper at the port and built additional rail to support the new Orebody 18 mine and car dumper.

The newly renamed JV between Fluor and SKM, FAST JV, continued development and construction for BHP Billiton in Pilbara. The RPG3 project was completed in 2008 and included development of a new mine at ‘E Deposit’, construction of a new overland conveyor from E Deposit to Area C and new crushing and screening facilities and second blending yard at Area C. Additional upgrades were made at Nelson Point and Berth C at Finucane Island, and rail expansion work included new rail mainline, spur sidings and loop modifications at Area C.

BHP Billiton’s RPG5 was completed on schedule in 2011. The project included expanding the Yandi Mining Hub, including the construction of a new 45-Mtpa ore handling plant (OHP3) and tie-in to the existing OHP2, plus the construction of supporting non-process infrastructure. Significant completions also included the port expansion with the construction of two new berths and two new shiploaders at Finucane Island, plus car dumper modifications and conveyor route upgrades and rail development including extensive upgrades to a dual rail track system.

The Orebody 24 project was part of the overall BHPBIO programme in Western Australia. In 2013, the Fluor-led, FAST JV constructed the Orebody 24 mine ore handling plant, non-process infrastructure and services to replace the Jimblebar Wheelarra 4 primary crushed ore supply to Newman Hub (14 Mtpa).

The WAIO Growth Programme is a series of projects that increased BHPBIO’s production capacity over a nearly 15-year period through the completion of 10 major projects. The Fluor-led joint venture, FAST JV, successfully executed one of the world’s largest multi-billion dollar expansion programmes, with projects consistently delivered on schedule and on budget, and assisted BHP Billiton in strengthening its position as one of the world’s leading iron ore producers.

Fluor provided engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance services for the Iluka Resources Eneabba Rare Earth Refinery, Australia's first fully integrated facility for rare earth oxides. Funded under a risk-sharing deal with the Australian Government, the refinery will process Iluka's and third-party feedstocks, enhancing Western Australia’s role in rare earth processing for the electric economy.

A joint venture between Fluor and Hatch was awarded the contract to perform engineering, procurement and construction management for BHP’s proposed Olympic Dam Smelter & Refinery Expansion Project in South Australia.

A phased strategy aimed to support BHP’s assessment of the pathway to increase production in South Australia to more than 500,000 tonnes of refined copper cathode by the early 2030s, and a strategy to deliver up to 650,000 tonnes of refined copper cathode from the mid-2030s.