In 1978, the client partnership selected Fluor to undertake engineering, procurement and construction for the $100 million, 100,000-metric-tons-per-year magnesium plant and the $25 million brine-solution mining facilities.

The scope of work included two main processing facilities, four 40-meter-wide (132-foot) separation tanks, the brine plant (located 15 miles from the chemical plant), a pipeline connecting the two plants and loading/unloading facilities.

The Wildervank Canal would be used to transport magnesium to Billiton's customers worldwide.

To mine the magnesium, a steel-casing pipe (in which two others were suspended) was sunk through a bore hole to the deposit. Water was injected downward, forcing brine to the surface where it was pumped via the pipeline to the plant. There, brine was combined with dolime, a material obtained by kiln-burning dolomite. In this wet-phase, the resulting magnesium hydroxide was thickened, washed and then filtered.

In the subsequent dry phase, workers heated the magnesium hydroxide to evaporate water content, leaving a white powder. To achieve the correct density and final product, the powder was compressed to form almond-shaped briquettes. These ware fired at 2,000° C.

Our project team worked closely with the client and government officials to plan for environmental safeguards, particularly to dampen noise and contain dust particle from the manufacturing operation. Computer calculations revealed that the plant's extensive mechanical conveyor operated less than 45 decibels at the perimeter boundary. Dust was controlled by enclosing the dry section and installing air conditioning.