Cockburn Cement Kwinana Upgrade Project

The Cockburn Cement Limited (CCL) Upgrade Project involved the expansion of cement operations at Kwinana, Western Australia. The project scope included a bulk materials conveyor linking the Kwinana Bulk Terminal (KBT) facility to a new 110,000-tonne clinker storage shed, incorporating an automated reclaim system to eliminate road transport and minimise clinker handling using mobile equipment. It also included a slag feed system to handle granulated blast furnace slag and additives such as gypsum and limestone, a ball mill circuit with the installation of two new cement mills capable of grinding slag and clinker, and a new 21,000-tonne finished product storage facility, including truck loading and weighbridge infrastructure for storage and dispatch.

Commencing in January 2022, Melchor utilised its in-house earthworks, electrical and instrumentation, and structural concrete capabilities to deliver the works. The scope comprised detailed excavation (18,000 cubic metres), backfilling (27,000 cubic metres), and the construction of all major concrete structures, including formwork (18,500 square metres), reinforcement (1,500 tonnes) and concrete (11,500 cubic metres). A highlight of the project was the execution of a complex ball mill structure.

Improvements to construction methodology within the cement silos enabled Melchor to achieve early completion.