Rio Tinto has signed a deal with Perth-based company Mondium for the design and construction of the Western Turner Syncline Phase 2 (WTS2) iron ore mine in the Pilbara region, in Western Australia. The contract is worth some A$400 million (US$275 million).
“The work is expected to create 450 jobs starting in the first quarter of 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2021. Mondium and Rio Tinto will work closely to ensure the contract provides local and Indigenous em-ployment as well as business opportunities in the region,” Rio Tinto said in a statement.
Chris Salisbury, Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore chief executive, said that the com-pany is “continuing to invest in Western Australia and have a number of development projects in the pipeline that will continue to provide opportu-nities for local companies.”