Mine Entrance Way

The McElligotts Queensland team was engaged to provide remedial construction services to the entrance way of a mine in the Mackay area.

The entrance way had to be transported to McElligotts’ Mackay yard and lifted into the igloo by a crane. Weighing in at 18 tonnes, its dimensions are 6m high, 5m wide, and 10m long, making it a significant structure that required careful handling to get it to our yard.

After putting the mine entrance way in place, the team began abrasive blasting the structure to clean it of its old coating and any contaminants that had formed. Afterwards, they painted the structure using a primer and protective coating of paint. The mine entrance way was painted using two colours, with the outside being painted white, and the inside being painted green.

Mine Entrance Remediation

Overall, this project took our team four days to complete. It is essential for a mine entrance way to be well-maintained over a long period of time. The McElligotts team were proud to assist in bringing this mine entrance way back to its highest standard.

It was an exciting opportunity, and McElligotts was able to play a key part in assisting both the mining and construction industry of Mackay, and its surrounding regions.

 

Wivenhoe Dam Unit 1 Refurbishment 

McElligotts Queensland were contracted by Queensland Government-owned energy generator and retailer, CleanCo Queensland, to provide refurbishment work to Unit 1 of the Wivenhoe Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Station situated at the Wivenhoe Dam. This project was part of the $14 million overhaul to Queensland’s only pumped hydro power station which plays a critical role in providing a reliable, low-emissions energy supply for Queensland.

The importance of keeping the Wivenhoe Power Station up to standard was highlighted when an incident at the coal-fired Callide Power Station in May 2021 placed significant strain on Queensland’s energy network.  During this time, the Wivenhoe Power Station increased its operations to generate up to 530MW over continuous four-hour period. This ensured a continued supply of energy to hundreds of thousands of Queensland homes and businesses.

The McElligotts team worked on Unit 1 of the Wivenhoe Power Station between July and October 2021. For this project, our team was responsible for blasting and painting the spiral casing, turbine shaft, draft tube, and slot covers of the unit. The nature of this work involved our crew having to work at heights and in confined spaces, while the logistics of the project were impacted by the border restrictions that were in place at the time due to Covid.

This is not the first time that McElligotts has provided their services to Wivenhoe Dam. In 2018, our team was engaged by CS Energy to work on the overhaul of Unit 2 at the Wivenhoe Power Station.

McElligotts would like to thank all the crew members who showed their dedication, experience, and expertise in completing this significant project. Alongside our own team, we also worked with workers from Downer group to get the job done.

 

Goods Island Lighthouse

McElligotts were engaged to complete the repaint of the Cape Wickham lighthouse. The major work scope was the removal of the existing lead-based coatings and replacement with a modern protective coating system. Additional project requirements included stabilisation and repair of concrete, repointing of stonework, repair of corrosion and damage to metal substrates.

Fraser Island Sandy Cape Lighthouse

The Sandy cape lighthouse work scope included the removal of the dome roof and replacement of the roof sill plate, removal, and replacement of the corroded external stair stringer plate.

Sandy Cape was commenced in September 2014 and completed in February 2015.

Before
After

Double Island Point Lighthouse

The Double Island Point lighthouse required corrosion repairs to the sheet plate wall panelling; structural repairs to the lantern room concrete balcony; supply and installation of a cathodic protections system;

Double Island Point was commenced in April 2014 and completed in September 2014.

Albert Street Spire

McElligotts have recently been awarded the refurbishment on the large landmark artwork, steel yellow spire that stands above the Albert Street rail underpass in Brisbane’s CBD. This project involves our team high-pressure washing and applying a three-coat protective coating system to the structure so it will be better protected against the harsh Brisbane climate.

The spire is a tall yellow steel structure standing on the edge of Albert Street and looking over the rail underpass. It is located opposite Wickham Park and towers above the surrounding trees that line the edge of the road.

There are numerous interfaces to be managed including pedestrians, rail, and roadway. Works will be conducted over night to prevent disruptions.

Albert Street SpireAlbert Street Spire Refurbishment

Ampol Refinery Tanks

McElligotts has an ongoing relationship with Ampol in both Queensland and New South Wales, helping them clean and reline their refinery tanks. Our team has been providing these services for a number of years. Our job involves confined space entry preparation through abrasive blasting and coating refurbishment of the internal lining. Having a sound liner installed prevents tank corrosion and eliminated product contamination

McElligotts would like to thank Ampol for being a longstanding client in this area. We understand the significance of relining these refinery tanks and hope that our services go a long way towards keeping Australia’s storage facilities in safe hands.

We would also like to congratulate every McElligott team member who works on these ongoing projects – whether they are in Queensland or New South Wales. Everyone’s dedication to complete the job to a high standard is one of the fundamental reasons behind McElligotts’ strong reputation throughout the industry.

Ampol Tanks

Oaky Creek Contract

In October 2012 and February 2013, McElligotts worked on two different projects as part of the Oaky Creek Coal Mine Conveyor remediation. Since then, McElligotts are proud to have been bought on as a permanent contractor, providing scaffolding, blasting and painting as part of the steel remediation project.

The Oaky Creek Coal Mine is located next to the small town of Tieri within the Bowen Basin Central Queensland and is serviced out of our Mackay depot. With 288 million tonnes of coking coal in reserves, the Oaky Creek Coal Mine is one of the largest coal reserves in Australasia and the world. The mine has two underground operations and a coal preparation plant, which is a joint venture between Xstrata Coal Queensland, Sumisho Coal Australia, Itochu Coal Resources Australia and ICRA OC.

Projects like these are rewarding to work on because we are able to contribute to such an important part of Queensland’s economy. Our focus each day at Oaky Creek is to provide the mining workers with the access and tools they need to complete their work safely and efficiently.

The McElligotts Queensland team thoroughly enjoy working on various projects with the Oaky Creek Coal Mine team and are looking forward to continuing .our support to their business throughout 2021.and into the future.

Mackay Sugar: Mirani Bridge Remediation

McElligotts have been engaged by Mackay Sugar of the Nordzucker Group to work on the remediation of the Mirani Bridge in Mirani, just a short drive from the town centre of Mackay. For many years, the Mirani Bridge has been used to transport sugarcane across the town from the fields to the sugar mill, which is an essential part of Mackay’s economy.

Mackay Sugar is Australia’s second largest sugar milling company, having milled cane for over 140 years across 3 sites in Mackay at Farleigh, Marian and Racecourse. The company also holds a 25 per cent interest in Sugar Australia Joint Venture, Sugar Australia, and New Zealand Sugar Company. Between their products of sugar, molasses, bagasse and mill mud/ ash, Mackay Sugar turns over $300 million annually.

Mackay Sugar BridgeAs part of the corrosion remediation of the bridge McElligotts will conduct lead paint removal works. Lead paint is a toxic material that was commonly used to coat steel during construction projects prior to 1975. Over time, exposure to lead paint is extremely dangerous to humans due to its toxicity which can damage the brain, kidneys and nervous system in both children and adults.

Safety is our top value at McElligotts so we take measures to ensure our workers do not come into direct contact with the harmful lead paint by providing them with the appropriate personal protective equipment to wear whilst removing the old coating and environmental controls to ensure the work area stays below the exposure Standards  After we remove the lead paint, we will re-coat the bridge with a safer, more durable protective coating system that will ensure the bridge remains free from corrosion for years to come.

McElligotts were awarded the project by Mackay Sugar on the back of our superior experience and reputation in safely carrying out similar lead removal paint projects throughout Australia.

 

 

 

Wivenhoe Power Station

Located in South East Queensland, about 80km from Brisbane, the Wivenhoe Dam is the region’s largest water storage and is the main water supply for Brisbane and greater Ipswich. Wivenhoe was first built in 1984, designed by the Water Resources Commission as a solution for providing a safe and reliable water supply for the region as well as managing flood mitigation. The dam’s removable gate allows SEQ water to make controlled water releases during times of heavy rain, with the dam storing a whopping 3.132 million megalitres of water.

In 2018, McElligotts was engaged by CS Energy to work on the $11.8 million overhaul of Unit 2 at the Wivenhoe Power Station. The power station, part of the Wivenhoe Dam, sits between the Splityard Creek Dam and Lake Wivenhoe and is the only pumped storage hydroelectric plant in Queensland. Its purpose is to drive the pump to lift water from Lake Wivenhoe to the upper storage of the Splityard Creek Dam to generate electricity. When demand for electricity peaks, the pump reverses the flow of water to the lower storage, driving the turbine to generate electricity. There are only two generating units part of Wivenhoe, each having a combined capacity of 570MW.

Wivenhoe Power Station

During the project, McElligotts worked in collaboration with CS Energy employees and other contractors including MHPS, Cleanaway and In Place Machining who all worked over 54,300 hours on the job. At its peak, the project had 120 workers on site including the power station’s permanent workforce of 11 and 109 external contractors. The project was scheduled to run from 3 April – 3 July, however the team worked hard and delivered the project early, making the power station ready for commercial use on 26 June.

McElligotts are proud to have worked on a piece of infrastructure that plays such an imperative role in Queensland’s electricity production. We would like to thank CS Energy for placing their trust in our work, along with the teams at MHPS, Cleanaway and In Place Machining for being a pleasure to work alongside.