Leighton Contractors' Mining Division has been awarded a life of mine contract by Australian mining company, Custom Mining (Middlemount) Pty Ltd to develop its first site, Middlemount Mine. The site is located approximately 15 kilometres from Middlemount in Central Queensland.

• preparing the mine site and its facilities
• site management
• mine planning
• surface mining operations, and
• site rehabilitation.

Production from Middlemount will include a mix of hard coking coal and low volatile pulverised coal injection coal.

In the initial stage of the mine operations (2 years), Middlemount Mine will produce two million tonnes of coal per year. The product will be washed and railed to port for export to overseas markets.

In stage two of the project, Custom Mining Pty Ltd will introduce an ultra-class fleet to compliment Leighton Contractors' existing fleet and mining production will increase to about four million tonnes of coal a year. Some 44 million tonnes of coal will be removed over the expected 15 year life of the mine. 

* For long term contracts extending beyond five years, the total contract value shown includes the value of work completed to date plus five years worth of work in hand.