PRESS RELEASE: The A$190 million (US$135 million) contract, for a minimum of 24 months, includes the provision of a full range of underground mining services and equipment to support the mine's lateral development and associated ore production, including load and haul, shotcreting, cable bolting and full fleet maintenance services.

CIMIC Group CEO Michael Wright said: "This contract recognises our close working relationship with BHP Nickel West at Leinster Underground mine.

"It acknowledges our ability to work flexibly with BHP Nickel West to meet the mine's growing development and production needs."

CIMIC Group executive mining and mineral processing and Thiess managing director Douglas Thompson said: "We are pleased to continue our work with BHP Nickel West at the Leinster underground mine. We have a deep understanding of the mine and our team is well placed to help support its next phase of development and production."

Leinster Underground is an underground nickel mine within BHP Nickel West's Leinster Nickel operation, located in the northern goldfields of Western Australia.

Thiess began work at Leinster in 2016, when the team excavated around 610m of horizontal development to access nearly 230,000t of ore using sub-level open stoping mining methods.