Eva Copper Mine
Workers’ Camp, Cloncurry
| Developer | Harmony Mining |
| Client | Decmil (head contractor) |
| Location | Cloncurry, QLD, Eva Copper Mine |
| Solution | The Helical Pile, custom-engineered configuration |
| Scale | 1,358 screw piles installed, only 2 required an alternative solution |
| Timeframe | Late October 2025 to February 2026, 41 days on site |
The Stake
The engineered design originally specified for the site was at genuine risk of complete failure. A micro-pile system had been proposed for the build, but the lead project manager’s concerns about its compliance meant the client needed a fully engineered, provably compliant alternative before construction could proceed safely.
The Challenge
The project manager’s compliance concerns were shared by consulting engineer Peach Consulting, who agreed the original solution was problematic and introduced FTA to head contractor Decmil. It was FTA’s first project on a remote mine site, working across a highly reactive soil profile riddled with rock floaters through the first 2.2 metres, in a location where mine site compliance requirements added a further layer of difficulty.
The Approach
FTA assessed the soil profile and designed a pile diameter and helix configuration engineered specifically to work within it, founding every pile on rock at depths ranging from 2.2 to 2.5 metres. Delivery required close coordination with the trades working immediately before and after FTA on site, with crew numbers sized to hold the agreed program. The pile design was reviewed and signed off by four separate engineers, and FTA worked directly with the modular builder to design custom connection details between the screw pile and the modular components.
The Outcome
FTA installed 1,358 screw piles in 41 days on site, well inside the timeframe the original solution would have required. Of those, only two encountered rock too dense to penetrate and were resolved with a concrete footing-to-rock at 400 millimetres, a contingency planned in advance with the consulting engineer. The completed solution came in around 15% more cost-competitive than the original proposal, with further time-on-site savings for the client. Decmil rated FTA’s compliance, adaptability, and ability to work alongside other trades as exceptional.
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