Whyalla’s steelworks have been awarded a key contract that will enable LIBERTY Primary Steel to continue its supply of rail products for the Inland Rail Project.
LIBERTY Primary Steel will supply 147,000 tonnes of steel over the next three to five years, with Whyalla Integrated Steelworks producing the remaining rail needed for the Inland Rail Project and others delivered by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).
The contract would support the 1,500-strong workforce at the Whyalla Integrated Steelworks, executive managing director Primary Steel, Jason Schell, said.
“LIBERTY Primary Steel is proud to contribute high-quality, Australian-made product to projects of the scale and importance of Inland Rail,” Schell said. “It’s exciting to see this nation-building project being built with Australian steel and benefitting regional communities across Australia, including Whyalla.”
LIBERTY Primary Steel has been supplying rail products to the Inland Rail Project since 2017. The contract will see more than 2,400km of rail manufactured in Whyalla for the Inland Rail track from Melbourne to Brisbane.
This is a success for Whyalla’s Integrated Steelworks, executive chairman GFG Alliance, Sanjeev Gupta, said.
“Steel is essential in the modern world and essential in developing a thriving industrial economy. We are pleased to be associated with key Australian infrastructure projects like Inland Rail,” Gupta said.
Other ARTC projects, including the Southern Highlands crossover project, Narrabri to Turrawan rerailing project and ARTC maintenance and rerailing projects in New South Wales and South Australia will also be supported by the contract.
“We have a strong association with ARTC through the Tangent Rail Development – a collaborative initiative in modified rail profile delivering a lower-cost solution for ARTC and continuous supply of steel rail to Whyalla Steelworks,” Schell said.
ARTC will continue to support Australian manufacturing throughout the nation’s fight against the economic impacts of COVID-19, ARTC CEO and managing director Mark Campbell said.
“This contract reinforces the investment in rail, including Inland Rail, which is supporting jobs and building efficient and strengthened supply chains for generations to come,” Campbell said.