Supporting Australia’s Next Critical Minerals Operation

From Bendigo to Balranald in Under a Week

Client: Iluka Resources Project: Balranald Mineral Sands Project — Processing Plant Construction & Site Support
Location: Balranald, New South Wales — approximately 150km from Bendigo
Duration: 6 years (ongoing)
Project Value: $124M+
Equipment Supplied: Excavators (13t – 20t), temporary power package (2 × 200kVA linked to 400kVA, 150kVA, fuel tanks and cabling) and general site support equipment.

The Project

The Balranald Mineral Sands Project is one of Australia’s most significant critical minerals developments, a major Iluka Resources operation in south-western New South Wales focused on extracting rutile, zircon, rare earth minerals and synthetic rutile from a rutile-rich deposit.

Following rigorous feasibility and environmental studies, the project moved into full construction — requiring the build-out of an onsite processing plant, internal roads and permanent site infrastructure to produce heavy mineral concentrate for domestic and export markets. The project is now progressing toward full production commissioning.

At $124M+, this was not a project with room for delays. Every day of construction downtime had a cost. Every equipment gap had consequences.

The Challenge

When Iluka Resources required equipment support for the Balranald project, the ask was not straightforward. The scope required a combination of earthmoving plant and power generation — some of which sat outside Yellow Hire’s standard fleet configuration at the time.

The site required:

• Rapid mobilisation into a remote NSW location
• Excavators in multiple weight classes for construction activity across the site
• A custom power generation solution — specifically, a linked 400kVA setup achieved by connecting two 200kVA generators, plus a standalone 150kVA unit
• Dedicated fuel tank infrastructure to support the generator fleet
• A supplier capable of scaling with the project across a multi-year construction programme
• Certainty. No delays, no excuses, no gaps in support.

The power generation requirement was the most complex element. The site needed 400kVA of linked generation capacity, a configuration that required sourcing two matched 200kVA generators and ensuring they could be successfully paralleled on site. At the time, Yellow Hire’s owned generator fleet did not include units of this specification.

For many suppliers, that would have been the end of the conversation.

The AIH Approach

Atlas Industrial Holdings engaged directly with the Iluka Resources site team from the outset, not to quote what was already on the shelf, but to understand exactly what the project required and commit to delivering it.

Within days of the initial brief, the AIH team had assessed the full equipment requirement, identified the gaps in the existing fleet and made the decision to purchase. Rather than turn the work away or propose an inferior solution, AIH procured the required generators, two 200kVA units configured to operate as a linked 400kVA system, along with the dedicated fuel tanks required to support them, and a 150kVA generator for secondary site power.

Excavators were mobilised across a range of sizes from 13t – 20t, covering the range of earthmoving and construction tasks required across the site build programme.

The entire response, from initial contact to equipment on site, was completed in under one week.

Mobilisation

Coordinating the delivery of a multi-machine, multi-generator package to a remote NSW site within days requires more than logistics. It requires the right relationships.

AIH partnered with Leader Cranes to execute the delivery, ensuring the generator sets and fuel infrastructure were transported and positioned correctly on site without delay or damage. The partnership allowed AIH to maintain control over the mobilisation timeline while accessing the heavy lift and transport capability the project required.

All equipment arrived on site on schedule. Construction activity commenced without interruption.

What Made This Different

This project was not a standard hire transaction. It required AIH to step outside its existing fleet, commit capital to purchase equipment specifically for the project, configure a non-standard power solution, coordinate third-party logistics, and deliver everything to a remote location within a week.

That is a different level of commitment to most equipment hire companies. It reflects how AIH approaches major project support, not as a hire desk processing orders, but as an operational partner prepared to do what is required to keep a project on track. The Balranald project also demonstrated AIH’s ability to support multi-year, Tier 1 mining operations, not just in equipment supply, but in sustained, reliable presence across the full duration of a major construction programme

AIH Delivered

• Full equipment mobilisation to a remote NSW mine site in under 7 days
• A custom 400kVA linked generator solution purchased and configured specifically for the project
• Excavator support across the construction programme
• Dedicated fuel tank infrastructure for the generator fleet
• Sustained equipment and support capability across a 6-year, $124M+ project
• Zero mobilisation delays — construction commenced on schedule

The Broader AIH Capability

The Balranald project reflects what AIH brings to major mineral sands and critical minerals developments. Alongside equipment rental through Yellow Hire, AIH supports mining and processing operations with:

• Temporary power solutions — static and trailer-mounted generator hire from 20kVA to 1MW+
• Diesel maintenance and field service support
• Component rebuilds and exchange
• OTR tyre management
• General mine site support services

Critical minerals projects don’t wait for stock to arrive or fleets to be rebuilt. When Iluka Resources needed equipment on site at Balranald, AIH didn’t quote what was available, we sourced what was required, purchased what we didn’t have, and delivered it on time.

That is what it means to be a genuine project partner for major mining operations in Australia.

That’s what we mean by: Getting It Done.