Veolia will provide services at Rio Tinto’s Hunter Valley Operations and Mount Thorley-Warkworth mine, southwest of Singleton.

With these mines having produced more than 21 million tonnes of coal in 2011, Veolia believes it will inevitably extend on its skills set within the resources, mining and heavy-industry sector.

“This partnership with Rio Tinto is a major achievement for the NSW Industrial Services team and aligns with Veolia’s business plan for continued growth within the resources, mining and heavy-industry sector,” Veolia said.

The coal, which is washed and loaded onto trains, is then transported 90km to the Port Waratah terminal in Newcastle where it is then shipped to international customers.

Veolia will provide services including the operation of wash bays for cleaning down coal haulage trucks, cleaning large mobile equipment such as draglines, face shovels, excavators and drilling equipment, as well as both mines’ coal preparation plants.

These tasks will be facilitated from the recently established Veolia Industrial Services depot at Branxton in the Hunter Valley.