The contract, for drill services at the Ensham coal mine in the Bowen Basin, Queensland, is worth $A36 million.

Ausdrill will use four blast hole drills and one exploration rig along with the 35 personnel at the site. It will be drilling in order of 110,000m a month.

The company also has been awarded an $US8 million ($A7.4 million) contract extension through its part-owned subsidiary African Mining Services for works at the Ahafo gold mine in Ghana.

African Mining Services, which is a joint venture between Ausdrill and underground mining contractor Barminco, was awarded the Ahafo contract for the sixth consecutive year to conduct exploration drilling at the site.

Ausdrill managing director Ron Sayers said the company had a number of major contracts due for renewal in the next six months and “we anticipate we will secure these”.

The Ahofa gold mine is owned and operated by Newmont Mining Corporation.

African Mining Services’ underground mining arm is also carrying out work at Newmont’s Subika underground project in Ghana.