Thiess wins Arutmin order

Thiess wins Arutmin order

SYDNEY (Dow Jones): PT Thiess Contractors Indonesia, a
subsidiary of Australia's Leighton Holdings Ltd., said on Friday
it has won a contract worth A$800 million over five years to
operate two coal mines in Kalimantan in Indonesia.

The contract is with PT Arutmin, which is 80 percent-owned by
Australia's Broken Hill Proprietary Co. (BHP) and 20 percent-
owned by Indonesia's Bakrie Group.

The coal mines are at Senakin and Satui in Southern
Kalimantan, Leighton said in a statement to the Australian Stock
Exchange.

Under the terms of the contract, Thiess will be responsible
for the complete operation of both mines, from planning through
to production, which is expected to be around 9.5 million metric
tons of coal a year.

Thiess Managing Director Martin Albrecht said the company's
work-in-hand, or contracts outstanding, now exceeds A$1.1
billion.

The company has provided services to the mines since it made
its first foray into Kalimantan in 1989. It has built two coal
preparation plants and associated port facilities at Senakin and
had contracts for road construction and earth removal at Satui.

Thiess, which is 47 percent-owned by Hochtief AG of Germany,
will employ 1,650 people at the two Indonesian mines.