U.S., Oct. 14 -- Rio Tinto has contracted integrated property and construction group Pindan to construct an operations village, valued at $90mn, for its Koodaideri iron ore project in the Pilbara.

The $2.6bn Koodaideri project, in Western Australia's Pilbara, will be Rio Tinto's most technologically advanced mine and will have a capacity of 43 million tonnes of iron ore a year, which is expected to commence in late 2021.

The contract involves the design and construction of accommodation for the project's main village featuring 470 rooms, eight laundries, a 1200-person kitchen/dining hall, gymnasium, recreation building with cafe and alfresco space, administration office, and shop.

This latest award builds on Pindan's presence at Koodai...