Rehabilitation
Shaping what comes next
#Our approach
Thiess Rehabilitation is a dedicated service that transforms mine sites into safe, sustainable landscapes, creating long-term value for communities, industry, land-owners and the environment.
Backed by the capabilities of the Thiess Group, Thiess Rehabilitation delivers end-to-end rehabilitation services including:
- comprehensive mine closure projects including void reshaping,
- post-mining land transformation including alternative land uses,
- progressive rehabilitation, and
- supporting civil earthworks.
Thiess Rehabilitation provides the technical expertise, operational excellence and global scale to deliver successful outcomes, for projects of all sizes, stages, commodities and requirements.
Thiess Rehabilitation’s approach combines practical engineering, unmatched mining and earthmoving experience, operational excellence, innovative technologies and rigorous quality assurance, with a focus on flexible delivery models and risk reduction for clients.
Planning
Practical, cost-effective rehabilitation designs and strategies that optimise landforms, minimise earthworks and manage project risks.
Rehabilitation planning services include:
• Rehabilitation planning, costing and scheduling
• Geotechnical engineering, final landform design and
constructability assessment
• Earthwork optimisation and material movement
reduction
• Closure planning support and project risk reduction.
Production
Safe and efficient delivery using industry-leading earthmoving capability, advanced technology and disciplined project controls.
Rehabilitation production services include:
• Large-scale earthworks, blasting and landform
construction
• Void reshaping and waste rock dump rehabilitation
• Raise boring and underground infrastructure
• High-precision machine guidance
• Autonomous earthmoving solutions
• Watercourse diversions
• Water management, drainage and erosion control
• Tailings and ash storage, including management of acid-forming materials
• Topsoiling, growth media, revegetation and habitat
establishment
• Quality-controlled construction and project delivery.
Performance
Rehabilitation outcomes are measured and monitored to meet design specifications, regulatory obligations and client expectations.
Rehabilitation performance services include:
• Inspection and Test Plans (ITPs)
• Compliance monitoring
• Survey, data capture and digital conformance reporting
• Audit-ready documentation and records.
Case Study
Closing the loop at Muswellbrook
Thiess Rehabilitation completed 156 hectares of land restoration works at the Muswellbrook mine in 2025, completing a lifecycle of work after the Thiess Brothers were awarded the initial mining contract at the project in 1944.
The rehabilitation works included engineering, design, geotechnical control, bulk earthworks, civil works, and seeding with native species and improved pasture. By optimising the reference design and applying effective risk controls, the team reduced material movement by 20%, achieved cost savings, and met design tolerances using a quality control approach recognised by the New South Wales Resource Regulator as leading practice.
#12,580 hectares rehabilitated
Globally, since 2007
*As of 2026
"Thiess Rehabilitation has been an outstanding partner at Mount Pleasant Operation, consistently delivering rehabilitation outcomes that meet design, safety, and environmental objectives.
Their team combines strong technical capability with a genuine commitment to quality, successfully delivering geomorphic landform construction, drainage works, shaping, topsoil placement, ripping, seeding, and tree planting.
Supported by effective project management and a strong sense of ownership, Thiess has proven to be a reliable and trusted contractor across all stages of mine rehabilitation."
- Michael Redman, General Manager Operations, MACH Energy
#Case Studies
Lake Vermont
Autonomous Rehabilitation Earthworks
At Lake Vermont, Thiess has been operating one of the world’s largest active semi-autonomous tractor systems (SATS) fleets since 2021 for production and rehabilitation dozing.
Rehabilitation at Lake Vermont has included mine plan integration, topsoil management, water management construction and UAV mapping to support progressive rehabilitation of 480 hectares to date.
Kidston Pumped Hydro Project
Purposing a legacy gold mine for renewable energy
The 250MW Kidston Clean Energy project was the first in the world to successfully transform a disused gold mine into renewable energy infrastructure. It is Australia’s first pumped hydro storage project in more than four decades and the third largest electricity storage device in the country.
Underground experts PYBAR, a Thiess Group company, delivered 970 metres of specialised raise boring shafts, critical for transforming mining pits into pumped hydro assets.
Duketon South Gold Mine
Progressive rehabilitation of an active hard-rock site
MACA, a Thiess Group company, has progressively rehabilitated approximately 177 hectares of Duketon South Gold Mine, delivering landform reconstruction, drainage systems, bulk earthworks, topsoil placement and seeding to support long-term closure objectives.
Rehabilitation has been integrated with ongoing mining operations and undertaken in consideration of the unique challenges of the Western Australian environment.
Yallourn & Loy Yang Mines
River diversion and ash pond management
RTL, a Thiess Group company, delivers mining, civil and rehabilitation scopes across the Yallourn and Loy Yang mines. This has included the award-winning Morwell river diversion through the Yallourn Mine and ongoing significant ash pond reclamation projects at the Loy Yang Mine.
RTL has completed extensive progressive rehabilitation on both sites, integrating final land use transformation with ongoing
mining operations.
Sustainability is at the heart of our business
For Thiess this means including meaningful Traditional Owner engagement, Indigenous economic participation, and industry-leading ESG and decarbonisation initiatives into our rehabilitation projects.
#Related Resources
#Contact us
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Successful rehabilitation requires more than just environmental expertise and earthmoving experience.
It also demands the capability to manage complex geotechnical environments, engage stakeholders, apply advanced earthmoving technology, and maintain strong project and cost controls, in order to deliver regulatory compliant audit-ready outcomes.
To shape what comes next on your site, contact Thiess Rehabilitation below.