Southern Cross Electrical Engineering has announced it has won a contract for the first concentrator area electrical installation at CITIC Pacific's Sino Iron project at Cape Preston near Karratha.
The contract, worth $9 million, brings Southern Cross' forward order book to $55 million.
Work on the six-month project is expected to commence in April.
Southern Cross managing director Simon Hugh said the company had already had some involvement at the Sino Iron mine.
"During FY10, Southern Cross was involved in setting up the early power supply requirements for the site," Mr Hugh said.
"This installation contract is the first of six concentrator areas to be completed.
"Successful execution on this contract should place SXE in a strong position to win the electrical installation work on the remaining five concentrator areas in addition to other significant electrical installation contracts to be awarded by MCC for the Sino Iron project."
The contract announcement comes two weeks after Southern Cross lodged an interim loss of $4.8 million, the result of a combination of inefficiencies at Woodside Petroleum's $14 billion Pluto LNG project and lower tender margins.
Revenue increased $8.1 million from the previous corresponding period to $47.3 million.
Southern Cross will not pay a dividend for the period.
The company incurred a loss of $2.6 million at Pluto for the half-year to December 31 after experiencing a number of access delays.
But Mr Hugh said he expected the company to rebound in the second half of FY11 to record a full year profit.
"While it has been a difficult six months for Southern Cross, the industry is emerging from the bottom of a cycle caused by the GFC and uncertainties resulting from the mining tax debate," Mr Hugh said.
"SXE's order book is strengthening and the project pipeline continues to grow as conditions improve.
"I expect increased earnings in the second half of FY2011, which will return the company to profitability in the short term."
