Barrick retrofits five Komatsu trucks with ASI autonomy kits at Arturo JV in Nevada

Posted by Paul Moore on 6th June 2018

As reported yesterday in the Elko Daily Free Press, Barrick Gold Corp has begun testing surface autonomous haulage technologies at its South Arturo Joint Venture gold operation in Nevada (Barrick 60%/Premier Gold Mines 40%), building on the use of autonomous and semi-autonomous equipment at Barrick’s underground operations such as Cortez.

South Arturo provides potential for open pit production that could extend over an 8 to 9-year period with underground mining opportunity as a further upside. The ore from South Arturo will be trucked primarily to Barrick’s Goldstrike mine for processing. The focus for 2018 will be to commence construction of the Phase 1 open pit and El Nino underground deposit, which be developed from the bottom of the Phase 2 pit. For 2018, operational guidance at the mine is 5,000 to 10,000 oz gold at a cash cost of $600-$650/oz and all-in sustaining costs of $620-$670/oz.

Barrick and Premier have partnered with Utah-based Autonomous Solutions Inc to retrofit an existing fleet of five haul trucks with autonomous kits. IM understands that the five trucks are Komatsu 930E-2 models. ASI began installation of the technology in early April 2018. The first truck is currently undergoing system testing and is expected to enter full operation by the end of June 2018.

“The goal is to use advances in automation technology to help Barrick prove and deliver improvements in safety, efficiency and production,” said Matt Majors, Superintendent of Mining Operations and Project Manager for autonomous haulage.

Surface testing will begin with autonomous haulage at Arturo, located approximately 25 miles northwest of Carlin on property adjacent to Barrick’s Goldstrike operations.

“The Arturo site is the ideal environment for testing because we are in early phases of mine development and able to integrate and the autonomous technology on an existing fleet of trucks. Testing can be done without impacting production at Barrick’s core operations,” said Jerry Johnson, Superintendent for Open Pit Operations at Goldstrike.

The company has also contracted with Sedna Industrial IT Solutions, now based in Elko, to provide to provide networking infrastructure support and maintenance.

“As the mining industry continues to innovate and adopt new technology at increasing speed, autonomous is quickly becoming a critical component to running a safer and more sustainable operation,” said Bill MacNevin, CEO of Barrick Nevada. “The company’s long-term sustainability is dependent on the safety and security of our employees. That is why Barrick remains committed to innovation and teaching the next generation of skills in a rapidly changing technological environment.”

The company recruited autonomous operators and staff for the project from its existing workforce. In addition, Sedna is currently recruiting and training a local team to ensure that the capability to support and expand the project remains in Elko.

Testing will continue through 2018 and include evaluation of the potential for surface autonomous technology at other Barrick operations in Nevada such as Goldstrike.