As part of New Gold’s climate action plan, New Afton block cave gold and copper mine west of Kamloops in British Columbia, Canada continues to explore options to reduce energy use on site. In 2020, New Afton was able to achieve a reduction in fossil fuel consumption and recently purchased an electric boom truck, two electric haul trucks and one electric LHD plus an electric bolter.
The company says that the introduction of these vehicles is an important step in its C-zone development and greenhouse gas reduction targets. The trucks are 50 t class battery electric Z50 machines from Sandvik-owned Artisan Vehicles. The LHD is an 18 t Sandvik LH518B, one of the first in North America and globally, while the bolter is also a new model – the Sandvik DS412ie. The company told IM: “We will see what positive results that may be achieved with the overall objective of adding more electric/ battery pack equipment. C-zone will have a charging network.”
The first machine acquired was a MacLean Battery Electric (BEV) Boom Truck in late 2020, making it the first battery electric piece of equipment to be implemented at the mine site. The BEV Boom Truck assists underground mine operations by transporting equipment and materials. New Gold states: “This unit replaces its diesel counterpart and is key to improving both worker health and safety, as well as contributing to more efficient operations. The unit provides ergonomic improvements and operates at a quieter volume, reducing the potential for employee hazards related to hearing and diesel emissions. This unit can carry the equivalent of five loads on an IT Loader. Everything from construction materials, dust suppression containers, mine development consumables and even explosives are brought to our underground workings using this innovative addition to the New Afton mobile equipment fleet.”
Earlier in 2020, the BEV Boom Truck was subject to a lengthy trial and customisation period during which a number of New Afton employees worked closely with specialists from MacLean. Employees across all shifts utilised the equipment as part of daily operations, noting any advantages, challenges, and opportunities for improvement on daily feedback forms. New Gold states: “The information collected informed the trial, eventually leading to a comprehensive understanding of the technology and ultimately the decision to purchase the equipment. This BEV Boom Truck is just the first step toward New Afton’s vision of electrifying the entire C-Zone production feet, symbolising our commitment to innovative technology, reducing emissions and ensuring the health and safety of our employees.”
During the fourth quarter of 2020, total development towards the B3 and C-zone advanced by approximately 1,705 m, with B3 development achieving 91% and the C-Zone achieving 110% of the planned levels for the year. As of December 31, 2020, the execution of the overall B3/C-Zone development project remained on schedule. The B3 block cave will employ straight-through drawpoints, where ore will be loaded by LHDs to be dumped into ore passes to the haulage level. Automatic truck loading chutes will fill autonomous haul trucks, which will transport the ore to chutes leading to the existing Lift 1 crusher. B3 ore extraction is expected to begin during Q2 2021; ramping up over the year as more drawpoints are accessible.
The C-zone block cave zone is located approximately 550 m below Lift 1. Development towards the C-zone is underway with production planned to commence with the first of 143 planned drawbells in July 2023. The C-zone block cave will be producing from 2023-2029. Ore segregation is planned to improve mill grades while a second crusher and underground conveyor system extension for materials handling is to be installed.
LHDs will haul the ore from the ore passes to a new underground primary gyratory crusher to be installed for the C-zone. Haul trucks have been eliminated from the material handling flow on the C-zone level. The ore will then be conveyed from the crusher to a junction with the existing conveyor for movement to surface. Waste from the C-zone will be handled in the same manner. Due to its depth a major focus for the C-zone block cave is electrification, due to its potential to reduce ventilation requirements and operating costs.
Automation is also a major part of C-zone. In a recent newsletter, Shane Kozoriz, Maintenance Manager said that a 2020 focus of the maintenance department was the ongoing implementation of autonomous mining technology. “This transition is the mission of our automation and development team, which has been working to implement the innovative technology and complex infrastructure required for autonomous equipment. We have successfully operated the Sandvik LH517i Load Haul Dump (LHD) loader fully autonomously, which is a fundamental step towards our vision for what C-zone mining will look like. We continue to improve not only health and safety, but production performance as well.”
