Fully wireless production blasting starts at Syama mine in Mali using Orica WebGen™

Posted by Paul Moore on 17th May 2021
Today marks a significant milestone for the Resolute and Orica partnership with the commencement of production blasting at the Syama mine in Mali using WebGen™, the world’s first fully wireless initiating system developed by Orica.

Syama Mine Managing Director and General Manager, Mohamed Cisse said: “This milestone exemplifies our business values, specifically the adoption of new methods, systems and technology to improve safety and performance.” Wireless blasting will support Resolute’s strategic vision of being a successful low-cost gold producer.
The WebGen™ system completely eliminates the need for down-lines and surface connecting wires by sending firing commands through hundreds of metres of rock, air and water to initiate blasts reliably and safely without re-entry into high-risk areas.


Orica President Europe Middle East and Africa, Tom Schutte said: “We are grateful to Resolute for their long-term cooperation in achieving this milestone. Our latest technologies, including WebGen, will create value for Resolute by enabling Syama mine to eliminate exposure of personnel in higher risk areas through safer pre-charging practices.”

WebGen™ will drive efficiency and optimisation throughout the production cycle for the mine. Including increased cave flow performance and overall ore recovery by reducing the consequences of hole dislocation or loss and redrilling required.

Resolute intends to utilise WebGen™ across its underground production operations and see WebGen™ technology as a critical enabler to achieving its automated mine of the future vision at Syama.

Orica says WebGen™ “signals a step-change in in-hole initiation and decisive step on the path towards full automation of drill and blast operations in the future. “

The system provides for groups of in-hole primers to be wirelessly initiated by a firing command that communicates through hundreds of metres of rock, water, and air. This removes constraints often imposed by the requirement of a physical connection to each primer in a blast.