Artemis Gold Inc recently announced that it issued a purchase order to Finning (Canada), a division of Finning International Inc, for the primary and ancillary mining fleet required for the initial Phase 1 of operations. The purchase order for the mining equipment represents another key milestone in the development of the company’s Blackwater Mine project.
The primary load and haul fleet covered by the purchase order consists of Cat 6040 hydraulic excavators, a Cat 6060 hydraulic excavator and a fleet of Cat 793 trucks. This fleet will provide the load and haul capacity for the initial years of operations and will be expanded as needed.
These are next generation Cat 793 trucks, which Artemis referred to 793NG trucks, and they are distinct from the previous 793F model. Caterpillar told IM: “In November of 2022, we announced a major update on our Cat® 793 large mining truck. The new 793 includes next generation features and technology. While previous Cat truck models have included series suffix letters (ie 793F), future models are transitioning away from this practice. Build numbers will be used to distinguish between different generations of products and will be listed on the PIN plate as well as in supporting literature and online systems.”
The OEM added: “The Cat® 793 large mining trucks are part of the industry’s 240 ton size class. The new 793 has increased the nominal payload from 250 ton (793F) to 252 tons for standard life wheel stations and to 265 tons with extended life wheel stations when properly equipped. This allows customers to carry more payload without compromising the integrity of the truck.”
Supporting the primary mining fleet will be an ancillary fleet consisting of Cat 992 front end loaders, Cat 785 haul trucks, Cat D10 dozers, Cat D9 dozers and 18M graders. The 992 front end loaders and Cat 785 haul trucks will be utilised in a support loading role including ore rehandle on the run of mine (ROM) pad and from the low-grade stockpile, whilst also providing flexibility to the operation for events such as tailings storage facility raises. Further, Artemis Gold has elected to configure the Cat 6040 hydraulic excavators in a backhoe configuration to provide optimal ore selectivity. Total value of the equipment is in the order of $134 million.
Equipment deliveries to site are planned to commence late in Q4 2023 and continue throughout the first half of 2024, in preparation for the pre-strip-mining phase. Initial deliveries will include the Cat 6040 hydraulic excavators and the Cat 793 haul trucks. The delivery of the ancillary fleet will be arranged around the primary mining fleet to ensure schedule commitments are met and workforce and craneage requirements are optimised throughout the assembly period. The entire fleet is expected be ‘shovel ready’ during the second half of 2024, to meet Artemis Gold’s operational readiness objectives.
As part of the envisaged future fleet expansion the company has the option to purchase zero emission haul trucks currently under development for shipments beginning in 2029. The transition to a zero-emission haulage fleet will substantially reduce the mine’s carbon footprint. That combined with the mine’s electrified processing facility and infrastructure will create the potential to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.
Steven Dean, Chairman and CEO of Artemis Gold commented: “The execution of the purchase orders for our primary and ancillary mining fleet provides schedule certainty and ensures we will have the equipment needed to operate Blackwater Mine when we need it. It is another milestone in our plans to develop the mine and prepare for operations in H2 2024.”
