To date the Saudi Future Minerals Forum, the third edition of which is being held this week in Riyadh, has been primarily a conference and knowledge sharing event. However, it also has a sizeable and growing exhibition and as IM discovered, the latest installment of the event in 2024 is featuring more equipment on display than in previous years. This element of the event is also expected to grow as new mining operations in the country move from the planning stage to development.
We have already reviewed the remotely-operated soil sampling robot, NOMAD, which has been specifically designed to thrive in challenging terrains, such as those found in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as contributing to a smarter, greener and more sustainable economy. NOMAD is based on Mars rover technology and was developed by ERG Technology Intelligence, a division of mining group ERG.
Wide body mining trucks have a lot of potential in the Saudi market – being relatively low cost compared to rigid trucks plus having ease of maintenance in difficult desert mining conditions. China’s XCMG has its 60 t class XG90H on display outside the main hall – it features XCMG’s custom-made mine-specific high-horsepower engine and special gearbox, a 700 L super-large fuel tank, which meets the requirement of daily diesel consumption in conventional mining areas; plus an optimised exhaust system and precise calibration of the radiator, which it says reduces vehicle fuel consumption by 8%. XCMG also has a hydraulic excavator and grader on show in Riyadh this year.
Also outside, Turkey’s Boretech Mining, which has a representative office in Jeddah, has a large and powerful exploration drill rig on show – the BT 2500. This drill has a BQ depth capacity of 3,000 m/NQ 2,500 m/HQ 1,800 m/PQ 1,000 m with a 320 HP power unit provided by a Cummins 6CT engine. The pumps and rotation hydromotor are from Bosch Rexroth.
Inside the halls, equipment includes the Taurob Gasfinder, a reliable and fast robotic tool to identify even the smallest gas leaks – primarly aimed at the oil and gas industry but also with application potential in mining in large processing plants and concentrators. By deploying the Taurob Gasfinder, operators are able to identify and monitor gas leaks earlier and apply corrective measures and maintenance efforts to reduce emissions. Taurob is a Dietsmann Group company, and is based in Vienna, Austria.
Ivanhoe Electric has its powerful Typhoon™ geophysical surveying system on display at the event. Its Executive Chairman, Robert Friedland and President and Chief Executive Officer Taylor Melvin also announced results from the initial Typhoon survey conducted in Saudi Arabia by the 50/50-owned joint venture company established between Ivanhoe Electric and Saudi Arabian Mining company Ma’aden.
Ma’aden and Ivanhoe Electric established the Joint Venture to unlock the significant mineral potential in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Joint Venture has exclusive access to explore approximately 48,500 km2 of underexplored land on the Arabian Shield that Ma’aden will make available to the Joint Venture. Three prospective anomalies were identified for follow-up drill testing on the most prospective areas of the survey, which are south of Ma’aden’s Al Amar gold-copper-zinc mine.
Typhoon is the brand name for Ivanhoe Electric’s proprietary electrical geophysical surveying transmitter, which can survey for the presence of sulphide minerals potentially containing copper, nickel, gold and silver. Typhoon achieves its results through its unique specifications, which include a current output of up to 200 amps and a voltage output of up to 10,000 volts. The transmitter uses switches and capacitance systems, which generate a very pure and stable transmitted signal, resulting in an extremely high signal-to-noise ratio.
