Aside from the main shaft work being conducted by RUC Cementation Mining Contractors and partner Insig Technologies at the Newmont Tanami Expansion 2 project in Northern Territory, Master Drilling’s Australia team is also active elsewhere at the mine and has announced progress with the two ventilation holes it was contracted for last year which included 750 m and 300 m ventilation holes at a 5.7 m diameter. As a result of poor overburden, its team of experts has also appled piling technology.

It has successfully completed the first underground hole in very challenging ground conditions. The hole is 5.7 m in diameter and circa 300 m long. Reaming advance rates were on average, 0.45 m/h and in certain sections, where ground conditions were favourable and in excess of 0.55 m/h was achieved. Master Drilling says that it has also commenced piloting the 750 m hole and is utilising NOV (National-Oilwell Varco)’s state-of-the-art directional drilling tool that provides continuous monitoring of the location of the pilot bit. This tool was used in a world record hole in South Africa that was directionally drilled to a length of 1,377 m.