Hatch
Whatever our clients envision, our engineers can design and build. With over six decades of business and technical experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, we know your business and understand that your challenges are changing rapidly. We respond quickly with solutions that are smarter, more efficient and innovative. We draw upon our 9,000 staff with experience in over 150 countries to challenge the status quo and create positive change for our clients, our employees, and the communities we serve.
Leaders in mine building
As the mining industry faces new challenges, our focus is on what and how to innovate using strategic thinking and technology as the key enablers. We want to partner with you from inception to precision execution, building capacity at every stage and focusing on the underlying issues, not the symptoms. Working together, we’ll simplify solutions by combining a deep, fundamental understanding of mine construction with a focus on safety. Our global network of 9,000 professionals work on the world’s toughest challenges and we draw upon our project experience spanning over 150 countries around the world.
Developing some of the most challenging mining projects in the world
The two new underground mines at Vale’s Voisey’s Bay Mine in Labrador, Canada, will together produce 40,000 t of nickel concentrate at a peak mining rate of 2.6 Mt per annum. The transition of Voisey’s Bay from an open pit to underground operation, requiring 30 km of underground development, will extend the life of mine to at least 2034. The project scope also includes two 19 MW power houses, a paste fill plant, maintenance shops, ventilation fans, fuel handling, underground conveyor systems, permanent camps and all infrastructure to support the new mines at this remote site.
Our team is providing detailed engineering, project-wide automation design, and project management services for the mine expansion in a JV partnership with Sikumiut Environmental Ltd (SEM), an Inuit-owned, St. John’s-based environmental company.
One of the key strategies for the project is the integration of information technology systems used in data-centric computing and operational technology to monitor events, processes and activities. We delivered a fit-for-purpose operations management system for the development phase of the underground project, ensuring short interval control of all underground development activity.
In 2021, the mine expansion achieved first ore production with zero lost-time injuries in over 7 million hours worked since engineering and construction began in 2016.
We are also the engineering, procurement and construction management provider of Mosaic’s Esterhazy K3 Expansion Project, consisting of two new shafts with hoisting plants that will produce over 20 million tons of potash per year. At over 380 ft (116 m), the North headframe at K3 is the tallest structure in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The South headframe is being constructed using pre-assembled modules, reducing schedule and cost, and increasing safety—achieving zero recordable injuries to date over the entire construction and outfitting.
The headframes each house large Koepe hoists, utilising 60-ton payload skips. The North Shaft headframe also contains an internal Blair hoist with a 27-ton payload cage. We are the engineer of record for the hoisting plants.
With worldwide expertise in the design and execution of mining projects, we enhance safety and bring cost and schedule certainty to your project.
For further information please contact Ian Duckworth – details above – or Mark Deziel, North American Director, Mining [email protected]