Tag Archives: Kalgoorlie

Northern Star bolsters Sandvik fleet with Toro trucks and loaders, plus DD422i jumbo

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Australia-based gold miner Northern Star Resources has selected Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions to supply 32 new pieces of mobile equipment for its Australian operations.

Northern Star operates several open-pit and underground mines across three gold production centres: Kalgoorlie and Yandal in Western Australia, and Pogo in Alaska, USA. The company will bolster its Sandvik fleet with 17 Toro™ TH663i underground trucks, 10 Toro LH621i underground loaders, four Toro LH517i underground loaders and a Sandvik DD422i development jumbo with dual control.

Loader and truck deliveries are planned to begin in September quarter 2023 and continue into June quarter 2025. The drill is scheduled to be delivered in the June quarter of 2024.

“This commitment underscores the partnership between Northern Star and Sandvik and reflects trust in our advanced, intelligent technology that helps make our customers more productive, more profitable and more sustainable,” Wayne Scrivens, Vice President, Sales Area Australia and New Zealand, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said.

The Toro TH663i trucks each have a 63 t carrying capacity and low overall equipment weight for high ramp speeds, Sandvik says. They come with Operator Speed Assist as a standard feature to automatically limit the top speed of the vehicle during level and downhill driving. The truck’s low weight, efficient engine technology and fast ramp speeds result in low fuel consumption per hauled tonne and overall reduction of CO2 emissions, according to the OEM.

The 17 t Toro LH517i loaders, Sandvik says, provide superior hydraulic power for fast bucket filling. A powerful drivetrain enables high-speed tramming and increased productivity, while long-life components, specifically developed for the rough underground environment, contribute to low cost per tonne.

The 21 t Toro LH621i loaders are engineered for rapid mine development and large-scale underground production. With superior hydraulic power for fast bucket filling and drivetrain power for high ramp speeds, this loader can quickly clear tunnel headings for rapid advance rates, according to the company.

RCT equips Northern Star’s Ramone mine with autonomous and digital tech

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RCT says it has partnered with Northern Star Mining Services (NSMS) to implement a digital autonomous mining fleet at the Ramone gold mine in Western Australia.

The Ramone mine, near Wiluna, is owned by Northern Star Resources, the parent company of NSMS. It is 35 km southeast of the Jundee Gold Mine, which Northern Star also owns.

The technology has significantly advanced autonomous fleet production activities and sets the underground operation on a pathway to full mine digitisation, according to RCT, which is now owned by Epiroc.

The rollout represents the latest in a long line of successful projects that has seen RCT automate NSMS’s underground mining fleets across the Kalgoorlie and Yandal regions.

At Ramone, machine operators will use RCT’s ControlMaster® Automation Centre and supervise two Sandvik LH517i underground loaders commissioned with the latest ControlMaster digital solution.

The technology significantly enhances production by enabling faster autonomous loader cycles and greatly reduces maintenance downtime associated with machine damage, RCT said.

Once RCT’s ControlMaster Automation Centre is relocated from underground to the surface on site, it will allow for fast “hot seating” and enable site managers to capture the time previously lost over the shift changes and continue production cycles during firing activities, it added.

The NSMS team at Ramone is benefitting from the rollout of RCT Connect, the only mine site communications network designed to accommodate autonomous mobile machine fleets, according to RCT.

RCT Account Manager, Scott Phillips, said: “Our digital automation technology will provide the Ramone operation with every advantage to mine safely, efficiently and continue to make solid advancements for years to come. Northern Star Mining Services’ investment in our specialised communications technology provides a strong foundation from which to grow autonomous operations as the mine evolves and site needs change.

“Our experienced Goldfields team has worked very closely with the Ramone site team to ensure this initial rollout goes smoothly and we are very pleased with the successful outcome.

“This is just the first chapter in what we hope will be a long and very productive working relationship between RCT and the Northern Star Mining Services crew at Ramone.”

Perenti secures largest ever Australia surface mining contract at KCGM’s Fimiston mine

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Perenti Limited says its Ausdrill subsidiary has been awarded a new surface miningcontract at the Northern Star Resources-owned Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM) Fimiston open-pit gold mine in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

The new circa-A$160 million ($110 million), 60-month contract incorporates activities that commenced March 1, 2022, and will continue to March 2027.

Ausdrill has been contracted to provide up to 14 production blasthole drill rigs to support ongoing operations.

Given the scale and quality of its existing Ausdrill fleet, Perenti does not expect any new capital outlay to support this contract, it said.

Mark Norwell, Managing Director & CEO of Perenti, said “We continue to remain focused on supporting the families, friends, and colleagues of Trevor and Dylan following the tragic incident at the MMG-owned and Barminco-operated, Dugald River mine in Queensland last week. However, over the weekend Ausdrill executed a material contract and in-line with our disclosure obligations, we are providing the market with an update.

“We have secured our largest ever surface contract in Australia, which continues our relationship at one of Ausdrill’s first ever projects. We are very proud to be part of Kalgoorlie’s history and we look forward to continuing to deliver certainty and value for Northern Star, our employees and business partners.”

He added: “Since the release of our operational update on 19 December 2022, we have continued to deliver on our strategic objectives and while we have seen some strengthening of the Australian dollar relative to the US dollar, we have seen overall margin improvement and continued to win or extend existing contracts, positively resolve commercial negotiations and further simplify our business. Market conditions continue to remain favourable into the second half of financial year 2023 in support of further delivery against our 2025 strategy. We look forward to providing additional details when we release our first half 2023 results tomorrow.”

Paul Muller, President Contract Mining at Perenti, said “Ausdrill began with two drill rigs in 1987 at the Fimiston mine. Since then, Ausdrill has continued to expand its services to include blast hole and grade control drilling, utilising a fleet of drill rigs specifically designed and manufactured (in-house) to meet the unique specifications required by the Fimiston open-pit mine.

“We look forward to continuing to provide our value-add expertise to the KCGM operations while extending our long-standing relationship with our local and regional stakeholders.”

RCT turns Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine into ‘digitally connected powerhouse’

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RCT’s latest partnership with Gold Fields in Australia has seen, it says, the transformation of the Granny Smith mine and machine fleet into a state-of-the-art, digitally connected powerhouse.

The project, which RCT says embodies the mining company’s key value of innovation, is designed to increase productivity.

Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine is no stranger to RCT, having been one of its technology partners for more than 20 years.

This latest project has seen the Eastern Goldfields underground gold operation become one of the most innovative, digitally-connected mines in the world, according to RCT. The project saw its Kalgoorlie-based team of innovative technicians upgrade the site’s six existing Caterpillar loaders from analogue to digital.

This required the Kalgoorlie branch team to design and build specialised mounts and overhaul the site’s existing cabins. In addition, a total of 11 Area Access Controls (AAC) were also converted from analogue to digital to facilitate the upgrade.

“We recognise that they made a significant investment into the original technology, and we wanted to find the most cost-effective and sustainable solution available,” RCT’s Kalgoorlie Branch Manager, Rick Radcliffe, said.

The team converted three of the site’s existing analogue TeleCabins and transformed them into digital ControlMaster® Automation Centres for underground use and two surface Automation Centres to digital, bringing them into the future.

The site chose to use RCT’s own full-scale digital communications solution – RCT Connect – to meet the demands of autonomous machines across the mine site. The technology will cater to Granny Smith’s current and future machines, according to RCT.

The Kalgoorlie branch finished the upgrades in December last year, and although the technology has only been in place for a few months, the site has experienced amazing results from day one, according to the company.

Granny Smith Mine Manager, Michael Place, said: “The ability for the operators to mine from the surface with a pristine picture/video thanks to the digital network has meant they have been able to increase the number of buckets per shift, while adding to the comfort of the operators.

“Implementing the new digital infrastructure RCT Connect has significantly improved both the availability and reliability of Granny Smith’s semi-autonomous remote production loaders and stoping fronts to date.”

The upgrade saw the popular analogue technology that uses the Yagi antenna replaced with RCT Connect.

Radcliffe added: “While the Yagi’s have been a tried and tested technology for many years, our digital RCT Connect Access Points has taken the Control Master underground communications system to another level. The system is now more reliable and provides a clearer picture and improved operator visibility.

“The feedback we have received from site is that the operators love the new technology and they wished they implemented it ages ago.”

As well as experiencing the significant benefits of digital technology today, Granny Smith is futureproofing its operations, allowing it to make small, incremental changes as and when they are ready, RCT said.

RCT Connect, RCT says, is a plug-and-play system, making it easy to install and maintain. The technology has produced a clearer picture, which has greatly assisted Granny Smith personnel to continue operating their machines safely in high-risk locations.

Radcliffe concluded: “Another added benefit to moving to digital is that RCT can now remotely support our clients to a higher level and are able to monitor and complete repairs in a short timeframe, as it eliminates the need for a technician to travel to site to troubleshoot in many cases.”

WesTrac to bring R2900 XE and Cat AD63 LHD-truck combo to Diggers & Dealers

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Leading Caterpillar dealer WesTrac is to unveil one of the latest Cat® underground mining trucks to hit Australian shores at this year’s Digger & Dealers Mining Forum in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, next week.

The Cat AD63 Underground Mining Truck was recently released by Caterpillar to the market and has undergone a series of upgrades to improve on the design and performance of its predecessor, the Cat AD60.

The AD63 has been designed and built for the most rugged mining applications while delivering exceptional performance, according to WesTrac. Improvements to payload, powertrain performance and serviceability have also been made.

This includes five optional dump body sizes including a new lightweight option, 63-t payload, a tilt cab to provide ease of servicing access, and eHVAC ducted air-conditioning for operator comfort. The AD63 is powered by the Cat C27 engine, which meets EU Stage V emissions standards.

The AD63 is well matched with a variety of loaders and is a good pairing with the new Cat R2900 XE underground loader, which, with an 18.5-t-payload, can fill the AD63 in three to four passes. The R2900 XE, displayed at MINExpo 2021 in Las Vegas, in September 2021, will also be on show in Kalgoorlie.

The R2900 XE itself is designed with the latest diesel-electric technology, offering up to 30% greater fuel efficiency as well as increased payload and breakout force.

WesTrac CEO, Jarvas Croome, said: “Diggers & Dealers is an iconic event on the mining calendar and even with border closures last year, it attracted the second highest audience ever.

“It’s proof that these sorts of events are still high on many people’s priority lists and with borders open again, we should see a more diverse audience this year – and potentially see attendance records broken.

“That makes it even more exciting to be showcasing the Cat AD63 and R2900 XE at Diggers & Dealers.”

Diggers & Dealers is set to run from August 1-3 at the Goldfields Arts Centre in Kalgoorlie.

Liebherr-Australia set for Kalgoorlie return in 2022

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Liebherr-Australia is set to return to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, with a new branch set to open in the city in 2022.

The Kalgoorlie branch will provide support in the form of fast access to spare parts and customer service for the growing number of Liebherr mining equipment in the region and will be one of three mining branches in Western Australia, the company said.

The branch is set to be opened in the city on a 10,000 sq.m block, incorporating a 1,000 sq.m warehouse and 180 sq.m office space, with necessary parts and Liebherr tooling held in the facility. It will be supported by full time parts personnel, with customer support and service teams using the branch as a hub when travelling between sites.

In recent years, Liebherr’s footprint of mining equipment in the Goldfields-Esperance region has grown, now supporting more than 30 excavators and trucks, over 15 mine sites and nine customers, with more scheduled into 2022.

“Returning to Kalgoorlie marks the success we’ve had in recent years in growing our equipment fleet in the region,” Trent Wehr, Liebherr-Australia Managing Director, said.

The new opening marks a return to the region for Liebherr-Australia who was present in the region through an agent between 1986 and 1990, before taking over the official OEM dealership in the region from 1990 to 2006.

Wehr added: “We have always been committed to providing the best support to our customers and establishing the Kalgoorlie branch will only further enable us to provide these services.”

Liebherr-Australia’s mining customer support network includes branches in Mackay, Queensland; Mt Thorley, New South Wales; Perth, Western Australia; Newman, Western Australia; and soon-to-be Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. This comes alongside the head office, national distribution centre and production facility in Adelaide, South Australia.

The Kalgoorlie branch is scheduled to be operational in January 2022, with Liebherr-Australia to hold an official opening ceremony with key customers and partners in the March quarter of 2022 to celebrate the milestone.

Northern Star shores up KCGM energy supply with Newmont Kalgoorlie power deal

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Newmont has agreed to sell its Kalgoorlie power business to Australia’s Northern Star Resources Ltd in a deal that could see the leading gold miner pocket $95 million of cash.

The deal follows the January 2020 sale of Newmont’s 50% stake in Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM). Of the $95 million in cash, $25 million relates to an option payment previously received from Northern Star as part of this stake. The cost of the option will be deducted from the final purchase price, leaving Northern Star to pay the balance of $70 million at completion, expected to occur in December 2021.

Newmont said the Kalgoorlie power business has been a profitable asset for Newmont since the sale of its stake in KCGM. It supplies electricity to KCGM via a suite of contracts, licences, approvals and third-party arrangements, including a 50% interest in the 110 MW duel fuel gas turbine Parkeston Power Station near Kalgoorlie, owned in joint venture with Canadian energy utility, TransAlta Corp.

Northern Star said the purchase provided the company with significant synergies and value, including infrastructure and power security to support the requirements of KCGM; lower power costs at KCGM; further options for Northern Star to implement renewable energy.

Northern Star Managing Director, Stuart Tonkin, said: “The purchase means our Kalgoorlie power supply will now form part of our studies into ways to meet our commitment to becoming carbon-neutral.”

Newmont President and CEO, Tom Palmer, added: “Australia is a critical contributor to Newmont’s global portfolio of world-class assets, located in top-tier jurisdictions. With the sale of this non-core asset, we will continue our regional focus on delivering long-term value at our Boddington and Tanami operations and advancing our future project pipeline through active exploration campaigns.”

Alltype Engineering to help bring Lynas’ Kalgoorlie rare earths processing plant to life

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WestStar Industrial’s engineering construction contracting business, Alltype Engineering, has been awarded a rotary kiln erection contract valued at circa-A$12 million ($8.8 million) by Lynas Kalgoorlie Pty Ltd in Western Australia.

This contract, in addition to bolstering the WestStar 2022 financial year order, aligns with Alltype Engineering’s strategic plan to focus and deliver on major turnkey construction projects and provide a differentiated vertical service offering incorporating fabrication, SMP and E&I construction works.

Lynas’ new rare earths processing facility in Kalgoorlie will treat rare earth concentrate from its Mt Weld mine to produce rare earth carbonate, which will be packaged and transported to Fremantle Port for export to the Lynas Malaysia advanced materials plant in Gebeng, Malaysia, for further processing.

The scope awarded to Alltype Engineering encompasses the following:

  • Erection of a six-meter diameter by 110 m long, four pier kiln and all structural and mechanical drive ancillaries;
  • Erection of discharge hood;
  • Fabrication and installation of discharge end building;
  • Fabrication and installation of dust chute from discharge end seal;
  • Erection of burner management system and all ancillaries;
  • Fabrication and installation of primary leach overflow rubber lined hopper;
  • Installation of pumps, agitators, heat exchanger and all service piping; and
  • Installation of all electrical and instrumentation works including cabling, infrastructure and instruments.

Alltype Engineering, WestStar says, has a commitment to becoming a market leader in rotating equipment installation projects, supported by key personnel with over 40 years’ experience in this field of expertise.

“For Alltype Engineering, this contract is a result of the experience of its key execution team members in delivering rotary kiln projects successfully in the past with different organisations throughout the Australian resources and mineral processing industry,” it added.

The company will commence preliminary work immediately with works planned to be completed by the June quarter of 2022.

Alltype Engineering Managing Director, Kelvin Andrijich, said: “During our financial year 2021 strategic planning in 2020, we identified a niche market opportunity in the rotary kiln and rotating equipment installation space. It is very pleasing to see that the subsequent business case and execution of this strategy 12 months later has resulted in securing our first rotary kiln erection contract as part of the landmark Lynas Rare Earths Processing Facility development in Kalgoorlie.

“We are pleased that Lynas has recognised the experience and capability of our delivery team and the proven self-execution multidiscipline construction capability of Alltype Engineering in the gas, energy, petrochemical and minerals processing industries.

“Alltype Engineering has previously undertaken balance of plant scopes around rotary kilns on operational mineral sands and lithium processing sites in the past and we are excited to now be completing the entire turnkey package in addition to those works.”

Ora Banda benefits from Aggreko virtual LNG pipeline at Davyhurst gold mine

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In what is a world-first for global energy provider Aggreko, the company has introduced its latest high efficiency gas engines at Ora Banda Mining’s Davyhurst gold mine in Western Australia.

The power station, which uses a virtual pipeline of gas trucked over 650 km, is expected to slash the mine’s carbon emissions by 25,000 t during the next five years, Aggreko says.

A virtual gas pipeline is a substitute for a physical pipeline whereby gas that would typically be conveyed through a conventional gas pipeline is instead transported as liquified natural gas (LNG) or compressed natural gas to the point of use by sea, road, rail or through a combination of one or more of these transport modes.

Aggreko Australia Pacific Managing Director, George Whyte, said the LNG station project at Davyhurst was another step in the company’s mission to help miners’ get closer to their net zero emission targets.

“The Davyhurst gas power station is a great example of how a mine which previously operated on diesel wanted to operate on cleaner fuel and we were able to switch from diesel to gas,” Whyte said.

“Creating a virtual pipeline application is a way to switch from diesel to a cleaner fuel source and reduce carbon immediately without requiring any capital outlay or a physical gas pipeline.

“The result at Davyhurst is a gas power station comprising five LNG-generating sets and two diesel generating sets for a combined modular power output of 8.2 MW. Aggreko’s gas-fired power station will enable Ora Banda Mining to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 25,000 t during the initial five years of operation.”

He added: “This project demonstrates great innovation, uses a virtual gas pipeline and is a world-first for us using the high-speed reciprocating gas engines in our power generators. The power station is highly efficient, scalable and very suitable for transient loads and for the introduction of solar at a later stage.”

Whyte said Aggreko’s contract to supply the mine with power saved the junior miner on large capital expenditure and allowed miners to focus on their core skill of mining.

“Of appeal to miners is being able to take on flexible contracts with no capital outlay,” he said. “In addition, Aggreko upscales the technology, and the level of power is scalable so it can evolve with the mine.

“At Aggreko, we will reduce the amount of fossil diesel fuel used in customer solutions by at least 50% by 2030 and become a net-zero business across all services we provide by 2050. We are continuing to innovate and work with miners to reduce carbon by providing them with cleaner, scalable and modular energy as they work toward their net-zero targets.”

Ora Branda Mining Managing Director, David Quinlivan, said mining operations started on its large land holding in Western Australia in 2019 and reprocessing started again in January 2021.

“As part of the capital works program, we needed to re-establish a power station at Davyhurst and we worked with Aggreko and EVOL LNG to build a natural gas-powered station to power all of the site,” Quinlivan said.

“Initially, power was supplied to the site via an overhead line from Kalgoorlie. It is now trucked 650 km to site where it is used to power the gas generators. The power station developed for the site now supplies power to the processing plant, to the administration complex, our exploration and core processing facilities, the main mine accommodation plant, and out to the underground mining offices. It also powers our primary communications facilities.

“Working with Aggreko has resulted in a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for our company.”

Aqura to take on Australia’s 5G LTE underground mining challenge

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Aqura Technologies has been awarded a grant from the Australian Government under the 5G Innovation Initiative to, it says, augment the organisation’s own development work to address the challenge of delivering underground 5G LTE.

The grant is an important step to overcome the technical and commercial barriers associated with operating next-generation broadband wireless networks in sub-surface environments, according to Aqura.

Aqura Chief Executive Officer, Travis Young, said the project was founded on extensive customer and industry feedback as critical to enable mining operators to unlock the benefits that surface operators had been enjoying for a number of years.

“With over 50% of mining in Australia being conducted underground and increasing, the industry is still playing catch-up with technology that is being widely utilised to great benefit in surface operations,” he said.

“Our track record and development work, coupled with the 5G Innovation Grant, will enable our team to work to deliver technical architectures and a validated commercial model which will enable and accelerate adoption.”

The 5G Innovation Initiative grant will complement investment already made by Aqura to deliver technical architectures, commercial model development and installation of a live Private 5G LTE network in an operating mine. The project leverages a lot of learnings from a 2017 project where Aqura successfully delivered Private 4G LTE in an underground mine in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia, Aqura said.

The focus of the program is to fast-track the enablement of applications and processes that are being adopted in surface operations so underground operators can realise the benefits of enhanced environmental, safety and productivity outcomes that advanced wireless communications can deliver, it added.

Aqura’s Chief Operations Officer, Alan Seery, said underground operators are wanting a kick-start to advance their technology capabilities.

“Many underground mines use processes and technologies that are decades old and operators want to leverage the latest technology, but the technical challenges and the commercial model to acquire can be prohibitive,” he said.

“We’ve learnt a lot through our previous work in underground, and we believe our new LTEaaS (LTE as a service) platform optimised to deliver next-generation private industrial operations networks will support a new commercial approach that will better suit the business models utilised by mining operators.

“And with new advances in radio access, we’re excited to have the opportunity to work with some very motivated partners to develop and make available new architectures which will bridge the underground connectivity gap.”

Many of Aqura’s core team were behind the first Private 4G LTE network in Australian resources, delivered Private 4G LTE underground and supported delivery of one of the first above-ground Private 5G LTE networks in north Queensland earlier this year, it said.

The project has kicked off with Aqura working with a large gold operator to commence scoping. Various partners have indicated support to validate applications, devices and processes around autonomy, condition monitoring, safety systems, data access, PTT communications and IoT sensors.