Tag Archives: South32

DMC Mining adds Boart Longyear LF160 coring rig and FREEDOM Loader to Sierra Gorda fleet

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

DMC Mining Services says it has added a Boart Longyear LF™160 surface coring drill rig to its equipment arsenal at the Sierra Gorda copper-molybdenum mine in Chile, adding to the four pieces of equipment it already has on site.

The LF™160 is a surface diamond exploration rig with up to 1,800 m of NQ capability. This tool enhances safety and increases productivity by allowing 100% hands-free drilling when operating in conjunction with the FL262 FREEDOM™ rod handler, and is also CE Certified, DMC says. It is equipped with an inner tube that will allow drillers to retrieve a full 6-m inner tube out of the rod string using the wireline winch, according to FLSmidth.

DMC’s contract at Sierra Gorda, owned 55% by KGHM 55% and 45% by South32, was one of five new agreements it was awarded at the end of 2019. It is also carrying out work at KGHM’s Franke mine, in the Antofagasta region of Chile.

The Electric Mine Consortium and EPCA to run Cat 777 electric truck trial

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The Electric Mine Consortium is looking to bridge the gap between the testing of electrified ultra-class haul trucks and continued rollout across industry of battery-electric underground trucks with a project to develop and trial a retrofitted 100-ton (91 t) haul truck as part of its consortium work in Australia.

It has teamed up with Electric Power Conversions Australia (EPCA), an Indigenous electric battery conversion company in Australia, to run a Caterpillar 777 haul truck electric vehicle demonstrator project.

The consortium explained: “The Electric Mine Consortium are focused across all fleet sizes when it comes to electrification. In our recent work, we have uncovered that in the area of larger surface in-pit trucks, there are some trials underway, however there is a lack of focus on the smaller trucks. Making sure we understand and trial electric technologies in smaller fleets is important to our members, and we were recently presented with an opportunity to do so by Electric Power Conversions Australia, an Indigenous electric battery conversion company in Australia.”

The conversion of the vehicle – one of the most commonly used surface trucks across the Tier 2 and Tier 3 mining company market, according to the consortium – will see the 750 kW diesel motor switched out with a 1,000 kW electric motor and 2 MWh of batteries, according to Clayton Franklin, founder and CEO of EPCA.

Franklin said he was expecting this configuration to allow for an eight-hour average run time, providing 30% more power than the diesel equivalent and the ability to move material quicker. He also predicted a 50% reduction in total cost of ownership on the battery-converted truck when compared with the diesel truck.

EPCA was founded in 2021 with the vision of providing a practical solution to the growing environmental impact of the Australian mining industry. Franklin himself was the lead engineer on a 220-t hydrogen-battery hybrid mining truck and also for an Epiroc D65 drill rig that was electrified.

The Electric Mine Consortium is a growing group of leading mining and service companies. These companies are driven by the imperative to accelerate progress towards the fully electrified zero CO2 and zero particulates mine. Mining companies Gold Fields, South32, OZ Minerals, IGO Ltd, Evolution Mining, Iluka Resources, MMG and Sandfire Resources are among the participants.

In the short time since the establishment, the consortium’s membership has grown almost two-fold, with over 40 ongoing equipment trials in 15 different locations having been mobilised.

South32 and Redpath kick off shaft sinking works at Hermosa

Base metals, Energy minerals, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , ,

South32 has now broken ground on one of two exploration shafts at the Hermosa project in southern Arizona, USA, in a sign of major progress at the base and battery metal project.

This milestone achievement commemorates the initial surface excavation that will be continued by Redpath USA to a planned depth of 900 m, the contractor stated in a LinkedIn post. Redpath and South32 signed a “limited notice to proceed” for shaft engineering and design at Hermosa last year.

Redpath said in this latest post: “The shafts will enable underground access for continued exploration of a world-class deposit containing the US critical mineral zinc as well as lead and silver – minerals needed for supporting electrification and renewable energy.”

In South32’s March quarter results, the company said it invested $176 million over the last nine months as it continued critical path activity and study work for the Taylor zinc-lead-silver deposit and the Clark battery-grade manganese-zinc-silver deposit. It also directed $12 million to capitalised exploration in the nine months ended March 2023 as it continued exploration programs at Taylor and Clark and the copper-lead-zinc-silver Peake prospect 8.

Just last month, the Hermosa project was confirmed by the United States Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, an independent federal agency, as the first mining project added to the FAST-41 process, which is focused on supporting informed decision-making while reducing and eliminating unnecessary and costly delays associated with projects.

Monadelphous banks work with Rio Tinto, BHP, BMA and South32

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Engineering company Monadelphous Group Limited says it has secured new contracts and contract extensions totalling approximately A$120 million ($83 million), banking work with Rio Tinto, BHP and South32, among others.

The company has secured two contracts with Rio Tinto under its Sustaining Capital Projects Panel Agreement to undertake upgrades to the conveyor gravity take-up systems at Tom Price and Cape Lambert Port A in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

In addition, Monadelphous has been successful in securing a further three-year Framework Agreement for BHP’s Western Australian Iron Ore Asset Projects providing multidisciplinary works to BHP’s operations in the Pilbara region.

In Queensland, the company says it has secured a three-year contract with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), with two one-year extension options, to continue providing shutdown and maintenance services and minor capital projects on BMA’s draglines and coal preparation plant operations in the Bowen Basin.

Finally, Monadelphous has been awarded a 12-month contract extension for the supply of major shutdown and mechanical services at South32’s Worsley Alumina operations in Western Australia.

South32 and Emesent collaborate on LiDAR-equipped Spot trials at Cannington

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , ,

South32’s Cannington Mine, in Queensland, Australia, says it is supporting Emesent in its pursuit of developing and testing light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanning and automation technologies in real underground mining environments.

The team from Emesent were recently on site at Cannington with Spot the Robot Dog, trialling Spot’s autonomy development and capabilities in the underground silver-lead mine.

While the technology is still in its research and development phase, it has the potential to guarantee safer outcomes and ultimately transform the way Cannington operates, South32 says. Mining work safety and productivity can be improved by deploying the autonomous capabilities of Spot in various potential scenarios with different data capturing tools, including scanning, video recording and heat sensing, it added.

The focus on site was testing Spot’s capability in ‘post blast re-entry’ scenarios and emergency response. Spot, with an integrated LiDAR scanner, autonomously navigated sections of the mine, travelling through uneven and wet ground without operator intervention and exploring unlit areas. It was able to produce a 3D Point Cloud map of the underground mine in the process, South32 said.

The Cannington team has previously worked with Emesent to help develop industry-leading technologies including its Hovermap System for underground scanning, which is now used in mines all over the world.

PIMS Mining gains more work in NSW coal sector with Appin and Maxwell agreements

Coal technology, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , ,

PIMS Group subsidiary, PIMS Mining, says it has been awarded a three-year fixed term contract – with a one-year extension option – with South32’s Illawarra Coal Holdings Pty Ltd, continuing to provide supplementary labour to its metallurgical coal mine, Appin, in New South Wales, Australia.

Appin mine is around 70 km south of Sydney and 37 km north of Wollongong, which produces premium-quality, hard coking coal for steelmaking, that is transported within Australia and around the world.

The scope of the contract includes providing supplementary labour for development, longwall, outbye and coal clearance processes. PIMS will require a variety of skilled personnel to support the increase to scope, from the previous contract.

South32’s Illawarra Metallurgical Coal operations has underground mines at Appin and Dendrobium, which produce premium-quality, hard coking coal for steelmaking.

PIMS Mining was also recently awarded Preferred Contractor status and received a Letter of Intent from Malabar Resources subsidiary Maxwell Ventures (Management) Pty Ltd to provide services for the Maxwell underground bord and pillar operation, in New South Wales.

Construction of the mine entry portals for the Whynot Seam bord and pillar operation is underway with the current project timeline requiring labour on site in January 2023 with a ramp up throughout the remainder of the March quarter.

The scope of the contract includes underground mining, employing the place change system and targeting run of mine production rates in the order of 900,000 t/y-1 Mt, PIMS said. During operation, PIMS Mining will work closely with the Maxwell leadership team to manage all aspects of the operations in the Whynot Seam, including planning, production of coal, maintenance and operation of all production equipment, conveyors, infrastructure and general mine construction, as well as ancillary activities.

PIMS Group Managing Director, Richard Mills, said: “PIMS Mining has extensive experience in underground coal mining, especially in safe, high productivity bord and pillar operations across Queensland and New South Wales and are excited to bring this experience to the Maxwell operation.”

Ampcontrol strengthens decarbonisation drive by joining the Electric Mine Consortium

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Ampcontrol says it has joined the Australia-based Electric Mine Consortium (EMC) to drive efforts towards electrifying and decarbonising the mining industry.

The EMC is a growing group of highly regarded mining and service companies, driven by the imperative to produce zero-emission products for their customers and meet mounting investor expectations and industry challenges.

Ampcontrol is strengthening its strategic focus on decarbonisation through the innovation and development of electrical solutions, adapting to the changing times.

“Joining the Electric Mine Consortium is a natural progression of our commitment to supporting our customers and industry through the national energy transition,” Rod Henderson, Ampcontrol Managing Director and CEO, said. “Ampcontrol is at the forefront of renewable energy manufacturing. We engineer and supply advanced technology, products, and services to enable a competitive advantage in a net-zero carbon environment.”

EMC Founder and Director Graeme Stanway, said: “The way we generate, store and harness energy around the globe is undergoing a period of major change.

“A global ecosystem has begun to emerge to underpin the innovation and scaling of electrification technologies.”

As well as pioneering products in the renewable energy space, Ampcontrol has been using its engineering expertise to already assist with the transitioning mining industry.

Alongside Tritium, Ampcontrol was a winner in the global ‘Charge On Innovation Challenge’ in May 2022. The joint submission was an end-to-end mining haul truck battery swap solution that is fully automated, relocatable, scalable and cell agnostic. In a drive-in/drive-out recharging station, an autonomous transfer robot swaps batteries in 90 seconds, significantly reducing safety risks and increasing productivity by excluding personnel from the swaps process.

Henderson said: “One of the areas Ampcontrol identified as a need of the industry was assisting businesses with the next steps to get to the future state of electrified mining operations. When businesses think ‘I need energy’ to perform certain functions, the first instinct is often to acquire more energy. Our expertise at Ampcontrol is to help businesses use the materials they already have available, in a different way.”

Ampcontrol says it recognises the importance of partnerships and collaboration in developing technology solutions to enable a competitive advantage in a net-zero carbon environment.

“It is important to demonstrate we work alongside other businesses to contribute to the low carbon economy transition and to the responsible sourcing of prime materials to enable a competitive advantage in a net-zero carbon environment,” Henderson said.

The EMC has launched a call out to companies in the tech, renewable and manufacturing industries that can provide ground-breaking solutions to long haul EV trucks and associated charging infrastructure for mine sites and global supply chains.

Driven by collective demand for electric equipment across the EMC’s operating sites, spread over six continents, the consortium is looking to form synergies between mining and non-mining industries to accelerate decarbonisation solutions across the industry – the mining industry currently contributes 8% of the globe’s emissions.

Ampcontrol joins over 20 miners and suppliers to the sector that includes Newcrest, South32, Barminco and Epiroc to create the EMC with the ambition to accelerate progress towards the fully electrified zero CO2 and zero particulates mine.

South32 making engineering and design headway at Hermosa project

Automation, Base metals, Energy minerals, Environmental, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A stellar set of annual financial results has provided the ideal backdrop for South32 to update shareholders on its rapidly progressing Hermosa project in Arizona, USA.

Released late last month, the company’s 2022 financial year results showed off record earnings of $2.6 billion, record free cash flow from operations of $2.6 billion and record return on invested capital of 30.1%.

With group copper-equivalent production expected to increase by 14% in the next financial year, South32 looked to be well leveraged to in-demand metal markets at the right time.

The company has progressively been repositioning its portfolio toward metals critical for a low-carbon future, having already established a pipeline of high-quality development options. One of these high-quality development options is Hermosa.

Hermosa, which the company acquired outright back in 2018 as part of a takeover of Arizona Mining, is key to the company’s critical metals pursuit, having exposure to base and battery metals that are expected to grow in demand – both domestically in the US and internationally.

It is being designed as South32’s first ‘next generation mine’, according to Hermosa President, Pat Risner, with a series of technical reports highlighting its use of automation and technology to minimise its impact on the environment and target a carbon-neutral mining scenario in support of the group’s goal of achieving net zero operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

These same reports also highlighted the potential to develop a sustainable, low-cost operation producing zinc, lead and silver from the Taylor deposit, with the bonus of possible battery-grade manganese output for rapidly growing domestic markets from the Clark deposit.

In the latest results, the company said it was devoting $290 million of growth capital expenditure in the 2023 financial year to progressing Hermosa as it invests in infrastructure to support critical path dewatering and progress study work for the Taylor Deposit. This is ahead of a planned final investment decision expected in mid-2023, which should coincide with the feasibility study.

South32 is devoting $290 million of growth capital expenditure in the 2023 financial year to progress Hermosa

Some $110 million of this was assigned to construction of a second water treatment plant (WTP2) to support orebody dewatering at the asset, alongside dewatering wells, piping systems and dewatering power infrastructure.

An additional $95 million was slated for engineering and initial construction ahead of shaft sinking at the operation, plus work to support power infrastructure and road construction.

The remaining amount was expected to support work across the broader Hermosa project, including Clark study costs and the Taylor feasibility study.

All signs from these results are that the company is laying the groundwork to develop this project ahead of that mid-2023 deadline.

In another sign of progress, South32 recently signed a “limited notice to proceed” for shaft engineering and design at Hermosa with contractor Redpath, Risner confirmed, adding that the award represented a positive step forward for the project.

“We look forward to continuing our engagement with local communities and all of our stakeholders as we make further progress with the project,” he said.

Redpath will no doubt be evaluating the technical studies that have been signed off to this point and informing future reports.

The PFS design for Taylor is a dual shaft mine which prioritises early access to higher grade mineralisation, supporting zinc-equivalent average grades of approximately 12% in the first five years of the mine plan. The proposed mining method, longhole open stoping, is similar to that used at Cannington, in Australia, and maximises productivity and enables a single stage ramp-up to the miner’s preferred development scenario of up to 4.3 Mt/y.

Yet, the Clark deposit opportunity – which has become even more tantalising with the US Government invoking the Defense Production Act and supporting the production of critical metals including manganese – could see the plan change.

The company says it may accelerate the prefeasibility study for the Clark deposit, which is spatially linked to the Taylor deposit. A scoping study has previously confirmed the potential for a separate, integrated underground mining operation producing battery-grade manganese, as well as zinc and silver from the deposit.

South32 previously said Clark has the potential to underpin a second development stage at Hermosa, with future studies to consider the opportunity to integrate its development with Taylor, potentially unlocking further operating and capital efficiencies.

With a PFS selection study expected later this year, investors and interested parties will soon know the role Clark could play in the wider Hermosa project.

What is easy to gauge already is that Hermosa is progressing on a track that many other development projects in in-demand sectors have gone down.

Electric Mine Consortium launches Surface Long Haul EV Challenge

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

The Electric Mine Consortium (EMC) – made up of Evolution Mining, South32, Newcrest and a total of 21 major industry players – has launched a Surface Long Haul EV Challenge, calling on the automotive and electric vehicle (EV) industry for solutions in its mission to establish decarbonised mine sites.

The EMC’s call out to companies in the tech, renewable and manufacturing industries is looking for ground-breaking solutions to long haul EV trucks and associated charging infrastructure for mine sites and global supply chains.

Driven by collective demand for electric equipment across the EMC’s operating sites, spread over six continents, the consortium is looking to form synergies between mining and non-mining industries to accelerate decarbonisation solutions across the industry – the mining industry currently contributes 8% of the globe’s emissions.

EMC Founder and Director, Graeme Stanway, explains there’s currently no equipment and associated infrastructure solution that’s available at scale, in line with mining companies’ operational needs.

“The mining industry’s path to electrification is where the car industry was 10 years ago,” Stanway said. “We have the technology, but it needs acceleration and adaptation to meet the needs of varied mine sites across the world.”

He says there’s a big opportunity to recreate mining from a place of siloed communication between companies to a point where collective strategy drives the industry to drastically reduce and ultimately eliminate carbon emissions, through electrification.

“We have the world’s largest data platform of shared knowledge surrounding renewables in mining,” Stanway said. “Through the Surface Long Haul EV Challenge, we’ll be working to accelerate, pilot and convert all new fleets to electric with detailed use case studies for knowledge sharing across the industry.

“If we can solve this for our freight in mining, imagine the impact we can have on the rest of the transport market. Mining has a great opportunity to flip the perception…from being seen on the wrong end of the ledger, to being a leader.”

The EMC is now seeking businesses who can design or supply electric long-haul equipment solutions.

BluVein’s underground dynamic charging developments accelerating

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BluVein, after officially receiving agreement and project approval from all project partners, has initiated the third phase of technology development and testing of its underground mine electrification solution, BluVein1, it says.

BluVein is a joint venture between Australia-based mining innovator Olitek and Sweden-based electric highways developer Evias. The company has devised a patented slotted (electric) rail system, which uses an enclosed electrified e-rail system mounted above or beside the mining vehicle together with the BluVein hammer that connects the electric vehicle to the rail.

The system, which is OEM agnostic, provides power for driving the vehicle, typically a mine truck, and charging the truck’s batteries while the truck is hauling load up the ramp and out of an underground mine.

The underground-focused development under BluVein is coined BluVein1, with the open-pit development looking to offer dynamic charging for ultra-class haul trucks called BluVein XL. This latter project was recently named among eight winning ideas selected to progress to the next stage of the Charge On Innovation Challenge.

The purpose of the third phase of the BluVein1 technology development is to:

  • Conduct a full-scale refined hammer (collector) and arm design and testing with a second prototype;
  • Execute early integration works with mining partners and OEMs;
  • Provide full-power dynamic energy transfer for a vehicle demonstration on a local test site; and
  • Confirm a local test site for development.

IM understands that the company is close to sealing an agreement for a local test site where it will carry out trials of the dynamic charging technology.

James Oliver, CEO, BluVein, said the third phase represents an essential final pre-pilot stage of BluVein1.

“It excites me that the BluVein solution is becoming an industry reality,” he said. “The faster BluVein1 is ready for deployment, the better for our partners and the mining industry globally.”

BluVein recently entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Epiroc, where the Sweden-based OEM will provide the first ever diesel-to-battery-converted Minetruck MT42 underground truck for pilot testing on the slotted electric rail system from BluVein.

“This MoU also ensures that we are designing and developing the system into a real-world BEV for full-scale live testing and demonstration on a pilot site in 2023,” BluVein says.

In addition to Epiroc, IM understands BluVein is working with Sandvik, MacLean, Volvo and Scania, among others, on preparing demonstration vehicles for the BluVein1 pilot site.

The BluVein1 consortium welcomed South32 into the project in May, joining Northern Star Resources, Newcrest Mining, Vale, Glencore, Agnico Eagle, AngloGold Ashanti and BHP, all of which have signed a consortium project agreement that aims to enable final system development and the construction of a technology demonstration pilot site in Australia.

The project is being conducted through the consortium model by Rethink Mining, powered by the Canada Mining Innovation Council (CMIC), which CMIC says is a unique collaboration structure that fast-tracks mining innovation technologies such as BluVein and CAHM (Conjugate Anvil Hammer Mill).

Carl Weatherell, Executive Director and CEO, CMIC/President Rethink Mining Ventures, said: “With the urgent need to decarbonise, CMIC’s approach to co-develop and co-deploy new platform technologies is the way to accelerate to net zero greenhouse gases. The BluVein consortium is a perfect example of how to accelerate co-development of new technology platforms.”

Oliver concluded: “The BluVein1 consortium is a great reminder that many hands make light work, and through this open collaboration with OEMs and mining companies, we’re moving faster together towards a cleaner, greener future for mining.”