Tag Archives: Yandal

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

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

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.”

MACA set for open-pit mining and process plant work at Echo’s Yandal gold project

Two of MACA Limited’s subsidiaries look set to carry out open-pit mining and refurbish the mill at Echo Resources’ Yandal gold project in Western Australia.

MACA said a letter of intent (LoI) had been signed that could see MACA Mining awarded an open-pit mining services contract and MACA Interquip receive a mill refurbishment contract.

These two contracts hinge on the Echo Board of Directors proceeding with an investment to develop Yandal and the project receiving all statutory approvals.

The scope of work to be undertaken under the mining contract will include load and haul, and drill and blast, with the pricing of the agreement to be updated (using the same inputs as tendered, adjusted for rise and fall) based on the final Yandal mine plans from a bankable feasibility study (BFS).

The mill contract is to include refurbishment and commissioning. MACA said: “While final pricing is to be determined under the aforementioned methodology, the previously released BFS for Stage 1 estimated mining costs at A$172 million ($124 million).”

Yandal, located 83 km northeast of Leinster in Western Australia, will treat ore through the 2 Mt/y Bronzewing processing plant (pictured), which is currently on care and maintenance. The project has existing mineral resources of 1.7 Moz of gold and ore reserves of 856,000 oz. The previously released BFS for Stage 1 envisaged the development of an 1.8 Mt/y operation able to produce 746,000 oz of gold over an eight-and-a-half-year life.

In addition to this LoI, MACA said, following mobilisation and early site establishment activities at the Bluff coal project in Queensland, Australia, mining of overburden would commence on or around December 10. MACA was previously awarded a A$700 million life of mine contract at Bluff from Wealth Mining.