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 MAY 2024 • VOL 225 • NUMBER 5

FEATURES
Nevada: A Leader in Gold Production
Other commodities, however, gain interest in the No. 1
mining-friendly jurisdiction...........................................................................18

Projects Move Forward Throughout Nevada

Beyond gold, silver and lithium production ramp up....................................24

Face Drilling’s Cutting Edge

E&MJ explores the latest developments in electrification
and automation for underground production drilling....................................32
New Tech Improves Blast Outcomes
Advanced software helps users optimize blasts for
improved fragmentation, productivity and safety.........................................38

Ready to Handle Anything

E&MJ presents new insights, equipment and installations
in mine materials handling...........................................................................46

Crushers Adapt to Higher Demands

Capacity and efficiency are important considerations for
high tonnage crushing applications.............................................................56
LEADING DEVELOPMENTS
BHP Makes a Bid for Anglo........................................................................... 4
Boliden Reaches Agreement to Reopen Tara............................................... 4
Glencore Sells Its Controlling Stake in Volcan.............................................. 5
Biden Administration to Block Ambler Access............................................... 5
Hindustan Zinc Now the Third Largest Silver Producer................................. 6
Mosaic Sells Interest in MWSPC to Ma’aden................................................ 6
AROUND THE WORLD
U.S. & Canada: Premier Pours First Gold............................................. 8
Latin America: Pan American Sells La Arena to Zijin........................... 12
Australia/Oceania: Western Australia’s Westgold and Karora to Merge....13
Africa: Sibanye Stillwater Announces Restructuring Plan for
Southern Africa................................................................................... 14
This edition of E&MJ offers extensive coverage
on mining in Nevada. On the cover, construction
activities are underway at the Thacker Pass
lithium mine in Humboldt County, Nevada, USA.
(Photo: Lithium Americas)
DEPARTMENTS
Calendar....................................................... 16
Classified Advertisements............................ 70
Equipment Gallery........................................ 68
From the Editor................................................2
Markets......................................................... 72
Operating Strategies..................................... 60
People.......................................................... 10
Processing Solutions.................................... 66
Suppliers Report........................................... 62
This Month in Coal........................................ 15

Production Drilling....32 Material Handling....46 Crushers and Sizers....56

www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 1

 FROM THE EDITOR
Straight Talk from
Lucky Pierre
People packed into the Mine Finance session at this year’s
PDAC conference. The session had four panelists, one of
which was Pierre Lassonde, the founder of Franco Neva-
da Corp. and a former president of Newmont. Kicking off
the discussion the moderator asked: What’s preventing the
Steve Fiscor capital markets from appreciating the value that is inherent
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief in mining industry?
Lassonde shared his thoughts. “No. 1, I would say our
industry is almost to the point of irrelevance,” Lassonde said. “If look at the mag-
nificent seven (Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, etc.), they have a combined market
cap of $13.1 trillion. The entire value of gold above ground ever mined for the last
5,000 years is $15 trillion. With gold equities, including the royalty companies, it’s
$250 billion and half of that is the six largest companies (Newmont, Barrick Gold,
etc.), and then the other half ($125 billion) is about 150 to 300 companies. In the
grand scheme of things for investors, they have become irrelevant.”
No. 2, very few portfolio managers are in the gold space because there have
been too many disasters, such as overruns in capital costs, poor execution of
mergers, etc., Lassonde explained. “Newmont shares were selling $90,” Lassonde
said. “After the Newcrest acquisition, they were selling for $30/share. Investors lost
two-thirds of their money.”
The physical gold market would be No. 3. Gold prices today have reached a
new record high of nearly $2,300/oz. “Gold prices are not set in the United States
or London. They are set in China,” Lassonde said. “China is the driver of the mar-
ket today. People here are not investing in gold, let alone the gold equities. They
are investing in Bitcoin. They’re in the magnificent seven where they’re making so
much more money, and they look at our space and see it as a disaster.”
Lassonde said he reviewed 3,000 exploration companies over a 10-year span
from 1983 to 1993. “Only five companies actually delivered mines that opened and
made money,” Lassonde said. “That ratio was appalling, and it got worse. There
have been no major discoveries like we saw in the 1980s and the 1990s. Think
about it. Goldstrike, Hemlo, Voisey’s Bay, etc. The range of discoveries that were
made were incredible and we haven’t had any of that in the last 20 years.”
There are still too many junior companies that are “a lifestyle company,” Las-
sonde explained. “The management raises money to pay their salaries, but the
company goes nowhere,” Lassonde said. “Stop complaining, shut it down, go work
for someone else. Put yourself out of misery.
“At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is shareholder returns,” Las-
sonde said. “That’s what companies must deliver.”
While he was president of Newmont, Lassonde said he had 360 geologists
working for him. “Of them, five guys delivered about 90% of all the reserve in-
creases and new discoveries every year,” Lassonde said. “I called them my lucky
geologists. There’s a huge element of luck in our business and particularly in the
exploration business, but some people have innate luck. I have been lucky and
luck is preparation meeting opportunity. You must be able to take the opportunity
that presents itself and do something with it.”
Steve Fiscor, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
sfiscor@mining-media.com
2 E&MJ • MAY 2024
www.e-mj.com
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 NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS

BHP Makes a Bid for Anglo

The world’s largest mining company by
market cap, BHP, presented Anglo Ameri-
can with a non-binding, all-share takeover
bid that values Anglo at $38.9 billion. An-
glo reviewed and rejected the offer and,
as this edition was going to press, many
analysts thought BHP might up the ante.
BHP offered 0.7097 of its shares for
each Anglo share. One of the major con-
ditions of the offer includes de-merging
Anglo American Platinum and Kumba
Iron Ore, which operates the Sishen
mine in South Africa.
If the acquisition were to take place,
it would propel BHP’s status as a lead-
ing miner and also as a leading copper
producer with an estimated 10% of world
output. With its acquisition of OZ Miner-
als in 2023, BHP moved ahead of Codel-
co as the world’s largest copper producer
at 1.5 million metric tons per year (mt/y).
Codelco, Chile’s national copper mining
company, had held the No. 1 position for A mine truck dumps zinc ore at the Tara mine. (Photo: Boliden)
decades, probably since its inception. In
2023, Codelco produced 1.4 million mt of Boliden Reaches maintenance due to a combination of
copper, followed by Freeport McMoRan Agreement to Reopen Tara factors, including a low price for zinc,
(1.3 million mt). Anglo produced 571,000 Swedish mining company Boliden report- overall costs and operational challeng-
mt of copper in 2023. ed that an agreement has been reached es. The company said it has secured an
In addition to copper, platinum group between worker´s unions and local man- agreement between worker´s unions and
metals, and iron ore, Anglo American is agement that enables the process of local management to significantly im-
a multinational miner that also produces reopening the company’s underground prove ways of work and productivity.
nickel, diamonds, manganese, metallur- zinc mine in Tara, Ireland. In July 2023, The agreement includes among other
gical coal, and polyhalite. the Tara mine was placed on care and things an optimized mining plan which re-
duces transportation distances and max-
imizes metal output, starting with an an-
nual production rate of 1.8 million metric
tons (mt), coupled with an organizational
redesign, a reduction in employees and
improved ways of working. Altogether, the
normal cash cost for producing zinc at the
Tara mine is expected to be reduced to
approximately $1/lb, compared to $1.37/
lb for the first half year of 2023. The reduc-
tion is attributed to an improved outlook
on the price of energy as well as lower
benchmark treatment charges coupled
with improved productivity levels.
As a result, Boliden reported one-
off restructuring costs of approximate-
ly EUR30 million ($32.3 million) for Q2
2024, which together with previously
announced costs for care and mainte-
nance of EUR13 million ($14 million) per
quarter generating a total quarterly loss
BHP has its eye on Anglo’s copper assets like the Quellaveco mine in Peru. (Photo: Anglo American) of EUR43 million ($46.3 million). The re-

4 E&MJ • MAY 2024 www.e-mj.com


structuring costs are associated with the
reduction in headcount to around 400 full-
time equivalent employees, compared
to more than 600 employees before the
care and maintenance period, as well as
significant organizational changes and
changes in the ways of working. Employ-
ees will commence their return to work on
a phased basis during Q3 2024 with an
onboarding and retraining program.
Ramp-up of production will start
during Q4 2024, and full production is
expected from January 2025. Operating
losses for H2 2024 are estimated to be
about EUR25 million ($26.9 million) per
quarter, compared to EUR13 million ($14
million) per quarter during the care and
maintenance period.
In connection to the decision to re-
open the Tara mine, exploration activities
towards the Tara Deep deposit will be
reinitiated during H2 2024.
Biden Administration to
Block Ambler Access
On April 16, 2024, the Alaska Indus-
trial Development and Export Author-
ity (AIDEA) and Ambler Metals LLC re-
sponded to media reports indicating the
Department of Interior (DoI) plans to
block access to the Ambler Mining Dis-
trict by issuing a “no action” decision.
The AIDEA is strongly urging the DoI to
comply with federal law and the promis-
es made at statehood to allow access to
state lands and minerals for the Ambler
Access Road Project.
The proposed Ambler Access Project
is a 211-mile, industrial-use-only road
from the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects
(UKMP) to the Dalton Highway that
would enable the advancement of ex-
ploration and development at the Ambler
Mining District, home to several rich cop-
per-dominant polymetallic deposits.
“We are stunned to hear reports that
BLM may deny the Ambler Access Proj-
ect, which received full federal approval
four years ago and would enable safe
and responsible domestic production of
minerals that are critical for our national
security and clean energy technologies,”
said Kaleb Froehlich, managing director
of Ambler Metals. “If true, this decision
ignores the support of local communi-
ties for this project, while denying jobs
for Alaskans and critical revenues for a
region where youth are being forced to
leave because of a lack of opportunity.”
www.e-mj.com
A denial would also undermine the
promise made to Alaskans in the Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation Act,
Froehlich explained, which guaranteed
a right-of-way for this crucial project. “We
strongly urge BLM to reconsider what
Glencore Sells Its Controlling Stake in Volcan
Glencore said it will sell its stake in Vol-
can Compañia Minera S.A.A. to Transi-
tion Metals AG, a subsidiary of Integra
Capital. Volcan is a major zinc pro-
ducer located in the Andes in central
Peru. As part of the transaction, Tran-
sition Metals will pay Glencore $20
million and Glencore has agreed to
provide a secured facility of up to $40
million to fund certain mandatory ten-
der offer obligations.
Glencore purchased 23% of Volcan in
2017 for $734 million (55% of its Class A
shares). More recently, Volcan has strug-
gled with a softening zinc market. During
2023, the price for zinc dropped from
$3,400 per metric ton (mt) to $2,250/mt.
Zinc prices have strengthened to nearly
$2,900/mt today.
Volcan has five units with mines
operating at high altitudes (more than
4,000 m above sea level). These in-
clude Yauli, Chungar, Alpamarca, Cerro
de Pasco and Óxidos de Pasco, which
together operate nine underground
mines, three open pit mines, seven
concentrators with a total processing
Peruvian zinc miner Volcan operates nine underground mines, three open pit mines and seven concentrators.
(Photo: Volcan)
NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS
would clearly be an unlawful and politically
motivated decision that goes well beyond
the narrow set of issues the courts agreed
to allow the agency to address,” he said.
Ambler Metals LLC holds a 100%
interest in the UKMP. It is a 50:50 joint
capacity of 24,710 mt/d, and a 2,700-
mt/d leaching plant.
In 2023, Volcan processed 9.4 mil-
lion mt and produced 242,000 mt of zinc,
61,000 mt of lead, 15.2 million oz of sil-
ver, and 5,000 mt of copper. The bulk of
the production originates from the Yauli
and Cerro de Pasco units, which togeth-
er mine 6 million mt/y of ore to produce
186,000 mt/y of zinc.
During March, Volcan submitted a
notice of suspension to the Peruvian
Ministry of Energy and Mines for the San
Cristobal, Carahuacra and Ticlio mines,
which are the major mines in its Yauli di-
vision. The company said the suspension
was needed to adjust operating permits
for the Rumichaca tailings deposit at its
Carahuacra mine.
Some of the Volcan mines, like the San
Cristobal mine, trace their history to the
19th century. The area’s mineralogy con-
sists of polymetallic epithermal systems,
carbonate replacement deposits and poly-
metallic vein systems, as well as mineral-
ization related to porphyries and skarns,
which indicate economic potential.
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 5
 NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS
venture between Trilogy Metals and
South32 Ltd.
Hindustan Zinc Now the
Third Largest Silver
Producer
According to the Silver Institute’s World
Silver Survey 2024, Hindustan Zinc Ltd.
has now become the third largest silver
producer globally. The company’s Sinde-
sar Khurd mine now stands as the world’s
second largest silver-producing mine
moving up from last year’s No. 4 position.
“Silver plays a pivotal role in the glob-
al energy transition and our recent record
silver production of 746 million mt paves
the way for Atmanirbhar Bharat [self-re-
liant India],” said Priya Agarwal Hebbar,
chairperson for Hindustan Zinc. Hin-
dustan Zinc’s production growth of 5%
year-on-year is attributed to increased
ore production and enhanced grades,
reinforcing its status as a key player in
the global silver market. This remarkable
feat has been achieved using innovative
technologies and sustainable mining
practices, which helped us in optimizing
the production process while reducing
the environmental impact.”
6 E&MJ • MAY 2024
The Ma’aden Wa’ad Al Shamal Phosphate Co. produces more than 3 million mt/y of phosphate fertilizers.
(Photo: Mosaic)
Additionally, the recognition of its
Pantnagar silver refinery by the London
Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and
inclusion in the ‘London Good Delivery’
list reaffirms the refinery’s adherence to
international quality standards, marked
by LBMA certification of 99.99% pure sil-
ver. Operating on 100% renewable pow-
er, sourced for its operations, Hindustan
Zinc’s silver refinery at Pantnagar Metal
Plant aligns seamlessly with the compa-
ny’s pledge towards achieving net-zero
emissions by 2050 or sooner.
www.silverinstitute.org/wp-content/
uploads/2024/04/World-Silver-Sur-
vey-2024.pdf
Mosaic Sells Interest in
MWSPC to Ma’aden
Mosaic announced that it will sell all its
shares in Ma’aden Wa’ad Al Shamal
Phosphate Co. (MWSPC), a joint venture
investment among Ma’aden, Mosaic and
Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), to
Ma’aden in exchange for newly issued
shares in Ma’aden. Upon completion, this
transaction will increase Ma’aden’s share-
holding in MWSPC to 85%, while Mosa-
ic will exchange its 25% shareholding in
MWSPC for approximately 111 million
shares in Ma’aden.
“Having formed our partnership with
Mosaic in 2013, more than a decade on,
this is an important evolution that we
believe will create significant benefits
for the growth of our phosphate busi-
ness,” said Bob Wilt, CEO of Ma’aden.
“We look forward to working together
with the Mosaic team to strengthen our
phosphate business as we continue to
build the mining sector into the third pil-
lar of the Saudi economy.”
The acquisition of Mosaic’s stake in
MWSPC, an asset that is currently pro-
ducing more than 3 million tons of phos-
phate fertilizers per year and has been
a focal point for the global phosphates
industry since 2018, is expected to pro-
vide greater integration across Ma’aden’s
phosphate operations. It will streamline its
operating model, shareholdings, logistics
and marketing. As a result of the transac-
tion, Ma’aden will acquire the marketing
rights of Mosaic within the MWSPC joint
venture, increasing its volume of Ma’ad-
en marketed phosphates by more than
750,000 tons annually (roughly 20% of
additional volumes). The transaction de-
livers on Ma’aden’s growth agenda while
preserving its balance sheet.
“We have enjoyed a long and suc-
cessful partnership with Ma’aden, and
we look forward to continuing our work
together under this evolved structure,”
said Bruce Bodine, President and CEO
of Mosaic. “This transaction provides
Mosaic with a transparent value for its
investment in Ma’aden, greater capital
flexibility in the future, and the ability to
contribute expertise to Ma’aden’s phos-
phate operations.”
The transaction is subject to regula-
tory approvals, and then approval by the
shareholders of Ma’aden, in addition to
the completion of other closing condi-
tions that are customary for this type of
transaction. The transaction is expected
to be completed during Q3 2024.
www.e-mj.com
REGIONAL NEWS - U.S. & CANADA
Premier Pours First Gold
A SAG mill begins commissioning at the Premier plant. (Photo: Ascot Resources)
Ascot Resources poured first gold at
the Premier mine on April 20, 2024.
The commissioning process at Cana-
da’s newest gold mine, located on Nis-
ga’a Nation Treaty Lands in the Golden
Triangle of northwestern British Colum-
bia, is well underway.
“The first gold pour is a hallmark
commissioning milestone for Ascot,
representing the culmination of years
of hard work,” said Derek White, pres-
ident and CEO, Ascot Resources. “We
express our gratitude to our dedicated
workforce, our diligent contractors, our
supportive shareholders and financiers,
Nisga’a Nation, government officials,
and the local communities of Stewart,
B.C., and Hyder, Alaska – all of whom
played important roles in seeing this
first gold pour come to fruition.”
Commercial production is anticipat-
ed in Q3 of 2024. The first gold pour
was achieved from gold recovered
through the gravity circuit. Commis-
sioning of the carbon-in-leach (CIL)
circuit is currently underway. Rock was
introduced into the mill’s grinding circuit
8 E&MJ • MAY 2024
on March 31, 2024, and the first ore
was introduced into the mill afterwards.
As is customary for processing plant
start-ups, waste rock was initially intro-
duced into the grinding circuit to pad
the semi-autogenous grinding (SAG)
and ball mill liners with barren materi-
al. Once that commissioning step was
completed, the grinding system was
re-torqued and gold-bearing ore was
introduced into the mill on April 5, 2024.
The tailings storage facility, new
water treatment plant, tailings thicken-
er and pipeline systems are ready for
operations.
BLM Introduces
Conservation Rule
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) published a Conservation and
Landscape Rule. The agency said the
new rule will establish the policy for the
BLM to build and maintain the resil-
ience of ecosystems on public lands in
three primary ways: protecting the most
intact, functioning landscapes; restor-
ing degraded habitat and ecosystems;
and using science and data as the
foundation for management decisions
across all plans and programs.
The rule establishes a definition of
“conservation” that encompasses both
protection and restoration actions, rec-
ognizing that the BLM must protect
intact natural landscapes and restore
degraded landscapes to achieve eco-
system resilience. To support efforts to
protect and restore public lands, the rule
clarifies that conservation is a use on
par with other uses of the public lands
under the Federal Land Policy and Man-
agement Act of 1976’s multiple-use and
sustained-yield mandate. A mining lob-
byist said the rule will survive neither
litigation nor the court of public opinion.
“The BLM’s Conservation and Land-
scape Health rule is illegal, unneces-
sary, and contrary to numerous policy
goals of the Biden administration and
Congress,” said American Exploration
& Mining Association Executive Direc-
tor Mark Compton. “Our risky reliance
on imported minerals is a direct result
of five decades of ignoring Congress’
clear directives that minerals should be
mined from public lands to help satisfy
the nation’s need for minerals.
“The Biden administration’s own
goals of fighting climate change and re-
ducing carbon emissions require more
domestic mining – not less,” he said.
“The rule significantly changes the way
BLM manages the 245 million acres of
public land it oversees, to the detriment
of America’s mineral and energy inde-
pendence goals and resource-depen-
dent rural communities that produce
the fiber, food, minerals, and energy
America requires from its public lands.
“Make no mistake, our members are
strong supporters of conservation, not
only for public lands but all of the coun-
try’s resources, and are ready to work
with the BLM to further advance these
goals,” he said. “However, this will not
be accomplished by the flawed and ille-
gal provisions in this rule.”
Mining Permit Approved
for Carolina Lithium
The North Carolina Department of En-
vironmental Quality’s (NCDEQ) Division
www.e-mj.com

of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources
(DEMLR) has issued an approval of the
mining permit for the construction, oper-
ation, and reclamation of the proposed
Carolina Lithium project in Gaston
County, North Carolina. DEMLR provid-
ed the permit approval following a thor-
ough review of the application submitted
by Piedmont on August 30, 2021.
“This is an exciting day for all of us
at Piedmont Lithium,” said Keith Phil-
lips, president and CEO, Piedmont
Lithium. He thanked the leadership and
staff at NCDEQ and DEMLR for their
diligence in the process, as well as the
members of the Piedmont team that he
said worked rigorously for more than
2.5 years to ensure that every aspect
of the project met the state’s high stan-
dards for approval.
“We plan to develop Carolina Lith-
ium as one of the lowest-cost, most
sustainable lithium hydroxide opera-
tions in the world, and as a critical part
of the American electric vehicle supply
chain,” he said. “The project is expect-
ed to contribute billions of dollars of
economic output and several hundred
jobs to Gaston County and North Caro-
lina’s growing electrification economy.”
Located within both the renowned
Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt and the
U.S. Battery Belt, the project is being
designed as a fully integrated mining,
spodumene concentrate, and lithium
hydroxide manufacturing operation.
The White Mesa mill in Utah is the only conventional uranium mill operating in the USA. (Photo: Energy Fuels)
www.e-mj.com
“There are currently no such integrated
sites operating anywhere in the world,
and the economic and environmental
advantages of this strategy are com-
pelling,” Phillips said.
The North Carolina mining permit
approval is the precursor for the county
rezoning process, Phillips explained,
“and we look forward to continued en-
gagement with the local community and
the Gaston County Board of Commis-
sioners.” He said construction would
commence following receipt of all re-
quired permits, rezoning approvals,
and project financing activities.
NMA Applauds Unanimous
Passage of Russian
Uranium Ban
The U.S. National Mining Association
(NMA) applauded the bipartisan pas-
sage in both the Senate and House
of a bill banning Russian uranium im-
ports into the United States. U.S. Sen-
ators John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Joe
Manchin (D-West Virginia), Jim Risch
(R-Idaho), Martin Heinrich (D-New
Mexico), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo-
ming), Chris Coons (D-Delaware), and
Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) took the
lead in the Senate with a bill that
passed unanimously, and Rep. Cathy
McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) who au-
thored the bill, which passed the House
in December and is now headed to the
President Biden’s desk.
REGIONAL NEWS - U.S. & CANADA
“The U.S. needlessly suffers from a
near-complete import reliance for urani-
um and in recent years that deficit has
been fed in large part by imports from
Russia and its former satellites,” said
Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO.
“We are home to abundant uranium re-
sources and the world’s largest fleet of
nuclear power plants. We simply must
do better to support domestic produc-
tion for our energy and mineral needs
and this decisive, bipartisan action in
Congress is a significant first step.”
Energy Fuels is the largest producer
of uranium in the U.S. and was already
ramping up uranium extraction and pro-
duction at its U.S. mines and its White
Mesa Mill in Utah—the nation’s only op-
erating conventional uranium mill.
“The Senate’s passage of a ban on
Russian uranium imports is a smart,
strategic move that will finally bring
uranium into the same category of
other sanctioned Russian products
such as oil, natural gas and coal,” said
Curtis Moore, senior vice president for
marketing and corporate development,
Energy Fuels. “U.S. utilities have al-
ready been moving away from Rus-
sian uranium since the invasion, and
this move will also unlock $2.7 billion
of funding recently allocated by Con-
gress to re-establish U.S. leadership
in nuclear fuel production.”
(Continued on p. 10)
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 9
 NEWS - PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Rio Tinto appointed Bold
Baatar to the role of chief
commercial officer (CCO) to
lead the group’s commercial
and business development
activities globally. He suc-
ceeds Alf Barrios, who has
Bold Baatar decided to retire. Baatar, who
is currently chief executive,
copper, will take on accountability for business
development immediately, and will relocate to Sin-
gapore to take up the CCO role on September 1,
2024. Barrios will continue in his role as CCO until
the end of August, and thereafter as chair for Chi-
na, Japan and Korea, and executive committee
member, until his retirement at the end of 2024.
Newmont Corp. named Fran-
cois Hardy as its chief tech-
nology officer (CTO). He will
join the company’s executive
Leadership Team and lead
the technical work across
the business to improve op-
Francois Hardy
erational performance and
drive growth. Hardy takes over from interim CTO
Dean Gehring, who also served in a dual role as
Newmont’s chief integration officer. Newmont said
Gehring will leave the company in early July. Har-
dy began his career with Newmont in 2002 and
has held roles including group head of exploration,
managing director for Africa and general manager
for Tanami in Australia. He will be based at New-
mont’s headquarters in Denver, Colorado.
Evolution Mining Ltd. named
Matthew “Matt” O’Neill as
its new COO. Previously, he
was the Australian regional
lead/COO for Glencore’s
copper and zinc businesses,
which included accountabil-
Matthew “Matt” O’Neill
ity for Ernest Henry when
Evolution acquired an economic interest in the
operation in 2016. O’Neill was also responsible
for managing all copper and zinc assets in Glen-
core’s Australian portfolio. He joined Xstrata/
Glencore in 2004 and since leaving in 2023 has
been managing his own consulting business,
which included supporting Evolution with the in-
tegration of the Northparkes operation.
Michael Michaud, senior vice
president, exploration and re-
sources, for Wesdome Gold
Mines Ltd. will step down in
July, to pursue another op-
portunity within the precious
metals sector. The company
Michael Michaud
said it will immediately begin a
search for a replacement.
Marc-Simon Schaar has
been appointed CFO for Outo-
kumpu. He has been working
with Outokumpu since 2011 in
senior roles and as a member
of the leadership team since
2023. Based in Helsinki, Outo-
kumpu is a leader in stainless
Marc-Simon Schaar steel production.
10 E&MJ • MAY 2024
Jon Cherry has accepted
the position of president and
CEO of Perpetua Resources.
He replaces Laurel Sayer,
who announced retirement
plans after leading the com-
pany through the permitting
Jon Cherry
process for seven years.
Cherry most recently served
as chairman, president, and CEO of PolyMet
Mining. Before Polymet, he was a senior leader
for Resolution Copper, general manager of Rio
Tinto’s Eagle mine, and senior project engineer
at Rio Tinto Kennecott Utah
Copper. Cherry will lead the
Perpetua Resources team as
the Stibnite gold project com-
pletes permitting and transi-
tions into development and
operations. Perpetua also
added Jessica Largent, the
company’s CFO, to its board. Jessica Largent
North American lithium pro-
ducer Sayona Mining Ltd.
named Dougal Elder as
its new CFO. Since joining
Sayona in September 2022
as finance manager, the
company said he has made
a significant contribution to
Dougal Elder
the company’s evolution
from a developer to a lithium producer. Former
CFO, Paul Crawford, will
continue as an executive di-
rector focusing on strategic
management and corporate
secretarial functions. Sayo-
na also appointed Andrew
Barber to lead the investor
relations and communica-
tions functions. Paul Crawford
Spartan Resources Ltd., a junior gold explorer
focused on the Dalgaranga project in Western
Australia, appointed Craig Jones as COO. Pri-
or to joining Spartan, he was CEO of Poseidon
Nickel and previously COO for Bellevue Gold,
where he played an instrumental role in estab-
lishing the restart of a historical operation.
James F. Howe has been ap-
pointed president of Motion.
He previously served as the
executive vice president and
chief commercial and technol-
ogy officer, where he played
a pivotal role in shaping Mo-
tion’s corporate trajectory.
James F. Howe
Arman Bagdasarian, president of Epiroc’s
Parts & Services Asia Pacific (APAC) division,
will leave to pursue a career
outside the Group. Jodie
Velasquez, vice president,
controlling and finance
parts and services, has
been appointed acting pres-
ident for the division, while
the company searches for a
new president. Jodie Velasquez
(Regional News-U.S. & Canada - from p. 9)
Nickel 28 Sacks Founding
Management Team
Nickel 28 Capital Corp announced that
Anthony Milewski, former CEO, Justin
Cochrane, former president, and Conor
Kearns, former CFO (the founding
management team), have been termi-
nated for cause with immediate effect
after the company said it found evi-
dence of serious misconduct, breach
of duties and obligations, repeated lack
of judgment, care and diligence and
non-compliance with various of Nick-
el 28’s policies and procedures. None
of the company’s findings have been
proven in court.
Nickel 28 is a nickel-cobalt producer
through its 8.56% joint-venture interest
in the Ramu nickel-cobalt operation lo-
cated in Papua New Guinea. The com-
pany also manages a portfolio of 10 nick-
el and cobalt royalties on development,
pre-feasibility and exploration projects.
Cochrane and Kearns’ employment
and/or consulting arrangements with
the Nickel 28 were terminated for cause
with immediate effect following the
close of business on May 3, 2024, after
the company’s board considered the
findings and recommendations made
by an independent special committee,
which was formed in December 2023 to
conduct an independent investigation
into compensation arrangements, and
other policies and practices relating to
actual or potential conflicts of interest.
The board has appointed Christo-
pher S. Wallace, a board member, as
interim CEO with immediate effect.
During the transition, the board said it
will ensure the company has the man-
agement expertise and skills needed to
execute its strategic vision and plans.
Brett Richards, who has operational
management and project development
experience, has agreed to provide cer-
tain transition consultancy services to
the company.
The founding management team is-
sued a statement saying they believe
that these terminations are part of the
year-long contest for control of Nickel
28 launched by Ned Collery of Pelham
Investments. This contest saw Brett
Richards along with Ned Collery join the
board of directors of Nickel 28 and work
together to take control of the company.
www.e-mj.com
REGIONAL NEWS - LATIN AMERICA
Pan American Sells La Arena to Zijin
La Arena produced 97,100 oz of gold in 2023 at a cost of $1,237/oz. (Photo: Pan American Silver)
Pan American Silver Corp. announced
that it will sell La Arena SA, owner of the
La Arena gold mine as well as the La
Arena II project in Peru, to Jinteng (Sin-
gapore) Mining Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of
Zijin Mining Group Co., for $245 million in
cash upfront and a contingent payment
of $50 million.
“With the sale of La Arena, we contin-
ue to deliver on our strategy of optimiz-
ing our portfolio, following the Yamana
transaction, while maintaining future
growth through royalty retention,” said
Michael Steinmann, president and CEO,
Pan American Silver. “The proceeds from
the transaction will further strengthen our
financial position and enable us to meet
our capital allocation priorities of investing
in high-quality assets, reducing debt and
returning capital to our shareholders.”
Under the terms of the agreement,
at closing Zijin will pay $245 million in
cash and will grant Pan American a life-
of-mine net gold smelter return royalty of
1.5% for the La Arena II project.
Upon commencement of commercial
production from the La Arena II project,
the agreement provides for an additional
contingent payment from Zijin of $50 mil-
lion in cash. Closing of the transaction is
12 E&MJ • MAY 2024
subject to customary conditions and re-
ceipt of regulatory approvals. Pan Amer-
ican said it expects the transaction to be
completed in Q3 2024.
The La Arena mining operation is lo-
cated in the La Libertad province of Peru.
Since acquiring it from Tahoe Resources
in 2019, Pan American Silver said it has
successfully added more than 535,000
oz of gold through exploration and ex-
tended the mine life from 2021 to 2026,
with potential for further extension.
Chile Opens Lithium
Bidding to Private Investors
During the Cesco Week 2024 confer-
ence in Santiago, Chile, Chilean Minister
of Mining, Aurora Williams, together with
her Economy counterpart, Nicolás Grau,
announced that the bidding rules are now
available for private investors interested in
the exploration and exploitation of lithium.
The specific invitation from the Chil-
ean Government is to “express interest in
participating in projects related to the ex-
ploration, exploitation and downstream
processing of lithium contained in salt
flats or other types of deposits in Chile.”
“We hope that they will indeed ex-
press interest in the 26 salt flats that rep-
resent 18% of the saline territory of our
country. This is a process that begins to-
day with the publication of these bases,”
Williams said.
Likewise, he explained that this is a
process that will last 60 days starting Mon-
day, April 15. “The consultation period will
be held until May 17: 10 days after the
expiration of the consultation period, we
will generate the response that this en-
tails, and the deadline expires on June 17,
2024; and the publication of the results of
those salaries where there was an expres-
sion of interest will be made until July 9.”
The Chilean Minister of Mining said
that the National Lithium Strategy has
three key objectives: “On the one hand,
to increase production; to have better
environmental protection; and to have
greater added value in production. This
announcement is especially relevant to
the first objective.”
Grau emphasized that the current
strategy encourages public-private col-
laboration, as in the case of the Salar de
Maricunga (Maricunga’s salt flat), where
there is state participation and the call for
interest from the private sector.
G Mining Ventures,
Reunion Gold to Merge
G Mining Ventures Corp. (GMIN) signed
an agreement with Reunion Gold Corp. to
combine the two companies in an all-share
transaction valued at $640 million. GMIN
will acquire RGD’s flagship Oko West Proj-
ect located in Guyana, within the Guiana
Shield region, one of the most attractive
mining jurisdictions in South America. Oko
West has emerged as a significant gold dis-
covery over the last few years, with excel-
lent potential to become a top-tier deposit.
GMIN said it plans to move Oko West
quickly through technical studies to a con-
struction decision, leveraging the consider-
able amount of exploration, development,
and permitting work that has already been
completed by RGD, supported by the
expected free cash flow from the Tocan-
tinzinho gold project, which is trending on
schedule and on budget for commercial
production in the second half of 2024.
“Oko West has all the key attributes
GMIN is looking for in its next leg of
(Continued on p. 16)
www.e-mj.com

Western Australia’s Westgold and
Karora to Merge
Westgold Resources Ltd. and Karora
Resources Inc. have agreed to combine
in a merger where Westgold will acquire
all shares of Karora. Both companies are
Western Australian gold miners. West-
gold produces 220,000 to 230,000 ounc-
es per year (oz/y) and Karora’s 2024
guidance is 170,000 to 185,000 oz/y.
Karora shareholders will receive
2.524 Westgold shares, A$0.68 in cash
and 0.30 of a share in a new company
to be de-merged from Karora (SpinCo)
for each Karora share held at the closing
of the transaction. SpinCo’s assets will
comprise Karora’s existing 22.1% inter-
est in Kali Metals Ltd.
Upon completion of the transaction,
which is expected in July 2024, West-
gold shareholders will own 50.1% of the
combined company and former Karora
shareholders will hold the remainder.
The enlarged Westgold will have a mar-
ket capitalization of approximately A$2.2
billion ($1.4 billion).
The combined portfolio of assets can
produce more than 400,000 oz/y. The
merger will create one of the largest un-
hedged Australian gold producers. The
combined pipeline will include advanced
organic growth options and exploration
targets across Karora’s Beta Hunt and
Higginsville properties and Westgold’s
Murchison and Bryah properties.
“The prize here is Beta Hunt’s gold
potential,” Westgold Managing Director
and CEO Wayne Bramwell said. “Rarely
do you find a gold asset of the quality and
potential of Beta Hunt hiding in a nickel
The Murchison operations include two mills, which are fed by three underground mines. (Photo: Westgold)
www.e-mj.com
REGIONAL NEWS - AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA
belt and drilling is expected to further un-
lock value at this mine.”
Westgold operates five mines in
the Murchison and Bryah regions. The
Murchison operations include two mills,
which are fed by three underground
mines (Big Bell, Bluebird and Fender).
The next stage of growth is underpinned
by an expansion project at Big Bell, the
development of a new decline at the
Bluebird, ramp-up of Fender and devel-
opment of the new Great Fingall mine.
The Byrah operations consist of a mill
and the Starlight open-pit mine. Westgold
recently established new 3- to 4-year mine
plans for the Starlight operations following
a design optimization that has started to
deliver significant improvements.
In addition to the Beta Hunt gold
mine and its nickel by-product, Karora
also owns the Higginsville gold opera-
tions. Ore is processed at two central-
ized plants, the 1.6-million-metric-ton-
per-year (mt/y) Higginsville mill and the
1.2-million-mt/y Lakewood mill, both lo-
cated near its mining operations.
Australia to Invest in
Geologic Mapping
Speaking in Perth, Australian Prime Min-
ister Anthony Albanese said Western Aus-
tralia is front and center when it comes to
the future agenda for economic growth. He
announced that the Commonwealth will
provide A$566 million ($372 million) over
10 years to map the whole of Australia. “No
state will benefit from that more than West-
ern Australia,” Albanese said. “We’ll pro-
vide this funding for Geoscience Australia
in next week’s budget. This is a long-term
project that we need to start now. It’s rather
extraordinary that we haven’t had this plan-
ning done that can provide important infor-
mation for businesses and communities
about where critical minerals are [located].”
Making the investment to better locate
and understand Australian geology, is a
strong endorsement of the important role
the resource sector plays in the nation-
al economy, explained Warren Pearce,
chief executive for the Association of Min-
ing and Exploration Companies. “We are
delighted to see the Federal Government
re-invest in the critical and highly suc-
cessful program, extending it out to the
end of the decade,” he said. “As much
as 80% of Australia remains unexplored.
This program has the potential to open
new mineral jurisdictions and unlock im-
mense new mineral wealth for Australia.”
The Exploring for the Future program,
led by Geoscience Australia, uses cutting
edge scientific techniques to better under-
stand our geology. The scientific data gath-
ered is used by hundreds of exploration
companies to best target their exploration
programs, improving discovery rates, and
leading to the development of new mines.
“This is the type of information that
sets Australia apart from other nations,
in continuing to attract exploration and
mining investment,” Pearce said. “The
first two iterations of this program have
already led to significant new discover-
ies, that are now progressing toward ma-
jor mine developments.”
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 13
 REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA
Sibanye Stillwater Announces
Restructuring Plan for Southern Africa
Sibanye-Stillwater is reviewing some of its South African operations like the Kloof mine (above). (Photo: Sibanye)
Sibanye-Stillwater said it is discussing
with its employees a proposed restructur-
ing plan for its South African gold oper-
ations and its services functions for the
southern Africa region. The company said
an ongoing group business review has
identified a need to address losses at the
Beatrix 1 shaft, which has been unable to
deliver planned production, and the Kloof
2 Orion’s 641-km2 which, after the clo-
sure of the Kloof 4 shaft during 2023, has
had insufficient processing material avail-
able to cover overheads. The deferral of
capital expenditure at the Burnstone proj-
ect, announced in February 2024, also
requires restructuring aligned with the
reduction in planned capital activities.
The proposed restructuring of the oper-
ations and services could potentially affect
3,107 employees and 915 contractors.
“We continue to act prudently to pro-
tect the balance sheet and ensure the
sustainability of the group,” said Neal
Froneman, CEO, Sibanye-Stillwater. “We
are committed to constructively engaging
with affected employees and through their
representatives to minimize job losses.”
The reduction in the operational foot-
print in the southern Africa region, due to
the recent restructuring and closure of
loss-making shafts and from proposed fu-
14 E&MJ • MAY 2024
ture restructuring or closures, has resulted
in surplus capacity as far as current and
future requirements. As a result, the com-
pany is proposing a re-alignment of the re-
gional services, shared services, and direct
services structures to align with the require-
ments of the reduced operational footprint.
Orion Reaches Final Stages
of Okiep Acquisition
Orion Minerals Ltd. said it has taken an-
other key step in its strategy to become a
leading diversified international base met-
als producer as it reaches the final stages
of its acquisition of a controlling interest in
the Okiep copper project (OCP), located
in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province.
The Industrial Development Corp. of
South Africa Ltd (IDC), which is a strate-
gic funding partner in the OCP, has now
obtained its internal approvals and count-
er-signed the addenda to the agreements
pursuant to which Orion will acquire the
controlling interest in the OCP. All supple-
mentary conditions to implement the first
phase of the Okiep transaction have been
fulfilled (including receipt of the relevant
approvals from the Foreign Surveillance
Department of the South African Reserve
Bank and the South African Takeover
Regulation Panel). The Okiep transaction
agreements (as amended) have accord-
ingly become unconditional.
Orion anticipated completing the first
phase of the Okiep transaction on or about
May 7, 2024 with payment of ZAR46 mil-
lion ($2.5 million), being ZAR11 million
($600,000) payable in cash and ZAR35
million ($1.9 million) settled by way of Ori-
on issuing fully paid ordinary shares.
“We are very pleased to have reached
the final stages in our acquisition of a
controlling interest in the OCP, which is
a high-quality asset that forms an inte-
gral part of Orion’s growth pathway to
become a significant new mid-tier copper
producer,” said Errol Smart, managing
director and CEO, Orion Minerals. “Ori-
on’s 641-km2 package of mineral rights
holdings in the Okiep copper district rep-
resents a highly strategic asset, located
in the heart of a rich historic mining camp
that produced more than 2 million tons of
contained copper under previous owner-
ship including Newmont and Goldfields.
Orion will seek shareholder approval to
issue the shares at its shareholders meet-
ing, which will be held on May 23, 2024.
IDC approval has been received for
ZAR43.75 million ($2.3 million) funding
for its proportional share of drilling and
operating costs for the New Okiep Mining
Flat Mines Project.
A diamond-drilling program com-
menced in the Flat Mines area of the
OCP in February 2024. A total of 11 dia-
mond-core drill holes have been planned
at Flat Mine East (FME), Flat Mine South
(FMS) and Flat Mine North (FMN), com-
prising a total of 5,800 m.
The program has been designed to
confirm historical drilling information and
interpretations, and to provide additional
drill core for metallurgical test work.
The planned program comprises five
holes at FME, four holes at FMS and two
holes at FMN. All holes include a deflec-
tion (or wedge) through the mineraliza-
tion to provide the additional drill core for
confirmatory metallurgical test work.
Orion said the completion of the Flat
Mines Feasibility study is on schedule for
completion in July 2024.
www.e-mj.com

OSM Changes the 10-Day Notice Policy
The Office of Surface Mining Reclama-
tion and Enforcement (OSM) recently an-
nounced changes to its Ten-Day Notice
(TDN) rule that will make it easier for the
public to report mining concerns.
The Ten-Day process is initiated when
OSM receives information about a possi-
ble violation of the Surface Mining Con-
trol Reclamation and Act (SMCRA). OSM
evaluates the available information and, if
it determines there is a reason to believe a
violation exists, it gives notice to the state
regulatory authority. The state regulatory
authority has 10 days to respond to OSM
with its findings. OSM has delegated the
administration of SMCRA to state regula-
tory authorities in 24 states.
OSM said it re-examined the 2020
TDN rule and decided to amend its reg-
ulations. The new rule was published in
the Federal Register on April 9 and took
effect 30 days afterward. OSM removed
language that requires a citizen to first
contact a state regulatory authority before
it contacts OSM. The agency added lan-
guage stating that all citizen complaints
be considered requests for federal in-
spections. It dropped the requirement that
a citizen must state the basis for their alle-
gation of a possible violation.
The new rule will allow OSM to issue a
single TDN for similar possible violations
found on two or more permits. It will require
OSM to issue a TDN for any possible viola-
tion after forming a reason to believe a SM-
RCA violation exists. It will also require a
state regulatory authority to respond to the
TDN with actions to fix the violation, instead
of submitting a plan to fix the violation.
To read the final rule, visit www.osm-
re.gov/laws-and-regulations/federal-reg-
ister-notices.
Mt Arthur South Drills a
Million Meters Autonomously
Mining contractor Thiess recently cel-
ebrated a milestone at BHP’s Mt Arthur
South mine in New South Wales, Austra-
lia. They have drilled more than 1 million
meters autonomously using a fleet of
three Cat MD-series drills running with
the Cat MineStar Command Autono-
mous Drill System.
WesTrac Technology Solutions Manag-
er Nakia Brewer said the achievement not
www.e-mj.com
only reflects a highly successful deploy-
ment of Cat-built autonomous drills, but the
strength of a technology-driven partnership
that developed and rolled out the program
in a cleverly phased approach. WesTrac is
the Cat dealer serving the region.
“When implementing new technolo-
gy, it is crucial that there is a clear un-
derstanding of the problem you’re trying
to solve – in this case it was to reduce
operating costs and increase consisten-
cy of drilling,” he said. “The way in which
Thiess approaches technology, under-
standing the problem statement and how
technology will ultimately solve that for
them, is world leading.”
WesTrac, Caterpillar and Thiess be-
gan the program in 2019 and following a
multi-phase three-year journey, enabled
a remotely located operator to control
the three drills, a Cat MD6250 and two
MD6310s, simultaneously.
Thiess Head of Autonomy and Oper-
ations Technology Trent Smith said the
program’s adoption of technology closely
considered its integration with people and
process, with a strong focus on change
management. “Achieving 1 million meters
drilled autonomously is something we’re
very proud of,” Smith said. “We took a drill
that didn’t have any automation capability
and went on the journey as a team to bring
through what is now three drills running au-
tonomously with a single controller.
Autonomous drill technology has improved drilling performance and reduced fuel consumption by 8%.
(Photo: Thiess)
NEWS - THIS MONTH IN COAL
“We initially needed to select reliable
technology that could deliver operation-
ally and implement it in the right applica-
tion,” Smith said. “Then we addressed
the change management around people
and process to ensure we delivered the
performance. It’s been quite exciting to
see a technology product from its very
infancy all the way through to an autono-
mous operation, and the Mt Arthur South
project realizing value from it.”
“Since introducing this technology at Mt
Arthur South in 2021, we have recorded a
20% improvement in drilling performance,
up to 8% reduction in fuel use, more consis-
tent drill hole quality, accuracy and depth,
and drill use of up to 23 hours per day,” said
Ramesh Liyanage, group executive, as-
sets, autonomy and digital for Thiess.
Thiess upskilled more than 30 of its
people at Mt Arthur South from traditional
drill controllers to autonomous operators,
and a range of other support functions
during the million-meter journey.
Thiess said it views an opportunity to
grow automation capability across trucks,
drills, and dozers not just in Australia, but
at regional levels across Asia and the
Americas, as well as investigating rolling
out future remote hub operations.
In related news, Thiess recently se-
cured a six-year contract with BHP for
the Mount Arthur South Operations in
New South Wales, Australia.
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 15
 NEWS - CONTINUED

ramping up the $870 million project. It said

GMIN said it plans to move Oko West quickly through technical studies to a construction decision.
(Photo: Reunion Gold)
(Regional News-Latin America - from p. 12)
growth,” said Louis-Pierre Gignac, pres-
ident, CEO, and director of GMIN. “We
are well-positioned to accelerate value
creation at Oko West leveraging our
unique expertise in building and operat-
ing mines in the Guiana Shield.”
GMIN and RGD shareholders will re-
ceive common shares of a newly formed
company (the New GMIN) equivalent to
RGD shareholders being issued 0.285
GMIN common shares for each RGD
common share. In addition, RGD share-
holders will receive common shares in
a newly created gold explorer (SpinCo)
that will hold all of RGD’s assets other
than Oko West. .
RGD shareholders will receive an
estimated consideration of $0.65 per
RGD common share, which places an
equity value of C$875 million ($640
million) on the transaction. GMIN and
RGD shareholders will own approxi-
mately 57% and 43% of the combined
company respectively.
Commissioning Begins
at Mantoverde
Capstone Copper Corp. said it introduced
first ore to the grinding circuit at its Man-
toverde Development Project (MVDP) in
Chile in March. The company said this
represents the completion of a key com-
missioning event and a further derisk-
ing step for the project, as it focuses on
Capstone said the $870 million MVDP project was on track to produce saleable concentrate during Q2
2024 and achieve nameplate capacity by Q3 2024. (Photo: Capstone Copper)
MVDP is on track to produce saleable
concentrate during Q2 2024 and achieve
nameplate capacity by Q3 2024.
“We are pleased with the progress
to date as we work towards a safe and
efficient ramp-up of MVDP,” said John
MacKenzie, CEO, Capstone Copper.
“Mantoverde is a transformational asset
for Capstone, driving significant pro-
duction growth and margin expansion
across our portfolio.”
MVDP is expected to enable the mine
to process 236 million metric tons (mt) of
copper sulphide reserves, which repre-
sent approximately 20% of total sulphide
resources, over a 20-year expected mine
life, in addition to existing oxide reserves.
The MVDP involves the addition of a
32,000 mt/d sulphide concentrator and
a tailings storage facility, and the expan-
sion of the existing desalination plant and
other minor infrastructure.

NEWS - CALENDAR OF EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2024: MINExpo INTERNATIONAL, Las FEBRUARY 3-6, 2025: Mining Indaba, Cape Town International
Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, USA. Contact: Web: Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa. Contact: Web: www.
www.minexpo.com. miningindaba.com.

OCTOBER 15-17, 2024: International Mining and Minerals Hall,
Seville, Spain. Contact: Web: https://mmhseville.com/.
OCTOBER 29-31, 2024: International Mining and Resources
Conference (IMARC), Sydney, Australia. Contact: Web:
https://imarcglobal.com/.
DECEMBER 3-6, 2024: The annual conference for the American
Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA), Nugget Hotel & Casino,
Reno, Nevada, USA. Contact: Web: www.miningamerica.org.
FEBRUARY 23-26, 2025: MINEXCHANGE. The annual meeting of the
Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), Colorado Con-
vention Center, Denver, Colorado, USA. Contact: Web: www.smenet.org.
MARCH 2-5, 2025: The annual conference of the Prospectors and
Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), Metro Toronto Con-
vention Centre, Toronto, Canada. Contact: Web: www.pdac.ca.
APRIL 6-9, 2025: The Haulage & Loading Conference, Hilton El Conquis-
tador, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Contact: Web: www.haulageandloading.com.

16 E&MJ • MAY 2024 www.e-mj.com

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 NEVADA MINING
Nevada: A Leader in Gold Production
Other commodities, however, gain interest in the No. 1 mining-friendly jurisdiction
Mining in Nevada has become synon-
ymous with gold. The state leads the
nation with more than 4 million ounces
(oz) of gold extracted annually from the
mines in northern Nevada. While that
figure is significant, total gold production
has slipped steadily from 5.5 million oz
in 2017. Head grades have declined and
many open-pit mines have transitioned
to underground operations, which means
Nevada’s gold miners are working harder
to maintain production.
There is more to the Nevada mining
scene than gold. Mines in the state pro-
Construction begins at the Thacker Pass mine. (Photo: Lithium Americas)
18 E&MJ • MAY 2024
duce significant amounts of silver, cop-
per, lithium, and other minerals. Some
mining companies are currently looking
to develop deposits that contain critical
minerals with the hopes of expedited per-
mitting and tax incentives from the fed-
eral government. Similarly, Nevada has
vast deposits of lithium in both brine and
clay formations, and the demand for it is
expecting to grow exponentially for the
development of battery-electric vehicles.
Throughout the state, prospectors
are searching for the next big discovery.
Meanwhile, geologists are recording the
data and converting historical informa-
tion to assist development. An example,
is the recent release of precompetitive
data from the Nevada Bureau of Mines
and Geology (NBMG) and the U.S.
Geological Survey as part of the USGS
EarthMRI program (https://ngmdb.usgs.
gov/emri/#5.37/38.35/-115.48)
“Nevada remains under-explored,”
said Dr. Simon Jowitt, Director for the
Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in
Economic Geology for the NBMG. “We
have had a lot of success with Carlin-
type and epithermal gold, silver, and lith-
ium, but there’s opportunities in all sorts
of other areas, base metals for example,
and in both greenfield and brownfield
environments. Applying increased and
improved knowledge of mineral systems
and mineralizing processes could open
all sorts of opportunities.”
Nevada by the Numbers
Nevada produced $8.93 billion in non-fu-
el commodities in 2022, second only to
Arizona. With the recent increase in the
gold price, the state may take over the
No. 1 slot for 2023. Nevada leads the
nation in gold production with more than
$7.2 billion of gold extracted in 2022. It is
the only state that produced lithium com-
pounds from primary extraction ($104
million) at Albemarle’s Silver Peak mine.
That will likely change soon with con-
struction underway at Lithium Americas’
Thacker Pass mine.
Other metal production included cop-
per ($508 million), silver ($120 million),
and molybdenum ($5 million). Most of the
copper production originated KGHM’s
Robinson operations near Ely, and Coeur
Mining’s Rochester mine in Pershing
County led the state in silver production.
Nevada also produced significant
amounts of construction aggregates
(sand, gravel, and crushed stone; ($285
million), diatomite ($60 million), lime-
stone and dolomite (mainly for cement,
$36 million), gypsum ($49 million), and
silica ($23 million). The state also pro-
duces industrial minerals such as barite
($36 million), magnesite ($9 million), and
specialty clays such as sepiolite and sa-
www.e-mj.com
 NEVADA MINING

Of Nevada’s mined commodities, gold is the leader. The current gold rush has been the longest in the U.S.

ponite ($15 million). Barite is considered Ghana produced more gold than Neva- Precious Metals in Nevada
a critical metal, and there is potential for da,” Jowitt said. “Nevada’s gold produc- Most of the mineral exploration activities
expansion in this area. tion shrunk from 4.5 million oz in 2021 to in Nevada are focused on gold, with sig-
The Silver state also produced sig- 4 million oz in 2022, and Ghana overtook nificant brownfield expansion and green-
nificant amounts of geothermal ener- Nevada in 2022. The improvement in the field exploration activity targeting both
gy ($322 million) and some petroleum gold price will lead to further interest in Carlin-type and epithermal gold systems.
($19 million). gold in the state and we might retake that Significant exploration and development
“Viewing Nevada in the context of the position. There is a great deal of interest activities are taking place in the Walker
wider U.S., we provide about 9% of the in gold exploration and drilling projects Lane Trend. Silver exploration is also ac-
total value of non-fuel mineral produc- have resumed throughout the state.” tive in numerous areas.
tion as a whole,” Jowitt said. “If we look Among the main gold producers in the “As far as current resources and re-
at the production value of Nevada’s min- state, Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) is the serves of precious metals, Nevada has
eral and energy sector from the 1970s clear leader, followed by Kinross Gold and publicly reported reserves of nearly 60
through to the present day, a peak oc- SSR Mining. NGM also produces sub- million oz of contained gold and 221 mil-
curred in 2012 with the increasing price stantial amounts of silver and copper from lion oz of contained silver,” Jowitt said.
of gold,” Jowitt said. “We may see a its Phoenix operations. Kinross Gold’s “Both of these figures have increased
slight peak or certainly an increase in Round Mountain and Bald Mountain oper- from 2021, despite the fact we are pro-
the value of gold production in 2023, ations also produce a significant amount ducing more than 4 million oz/y of gold
and copper will add value to the peak of silver. “We have several medium-sized and a significant amount of silver. The
as well. Silver has fluctuated somewhat producers in the state with significant po- current publicly reported resources are
over the last few years. tential for expansion,” Jowitt said. 184.5 million oz of contained gold and
“Nevada also saw a significant jump
in lithium value, but not because the
state increased the amount of lithium
it produced. The jump was related to
a spike in lithium prices in 2022,” Jow-
itt said. “Lithium’s value grew from $42
million in 2021 to $104 million in 2022.
Less lithium was produced in 2022 com-
pared to 2021, but that lithium was worth
150% more. Lithium prices have pulled
back dramatically at the end of 2023,
but there is still significant potential for
lithium production.”
In 2022, Nevada mined a little more
than 4 million oz of gold, which is 73%
of total U.S. gold production (5.6 million
oz) and roughly 3.5% of global gold pro-
duction (117 million oz). “Only the nations
of China, Russia, Australia, Canada and In 2022, Nevada produced $8.93 billion in non-fuel commodities.

www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 19

 NEVADA MINING
Among the mine operators in the state, Nevada Gold Mines is clearly the largest.
1.2 billion oz of contained silver. These
figures outline a lot of potential expan-
sion and development in the state.”
Looking at gold production, from the
1840s to the present day, three gold
rushes have taken place in the U.S., the
current boom is the greatest and lon-
gest sustained, but it is dipping, Jowitt
explained. “A significant amount of pro-
duction occurred in the last 30 years, as
much as 314 million oz,” Jowitt said. “A
lot of production potential remains, espe-
cially with gold prices at record levels.”
Over the course of the last 50 years,
Nevada saw gold production ramp up
to a peak of nearly 9 million oz in 1998.
The state has since seen a gradual
decline since. “Production is moving
away from more mature operations in
the Carlin Trend,” Jowitt said. “We are
seeing increased interest in epithermal
Annual gold production in Nevada has declined steadily from 9 million oz in 1998.
20 E&MJ • MAY 2024
exploration, especially with the activi-
ties in Goldfield and Tonopah within the
Walker Lane Trend.”
Nevada’s silver production followed a
similar trend over the same period. Silver
production ramped up to nearly 25 million
oz during the late 1990s with a steep-
er decline to the present-day plateau
of roughly 5 million oz/y. “Nevada may
again see an expansion in silver produc-
tion,” Jowitt said. “There is a significant
amount of interest in silver exploration
for silver and polymetallic deposits where
silver will be produced as a byproduct.”
Base Metals in Nevada
Several companies are exploring Neva-
da for copper in porphyry, skarn, and car-
bonate replacement deposits (CRD) and
polymetallic deposits hosting zinc-lead-
silver-gold mineralization in central and
The number of drill rigs turning relates directly to the price of gold.
eastern Nevada. “These deposits have
gained more attention with zinc earning
a distinction as a critical metal by the
federal government during the last few
years,” Jowitt said. “If a mine is produc-
ing a critical metal, it could realize expe-
dited permitting and tax incentives from
the federal government.”
Copper was produced at the Robin-
son operations, the Phoenix operations
(co-product with gold) and Pumpkin Hollow
in 2022. Pumpkin Hollow ceased mining
operations in mid-2022 and recommenced
in August 2023 after completing some de-
velopment work. Nevada has publicly re-
ported proven and probable (or equivalent)
copper reserves of 2.5 billion lb contained
copper, which was up 36% from 2021. The
state has publicly reported resources of
27.2 billion lb contained copper.
Vanadium exploration has also
emerged within the state with measured,
indicated and inferred (or equivalent) re-
sources with 603 million lb contained va-
nadium pentoxide (V2O5) reported publicly
to date. Nevada Vanadium Mining Corp.’s
Gibellini vanadium project is evaluating
sediment hosted vanadium systems. Va-
nadium is a critical metal, and depending
on the economics, Nevada Vanadium
could bring Gibellini online soon.
Lithium and Other Critical
Minerals
The Silver Peak mine was the only pri-
mary lithium producer in the U.S. in
2022. It shipped 8.1 million lb of lithium
carbonate, 65,415 lb of anhydrous lith-
ium hydroxide, and 55,116 lb of lithium
hydroxide monohydrate.
www.e-mj.com
 SAFE CLEAN PRODUCTION

PRODUCTION WELLS
CORE EXPLORATION
DEWATERING WELLS
RC exploration

FLOODED REVERSE
DIAMOND CORE
REVERSE CIRCULATION
 NEVADA MINING
Two clay projects and one brine project have delineated lithium reserves in Nevada.
Construction at the Thacker Pass
mine began in March 2023 with target
production of 40,000 mt/y lithium car-
bonate equivalent (LCE) during phase
1 (years 1-4) and 80,000 mt/y LCE in
phase 2 (year 5 onward).
“Throughout the state, there is signif-
icant lithium-related exploration taking
place around the McDermott Caldera,
Tonopah, Silver Peak, Clayton Valley,
and various other areas,” Jowitt said.
“We also know of exploration activi-
ties looking for lithium clays and lithi-
um brines at Alkali Flat and Big Smoky
Valley. Suffice it to say there is a lot of
lithium interest in the state and it is not
going away any time soon.
“This can be inferred from the num-
ber of placer claims that are being used
to explore lithium brines,” Jowitt said.
“That’s an indication of lithium brine
exploration activities, which does not
include lithium clay or sedimentary ex-
ploration and drilling projects of which
there are a significant number currently
ongoing in the state.”
Reviewing Nevada’s lithium re-
serves and resources, two clay projects
have delineated reserves, the Thacker
Pass mine, which is under construc-
tion, and Ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge proj-
ect, which also has significant amounts
of boron as a co-product. The Silver
Peak mine still has a decent amount
of reserves and resources delineat-
ed. There’s another brine project at
Clayton Valley owned by Pure Energy,
which has some resources outlined as
well, and then there’s a lot of expansion
potential in places like Tonopah Flats,
22 E&MJ • MAY 2024
Horizon Lithium, etc., all of which have
significant outlined resources.
“Conversion of resources to reserves
is always problematic, especially given
today’s permitting situations,” Jowitt said.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms
of potential for lithium in the state. That’s
very important considering the projected
rise in lithium demand.”
The International Energy Agency
(IEA) has predicted the world will need
242,000 mt/y to 374,000 mt/y of lithium
by 2030. World production of lithium is
roughly 110,000 mt/y. By 2024, the IEA
has predicted that lithium demand will
grow to 460,000 mt/y to 1.16 million mt/y.
What makes this figure even more in-
surmountable is that it requires 5.3 mt of
LCE to make 1 mt of lithium.
Nevada has 1.11 million mt of lithium
reserves and 21.3 million mt of lithium
resources. “So, in essence, if we think
about lithium as a crucial commodity for
batteries for electric vehicles, we will
need to bring some of the resources we
know about into production and also
find new resources,” Jowitt said. “Ne-
vada is one of the key places we can
do that domestically.”
Mining companies should also con-
sider the by- and co-product possibili-
ties for critical metals production. “We
know that there is significant potential
for byproducts, for metals like tellurium,
indium, gallium, germanium, antimony,
etc., which have been identified within
gold and porphyry-skarn-CRD type sys-
tems in Nevada,” Jowitt said. “We know
that these metals are already present in
mineralizing systems within the state.
We need to know where they sit and
what minerals are hosted within them,
and how we can potentially enhance
their production when we are looking at
the production of main minerals like gold,
silver, zinc, and copper.”
If a deposit contains a critical metal
or mineral, there are significant implica-
tions as far as project permitting and tax
breaks, as well as support for exploration
development from the federal govern-
ment. “The U.S. Department of Energy
and the Department of Defense are keen
on securing extra supplies of these criti-
cal commodities,” Jowitt said. “They are
willing to offer loans, grants, and research
funding to understand how we can realize
the potential of these deposits, and we are
already seeing some deposits in the state
benefit from these opportunities. These
funding opportunities are likely to increase
over the next couple of years.”
In a similar vein, the Inflation Re-
duction Act offers tax credits for battery
minerals that are domestically sourced
and processed. “There are lots of in-
centives to look for critical metals do-
mestically either as main products if
you’re exploring for things like zinc or
lithium or vanadium or to think about
byproduct potential flows from existing
operations and for operations being de-
veloped right now,” Jowitt said.
One example is i-80 Gold’s Ruby Hill
project, which has skarn-CRD type min-
eralization. “Core samples contain quite
a bit of galena, but they also have beau-
tifully zoned sphalerite, which has po-
tential to contain significant amounts of
indium, germanium, gallium, etc.,” Jowitt
said. “This is just one of many examples
of projects that are ongoing within the
state or projects where mining is already
occurring, where we know there are crit-
ical metals. We just need to understand
them better and potentially extract them.”
Exploration Trends
in Nevada
Most of the exploration programs in
Nevada are focused on gold, but some
drilling programs were searching or
further defining silver, copper, vana-
dium, polymetallic mineralization, and
cobalt-nickel mineralization. A total of
115 drilling programs were identified in
2022, excluding drilling for lithium clay/
sedimentary mineralization, lithium
brines, and industrial minerals. This is a
www.e-mj.com
 NEVADA MINING

significant increase in identified drilling “What we are trying to do is help This article is based on a presentation,
programs from 2021, and the highest prospectors explore more effectively,” Nevada’s Mineral Industry in 2022, which
number of identified drill programs since Jowitt said. “We want these programs Dr. Simon Jowitt, the Arthur Brant Chair of
2012. With the increase in gold price, to expand and continue to make sure Exploration Geology and Director for the
more rigs will likely be turning today. we can both help explorers discover Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in
“These are only the drilling programs new mineralization, make the most of Economic Geology for the Nevada Bureau
that have publicly released information,” the mineralization they already know of Mines and Geology at University of Ne-
Jowitt said. “Major mining companies un- about, and also make sure Nevada vada Reno, delivered at the American Min-
dertaking exploration in the state do not maintains that No. 1 spot in the Fraser ing and Exploration’s annual conference in
discuss exploration results unless they Survey.” Reno, Nevada, during December 2023.
find something spectacular. While one
would assume exploration drilling would
increase with the price of gold, that de-
pends on the availability of funding.”
Drilling projects do correlate with the
price of gold, which is why Nevada has
the highest number of drill projects since
2012. In 2022, a lot of exploration drilling
was taking place along the Walker Lane,
Battle Mountain-Eureka, and Carlin
Trends. “Mineral exploration is taking
place throughout the state, but certainly
some areas are busier than others,” Jow-
itt said. “We have major and minor drill
projects and we’ve also split this up by
major, mid-tier, and junior companies.
There’s a significant amount of activity
from majors and juniors in the state.”
According to the Fraser Institute Sur-
vey in 2022, Nevada was the mining in-
dustry’s No. 1 destination for investment
attractiveness. “We are No. 1 and we in-
tend to maintain that status,” Jowitt said.
“All of this information and more is
available in the NBMG publication, The
Nevada Mining Industry 2022, which IMPROVING TOTAL
is available for free online,” Jowitt said.
“We’re aiming to expand this into the
future to do more in the areas of critical
PROJECT DELIVERY
metals and keep people updated on ex-
ploration activities in the state.”
Gold remains the main target in Ne-
Underground Mine Development & Production
vada, but interest is increasing in a range Feasibility & Design Engineering • Shaft Sinking • Raise Boring
of mined commodities. “Lithium, copper,
polymetallics, zinc, lead, gold, silver, and Contract Mining •Mining Material Handling Solutions
multiple other commodities and miner-
al systems have potential in Nevada,”
Crushing & Conveying Systems • Mobile Stacking Systems
Jowitt said. “And, that potential is often Project & Construction Management
unrealized or overlooked with the focus
on gold. There is a significant unrealized
potential for the discovery of new min-
eralizing systems in the state. We’re in-
creasing our geological mapping via the
state map program and other programs.
We’re actively digitizing legacy data,
match reports and more via the National
Geological and Geophysical Data Pres-
ervation Program. These are being made
cementation.com
available via the NBMG website.

www.e-mj.com Nevada Mining - May 2024 MAY 2024 • E&MJ 23

1/2 Page Island | 4.5” x 7.25”

 NEVADA MINING
Projects Move Forward
Throughout Nevada
Beyond gold, silver and lithium production ramp up
By Steve Fiscor, Editor-in-Chief
Nevada’s gold miners continue to press
forward with mine projects, and the
transition toward more underground
mining continues. Greenfield projects
are advancing through the permitting
stages and some expansion projects
have been commissioned. But it’s not
all golden in the silver state, as some
operators encountered difficulties.
Record gold prices, high forecasted
demand for battery minerals and buy-in
from the federal level is having a pos-
itive impact on the mining business in
Nevada. Many of the mines are using
exploration drilling programs to further
define known resources and better
understand geometallurgy. What was
once a nuisance mineral, now adds
Nevada Gold Mines celebrates the opening of its newest operation, the Goldrush mine. (Photo: Barrick Gold)
24 E&MJ • MAY 2024
value and complex polymetallic depos-
its gain more interest.
Working with the community and
other stakeholders, mine operators
have earned the trust and support of
their neighbors. Similarly, federal per-
mitting knowledge and experience has
improved the decision-making process
for the federal government. Without a
major disruption, the mining business
in Nevada will remain brisk as more
projects come online.
NGM Opens the Goldrush
Mine
The Goldrush Project is officially on
track to produce 130,000 ounces (oz)
of gold this year and will further en-
hance the value Nevada Gold Mines
(NGM) brings to the state through
taxes, employment, and meaningful
support for communities, said Barrick
Gold President and CEO, Mark Bris-
tow, at the project’s opening ceremony
in late April, which was attended by
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo and
local stakeholders.
Barrick Gold, which owns 61.5% of
the $1 billion project through the NGM
joint venture with Newmont (38.5%), is
developing and will operate the mine,
scheduled to reach commercial produc-
tion by 2026 and growing to approx-
imately 400,000 oz/y by 2028 (100%
basis). The underground mine, which
has a 24-year mine life, is expected to
www.e-mj.com

provide 500 jobs during its construction
and employment for 570 people once
operational.
Speaking at the ribbon-cutting cer-
emony, Bristow thanked the bi-parti-
san federal delegation and the gov-
ernor for their active and unwavering
commitment that was instrumental in
obtaining the record of decision (ROD)
in December 2023, as well as our com-
munity stakeholders for supporting the
project through the permitting process.
“We recognize that we have been en-
trusted with a tremendous economic
and environmental responsibility and
we look forward to sharing the benefits
of this new mine with Nevada and its
people,” he said.
Upon receiving the Goldrush ROD,
Cortez immediately started work on the
surface infrastructure accesses. This
will allow the mine to complete the con-
struction of the first ventilation raise, al-
leviating current ventilation constraints
and allowing the expansion of the min-
ing and development areas.
Peter Richardson, executive man-
aging director for NGM said that the
company’s strong social license to
operate and the many partnerships it
has cultivated in Nevada were instru-
mental in the government’s approval
of the ROD.
“Our teams worked tirelessly to
show the many benefits of the Goldrush
project to all the stakeholders through
numerous community and government
engagements, including several mine
tours. We hosted two tours specifical-
ly for Native Americans and the project
was ultimately unopposed by their tribal
governments,” he said.
NGM met with the state’s wildlife
agency and the Bureau of Land Man-
agement (BLM) and identified improve-
ments to strengthen protection for sage
grouse, a sensitive species in the west-
ern United States. These protections
were implemented in addition to NGM’s
work restoring habitat for the sage
grouse on more than 40,000 acres de-
graded by wildfire and invasive plant
species near the Cortez mining district.
“When the Goldrush permitting pro-
cess was held up in Washington, the
governor and a bi-partisan group of
regulators succeeded in progressing
the process by stressing the project’s
economic and employment benefits to
www.e-mj.com
Haul trucks are lined up and ready to go at the Round Mountain mine. (Photo: Kinross Gold)
the Department of the Interior and the
BLM,” Richardson said.
Richardson said the permitting expe-
rience NGM has gained through Cortez
would help drive its next growth projects
at Robertson and Fourmile. Robertson al-
ready makes a major contribution to Cor-
tez’s reserve base and has the potential
for continued growth through near-mine
extensions. The Barrick owned Fourmile
is the highest-grade undeveloped gold
deposit in North America. The now-com-
pleted Goldrush permits allow access
to the Fourmile orebody, but the project
team continues to assess the mining and
access options.
Kinross Gold Advances
Extension at Round
Mountain
In 2023, Kinross Gold’s Round Moun-
tain and Bald Mountain mines in Neva-
da produced 235,690 oz and 157,749
oz respectively. The company said
the Round Mountain mine performed
well during Q1 2024, with production
increasing quarter-over-quarter due
to higher mill throughput, grade, and
recoveries, partially offset by few-
er ounces recovered from the heap
leach pads. An increase in production
compared to Q1 2023 was primarily
due to higher mill grade and through-
put, partially offset by lower mill re-
covery and fewer ounces recovered
from the heap leach pads. In both
comparable periods, the cost of sales
per ounce sold was lower due to the
NEVADA MINING
increase in production as well as an in-
crease in capital development related
to the start of Phase S stripping.
At the Bald Mountain mine, produc-
tion increased in both comparable peri-
ods mainly due to an increase in ounc-
es recovered from the heap leach pads.
The cost of sales per ounce sold was
lower quarter-over-quarter mainly as a
result of a higher proportion of capital
development and higher production.
Round Mountain’s extension strate-
gy is advancing well. At Phase S, min-
ing is on plan. For the heap leach pad
expansion, earthworks began during
Q1 2024, procurement is advancing as
expected and construction activities
remain on track.
Kinross said development of the
exploration decline at Phase X, is pro-
gressing well, with more than 1,800
meters (m) developed to date. The
decline has now progressed to the
point that infill drilling of the primary
Phase X target will begin in Q2 2024,
as planned.
Nevada Gold Mines
Gold Production (‘000 oz)
2023 2022 2021
Carlin........................ 1,411.... 1,571.... 1,501
Cortez...................... 0,893.... 0,732.... 0,828
Rurquoise Ridge.... 0,513.... 0,459.... 0,543
Phoenix.................... 0,200.... 0,177.... 0,262
Long Canyon.......... 0,015.... 0,008.... 0,177
5,055 4,969 5,332
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 25
 NEVADA MINING
Ramp up to 32 million tpy remains on schedule at Rochester. (Photo: Coeur Mining)
Rochester Expansion
Achieves Commercial
Production
Coeur Mining, Inc. said its newly-ex-
panded Rochester silver and gold mine
in Nevada, had achieved commercial
production at the operation as of March
31, 2024.
“Following its full hand-off to the
operations team in early March, the
expanded Rochester mine has ush-
ered in a new growth phase for Coeur
leading to higher silver and gold pro-
duction levels, lower unit costs, and
positive free cash flow,” said Mitch
Krebs, president and CEO, Coeur
Mining. “The invaluable experience
and learnings gleaned over the past
three years from operating similar in-
frastructure that we installed at the
legacy operation has contributed to an
impressive ramp-up curve to date and
positions the mine for a strong second
half of 2024. With commissioning now
behind us and the ramp-up proceeding
well, the team is turning its focus to
mine optimization efforts and business
improvement initiatives aimed at max-
imizing the value of this world class,
long-life asset.”
Commissioning of the new three-
stage crushing circuit and truck load-
out facility was completed on March
26 E&MJ • MAY 2024
7. Since then, the crushing circuit has
operated at an average throughput of
nearly 70,000 tons per day and has
exceeded 88,000 tons per day, leading
to the declaration of commercial pro-
duction as of the end of the first quar-
ter. Ramp-up to full design capacity of
88,000 tons per day — or approximate-
ly 32 million tons per year — remains
on schedule for completion during the
first half of 2024.
Approximately 9.3 million tons of
ore have now been placed on the new
Stage 6 leach pad, which — together
with the new Merrill Crowe processing
facility — was commissioned late last
year. Materially higher production lev-
els are anticipated to build throughout
the second half of 2024 consistent with
completion of Rochester’s ramp-up.
Once operating at full capacity,
throughput levels are expected to be
approximately 2.5 times higher than
historical levels, making Rochester one
of the world’s largest open pit heap
leach operations. It is expected to be
America’s largest source of domestical-
ly produced and refined silver.
Marigold Mine Breaks
a Record
SSR Mining’s Marigold 2023 produced
278,488 oz in 2023, a record for the op-
eration over its more than 30-year op-
erating history. For the full-year, SSR
Mining reported cost of sales of $1,047/
oz and all-in sustaining costs (AISC) of
$1,349/oz. In 2022, Marigold produced
194,668 oz.
i-80 Gold Continues to Drill
Last year was a busy year for i-80
Gold. The emerging gold producer
sold 14,613 oz at a realized gold price
of $1,940/oz, and it sold 83,933 tons
of mineralized material (29,512 tons
of sulphide mineralized material) for
$26.3 million.
More than 2,640 ft of exploration
ramp development was completed
at McCoy-Cove. The Granite Creek
mine completed more than 12,700 ft of
development.
More than 204,000 ft of exploration
drilling (core and reverse circulation)
were completed, which will further de-
fine the mineralization at Ruby Hill,
Granite Creek, McCoy-Cove, and the
FAD project.
“In 2024 the i-80 continued to see
impressive drill results from Granite
Creek, Ruby Hill and McCoy-Cove. In
addition, we increased revenue with
gold ounces sold from operations at
Granite Creek and residual leaching
in addition to tons of mineralized ma-
terial (oxide) sold under existing ore
purchase and sale agreements,” Ryan
Snow, CFO, i-80 said. “We continue
to advance permitting activities at our
projects allowing the company to move
forward with its projects toward the ul-
timate goal of building a mid-tier Neva-
da-focused producer.”
The autoclave engineering study for
the Lone Tree plant advanced to a level
three estimate (feasibility level). Value
engineering will continue to better opti-
mize the cost, engineering, and project
management aspects of the study, the
company said.
Lone Tree is expected to become the
hub of i-80’s Nevada operations and the
central processing facility for gold min-
eralization from the Granite Creek, Mc-
Coy-Cove and Ruby Hill underground
gold deposits. Importantly, Lone Tree is
host to infrastructure that, following suc-
cessful refurbishment efforts, will position
i-80 as one of only three companies in
the United States capable of processing
both oxide and refractory mineralization.
www.e-mj.com
 NEVADA MINING

Lithium Americas Moves
Forward With Construction
at Thacker Pass
During April, Lithium Americas Corp.
closed on a public offering that gener-
ated $275 million. The net proceeds of
which will be used to fund the construc-
tion and development of the company’s
Thacker Pass lithium project in Hum-
boldt County, Nevada.
“We are pleased to have complet-
ed this key financing milestone, which
together with the U.S. Department of
Energy loan under the Advanced Tech-
nology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM)
loan program, satisfies the funding
condition to closing the General Motors
second tranche investment,” Jonathan
Evans, president and CEO of Lithium
Americas said. “These financings are
expected to fully fund Thacker Pass
Phase 1 construction.”
“With site preparation for major
earthworks completed, our focus is on
de-risking construction execution by
increasing detailed engineering and
progressing procurement packages,”
Evans said. Major construction is ex-
pected to commence in the second half
of 2024, following the anticipated clos-
ing of the AVTM loan.
During mid-March, Lithium Ameri-
cas received a conditional commitment
from the DoE for a $2.26 billion loan
under the ATVM loan program to fi-
nance the construction of the process-
ing facilities at Thacker Pass. While
the conditional commitment indicates
DOE’s intent to finance Thacker Pass,
Lithium Americas must satisfy certain
technical, legal, environmental, and
financial conditions before the DoE
enters definitive financing documents
and funds the loan.
Thacker Pass is currently the larg-
est known measured and indicated
lithium resource in North America,
targeting total production capacity of
80,000 metric tons per year (mt/y) of
battery-quality lithium carbonate to be
developed in two phases of 40,000
mt/y each. Phase 1 production is an-
ticipated to commence in 2027. Ma-
terial sourced from Thacker Pass will
support electric vehicle eligibility for
consumer incentives under the U.S.
clean energy tax credits program.
In January 2023, GM agreed to in-
vest $650 million in Lithium Americas
across two tranches for the develop-
ment of Thacker Pass, representing the
largest investment publicly disclosed to
date by an automaker in a company to
produce battery raw materials. GM has
exclusive offtake of 100% of the lithium
production from Phase 1 for up to 15
years and has a right of first offer on
Phase 2 production.
Rhyolite Ridge Looks
Forward to Draft EIS
Ioneer Ltd. moved one step closer to-
ward construction at its Rhyolite Ridge
lithium-boron site, following the BLM’s
planned issuance of the project’s draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
during April. The pending release of
this draft EIS is the first to be issued
from the Biden Administration as part
of its efforts to accelerate domestic
lithium production. It is the result of

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www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 27

 NEVADA MINING
years of effective collaboration be-
tween Ioneer and federal, state and
local agencies and Tribal Nations. It
marks a key milestone in the environ-
mental permitting review process for
the proposed greenfield project in Es-
meralda County, Nevada, set to inject
a critical supply of integral transition
materials into the U.S. EV battery pro-
duction supply chain.
The draft document will include
Ioneer’s efforts to redesign and relo-
cate proposed project activity away
from Tiehm’s buckwheat, an endan-
gered species classified by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in De-
cember 2022. The draft EIS will also
detail Ioneer’s investments as part of a
formal protection plan and propagation
strategy for the Nevada plant.
“The forthcoming release of the
draft EIS represents six years of hard
work to help build America’s critical
minerals supply chain and reaffirms
the viability of our investment in Ne-
vada,” said James Calaway, executive
chairman, Ioneer.
28 E&MJ • MAY 2024
The public comment period for the
draft EIS began April 19. The com-
pany said that reaching this stage of
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) permitting process reflects
federal inter-agency collaboration and
agreement that the draft document is
ready for public input. Following the
prescribed 45-day comment period,
which will include BLM-organized pub-
lic meetings, the BLM will incorporate
feedback into a final draft and issue a
final EIS and a ROD, expected in Oc-
tober 2024.
Upon issuance of a positive ROD,
construction at Rhyolite Ridge can
begin following a Final Investment De-
cision (FID). Based on that timeline,
Ioneer anticipates production to begin
in 2027.
“This news sets a clear path for-
ward to construction and brings us one
step closer to making Rhyolite Ridge
a reality,” said Bernard Rowe manag-
ing director, Ioneer. “Rhyolite Ridge
will be a significant, reliable, and sus-
tainable source of critical minerals for
the United States. We are committed
to working with the local community,
Tribal Nations and state and federal
agencies to help the U.S. secure a do-
mestic supply of the critical minerals
vital to the clean energy transition.”
Nevada Copper Encounters
Difficulties at Pumpkin
Hollow
Nevada Copper encountered unexpect-
ed challenges during its 2023 ramp-up
process that hindered sales. The com-
pany has fully withdrawn $25 million
of debt pursuant to a deferred funding
agreement with its two largest share-
holders, Pala Investments Ltd. and
Mercuria Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
The company now requires addi-
tional financing to complete the ramp-
up of the underground mine. While
Pala has continued to support the com-
pany, it is under no obligation to do so.
Nevada Copper is also in discussions
with other third parties. There is no as-
surance that additional financing will
be obtained in a sufficient amount, or
www.e-mj.com
 NEVADA MINING

at all. In the absence of securing suf-

ficient funding from Pala or other third
parties, the company will not be able
to continue carrying on business.
“Since restarting mining and milling
operations, we’ve made progress in
a number of areas, including comple-
tion of life of mine projects such as the
Geho dewatering system and phase
two of the underground crushing and
ore handling system, development
of significant stope inventory under-
ground and realignment of the site op-
erations team,” said Randy Buffington,
president and CEO, Nevada Copper,
stated. “However, several unforeseen
setbacks impacted our progress on
meeting operational targets. We took
critical steps and refocused resources
to mitigate and address these issues.”
At the end of 2023, more than
135,000 tons of ore were stockpiled
The Marigold mine produced more than 278,000 oz in 2023, a record for the operation, which produced
on the surface; and more than 190,000 about 195,000 oz in 2022. (Photo: SSR Mining)
tons of stope ore are ready to mine.
Unexpected bottlenecks encountered A build-up of water underground pump project, caused several delays in
in the process plant’s systems are be- from increased development activities progress. The Geho pumps were suc-
ing mitigated. prior to completing the Geho dewatering cessfully commissioned in November

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www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 29

 NEVADA MINING
2023, doubling pumping capacity, and
all efforts were focused on removing
the water from critical areas of the mine,
which has now been cleared.
Full hoisting capabilities resumed in
December 2023. “With commissioning
of the Geho system and additional sur-
face infrastructure in place, we should
now have sufficient pumping capacity
to manage any temporary surges that
are encountered,” Buffington said. “Ad-
ditionally, we are implementing water
reduction strategies including grouting
programs to help reduce water inflows
to mining areas.”
The ore handling portion of the
underground crusher and ore han-
dling system and a third ore pass
were completed in late 2023 and
it has provided additional ore han-
dling capabilities. Material han-
dling is being routed through three
existing ore passes and the recently
completed ore handling facility.
Automation improvements to the
hoisting system were made in Decem-
ber to increase reliability and consis-
tency in operations with the expecta-
tion that further increases in hoisting
rates would be achieved. Hoisting
rates in January have improved dra-
matically, having achieved a daily re-
cord of 4,475 tons.
The mill restarted in October 2023
and operated intermittently throughout
Q4 2023. The milling and flotation cir-
cuits operated well, achieving expect-
30 E&MJ • MAY 2024
Material sourced from Thacker Pass will support electric vehicle eligibility for consumer incentives under
the U.S. clean energy tax credits program. (Illustration: Lithium Americas)
ed recoveries during periods of stable
operations, however, unanticipated
bottlenecks were encountered in the
thickener and tails filter presses that
caused repeated mill shutdowns. With
the assistance of a technical consul-
tant, upgrades to the filter presses,
thickener equipment and operating
protocols were made through Decem-
ber and into January.
The second phase of the paste plant
that delivers thickened tails directly to
the paste plant has been fully construct-
ed. Commissioning of the second phase
is planned for February as stope mining
resumes. Approximately 40%-45% of
the thickened tails will bypass the filter
presses and go directly to the paste
plant in full operation, reducing the op-
erational demand on the filter presses.
McEwen Mining Acquires
Timberline Resources
McEwen Mining operates the Gold
Bar mine in Eureka County, Nevada.
Last year, the Gold Bar mine produced
43,700 oz of gold.
“Despite weather conditions in
early 2023 that led to flooding and a
slowdown of production at Gold Bar,
our team ramped up gold production
significantly through Q4, as planned,
and achieved its annual production
guidance,” said Rob McEwen, chair-
man and chief owner, McEwen Mining.
“Cash costs of $1,565 per gold equiva-
lent oz (GEO) sold and AISC of $1,891
per GEO sold were 12% and 13% high-
er than annual guidance of $1,400 and
$1,680 per GEO sold, respectively, but
improved compared to 2022 as a result
of mine contractor and crushing crew
productivity, as well as the expansion
of our heap leach pad, which was com-
pleted on time and on budget. Our Q4
unit costs were significantly below an-
nual guidance at cash costs of $1,253
and AISC of $1,467, and we expect
similar trends during H1 2024.”
McEwen expects the Gold Bar mine
to deliver higher production during
H1 2024 relative to H2 2024, due to a
scheduled waste stripping phase in the
Pick pit in preparation for the 2025 min-
www.e-mj.com
 NEVADA MINING

ing program. The company said the min-
ing sequence continues to be optimized.
In related news, McEwen Mining
entered into a definitive agreement
and plan of merger to acquire all of the
shares of Timberline Resources Corp. by
way of a merger between Timberline and
a subsidiary of McEwen. The company
said the transaction will augment Mc-
Ewen’s existing portfolio of development
and exploration projects in Nevada.
Timberline Resources is a Nevada
based exploration company with its
flagship gold-silver property in the Eu-
reka District. The Eureka property in-
cludes the historical Lookout Mountain
and Windfall mines in a total property
position of approximately 70 km2.
Near the northern end of the Battle
Mountain – Eureka Trend, the company
also jointly holds the Paiute Project with
Nevada Gold Mines. Timberline also con-
trols the Seven Troughs Project in north-
ern Nevada, which is one of the state’s
highest-grade former gold producers.
In total, Timberline controls more
than 111 km2 of mineral rights in Nevada.
Fortitude Waits on Permits
Fortitude Gold is a junior gold miner
that owns five high-grade gold prop-
erties. All five properties are within
an approximate 30-mile radius of one
another within the Walker Lane Trend.
Several properties are large district
size land positions, and all are very
prospective with high-grade surface
and or near surface gold.
The company recently reported pre-
liminary Q1 2024 production of 3,983
oz of gold as it awaits permit approval
to mine deeper in the Pearl zone of the
Isabella Pearl pit.
“The first quarter of 2024 was suc-
cessful on numerous fronts despite
the ongoing permitting delays,” said
Jason Reid, president and CEO, For-
titude Gold. “Our Isabella Pearl mine’s
lower grade Civit Cat zone and our
heap leach pad operations generated
over $8 million in revenue for the com-
pany at $777 per ounce all-in sustain-
ing cost.”
During the quarter, the company
said it aggressively explored its prop-
erties and had as many as six drills op-
erating at a time focusing on the Coun-
ty Line project, the Scarlet target on
the Isabella Pearl mineralized trend,
and East Camp Douglas. “Fortitude
remains in a very strong financial po-
sition as we await our permits to mine
both deeper in the higher-grade Pearl
zone in the Isabella Pearl Pit and to
begin mine construction of our Coun-
ty Line project, our next targeted mine
build,” Reid said.
Fortitude plans to operate the
County Line mine as an aggregate
operation, hauling crushed ore to our
nearby processing facilities at Isabella
Pearl. “With minimal infrastructure to
be built, we are optimizing the mining
sequence to access the highest-grade
ore possible in the phased mining ap-
proach and look forward to being able
to add additional new ore from County
Line to our Isabella Pearl heap leach
pad for operational longevity,” Reid
said. “Meanwhile, our exploration
team continues to generate exception-
al drill results.”

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www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 31

 PRODUCTION DRILLING
Face Drilling’s Cutting Edge
E&MJ explores the latest developments in electrification and automation
for underground production drilling
By Carly Leonida, European Editor
Boart Longyear currently has over 50 rigs operating in North America alone. (Photo: Boart Longyear)
Current trends influencing the design
and development of underground face
drilling rigs are primarily focused on
enhancing safety, sustainability, and
productivity. Innovations such as intel-
ligent, autonomous, and emission-free
jumbos are becoming increasingly
prevalent as mines install the required
support technology underground.
Battery-electric rigs offer significant
benefits in these applications, including
zero emissions, reduced heat genera-
tion, and lower operating costs, which
contribute to safer and healthier work-
ing conditions.
Mine Master’s Battery
Rigs Head to KGHM
Polish manufacturer of drilling and
bolting rigs, Mine Master, is at the fore-
front of this movement. The company
has recently delivered a battery-driven
bolter and drill rig to KGHM’s ZG Lubin
copper mine in Poland for testing in re-
al-world mining conditions.
32 E&MJ • MAY 2024
The Roof Master 1.8KE bolting rig,
with a transport height of 5.9 ft (1.8
m), is designed for roof bolting in mine
headings from 9.8-19.4 ft in height
with bolts 5.9 ft in length and a diam-
eter in the range Ø 25-38 mm. The
Mine Master team told E&MJ that the
RM 1.8KE has successfully passed its
initial tests and is currently being op-
erated in production across four shifts
during the day.
The second machine is the Face
Master 1.7LE drill rig with a transport
height of 5.4 ft. This is designed to
drill blast holes with a 12 ft-long single
rod and hole diameters in the Ø 45-64
mm range, in workings 18 ft high and
26 ft wide. The machine is currently
undergoing tests in the mining sec-
tions at Lubin.
“First impressions of the bat-
tery-powered machines in the extreme-
ly difficult conditions at KGHM — high
temperatures, humidity, high salinity
and very low headings — show that
working with such machines is definite-
ly more comfortable for the operator,”
Mine Master told E&MJ.
“The electric drive used is charac-
terized by quiet operation and does
not generate any perceptible vibrations
in the cabin during travel. It should be
noted that these are among the first in
their class of such low drilling and bolt-
ing machines to be battery powered.”
The team explained that when com-
paring the performance and longevity
of battery electric rigs to their diesel
driven counterparts, battery electric
rigs have shown promise of increased
productivity and energy efficiency.
“During normal operation, the Roof
Master 1.8KE bolting rig has proven
that the performance of a battery-pow-
ered machine is no different to that of
an internal diesel engine and, in some
respects, is even far superior in terms
of machine efficiency and availability,”
said Mine Master. “KGHM intends to
purchase several more battery-pow-
ered machines from Mine Master in
2025 to broaden the experience of us-
ing such machines in different under-
ground conditions and to prepare the
mine’s infrastructure for greater use of
battery drives.”
Another recent development offered
by Mine Master is a super low-profile
drill jumbo, the FLP1410. The FLP1410
is a single boom drill rig designed for
low-profile applications. It has a mini-
mum height of 4.6 ft, allowing it to tram
and drill in excavations starting from 5.2
ft in height. The machine is designed to
provide the highest safety levels pos-
sible, as well as reliable and high-per-
formance drilling, exceptional comfort
for the operator and easy maintenance.
Mine Master said this is currently the
only machine on the market that can be
equipped with its state-of-the-art Auto-
matic Drilling System.
The Automatic Drilling System
(ADS) offers several advantages that
www.e-mj.com

can increase efficiency and improve
the drilling process. With the ADS, the
machine can drill standalone during
shift changes, allowing for continuous
operation. Additionally, one operator
can set up and supervise multiple rigs,
further increasing efficiency.
The rigs can also be used in ful-
ly manual mode, providing flexibility
in operation. However, Mine Master
explained that the ADS results in an
increased pull per blast and better ge-
ometry of the face, floor, roof, and side
walls. This leads to reduced or no scal-
ing, easier bolting, easier tramming con-
ditions and better rock fragmentation.
“Overall, the ADS offers significant
benefits that can improve the drilling pro-
cess and increase productivity,” it added.
Komatsu Previews
the ZJ32Bi Jumbo
At an exclusive hard rock media event
at its Arizona Proving Grounds in Feb-
ruary 2024, Komatsu gave a sneak
peek of a new jumbo that it plans to
unveil at the MINExpo 2024 tradeshow
which is scheduled to be held in Las
Vegas, US, this September.
The Komatsu ZJ32Bi is a medi-
um-class intelligent, battery-electric, du-
al-boom drill rig for underground hard-
rock mining. The drill’s control system
enables semi-autonomous functionality
and operator augmentation, and the
number of hoses on the boom has been
reduced from previous models.
The new rig has a battery capacity
of 83 kWh. It measures 10.7 ft tall with
the cabin or canopy in the tramming
position, and offers a maximum cover-
age area (W x H) of 34.1 ft x 27.9 ft.
The ZJ32Bi uses its battery drive-
train for tramming from one site to the
Komatsu’s new ZJ32Bi jumbo will be officially unveiled at MINExpo 2024 in September. (Image: Komatsu)
www.e-mj.com
Mine Master’s Roof Master 1.8KE battery-electric rig is currently being put through its paces at KGHM’s
Lubin mine in Poland, alongside a face drilling rig. (Photo: Mine Master)
next, and then connects to a tradition-
al power supply for drilling operations.
Komatsu said the drill offers onboard
charging, smart opportunistic charging
and 100% compatibility with existing
mine infrastructure.
The new Komatsu Z3 series medi-
um-class jumbo drills and bolters are
built on a common platform. Komatsu
said the flexibility this allows along
with its focus on modularity offers job
site efficiency that can help to reduce
service and maintenance costs, while
the universal operator controls simplify
user adoption and training efficiency.
“As more underground mining op-
erations look to electrify their fleet as-
sets, battery-powered machines can
support these electrification efforts,”
the company added. “The ZJ32Bi is
part of Komatsu’s path to offer sus-
tainable and semi-autonomous solu-
tions to support underground mining
operations with a route toward reliable
electrification.”
PRODUCTION DRILLING
Sandvik, New Deliveries,
New Tech
In July 2023, IGO’s Nova Operation in
Western Australia became the first Aus-
tralian mine to commission a Sandvik
DL422iE battery-electric longhole drill,
as part of its commitment to cleaner,
safer mining.
“Accelerating decarbonization is
one of our sustainability priorities
and there are clear benefits to using
battery-electric vehicles in the un-
derground environment,” said Darren
Kwok, Head of Mining Electrification
and Technology at Barminco. “Reduc-
ing or eliminating diesel emissions im-
proves working conditions for our peo-
ple and has the potential to improve
efficiency and profitability. We’re very
excited to see the benefits that this
new Sandvik rig can provide.”
The DL422iE is a fully automated,
battery-powered top hammer longhole
drill designed for underground mass
mining in 13.1ft x 13.1 ft or larger pro-
duction drifts. It can drill vertical and
inclined fans and single or parallel
Ø89-127 mm longholes up to 177 ft
in depth using ST58 and ST68 tube
rods. The drill’s electric driveline in-
cludes a battery package and electric
motor which allow for zero emissions
while tramming and reduced ther-
mal load. The DL422iE also features
Sandvik’s patented Charging While
Drilling technology for reduced battery
charging time without the need for ad-
ditional infrastructure.
In November 2023, Sandvik an-
nounced that it would supply two new
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 33
 PRODUCTION DRILLING

DL432i longhole production drills to
Jimond Mining Management Company
(JMMC), a subsidiary of global mining
services provider, JCHX Mining Man-
agement Co., for the Kamoa-Kakula
copper operation in the Democratic Re-
public of the Congo.
These will be the first Sandvik under-
ground drills at Kamoa-Kakula, and will
be used to help contractor, JMMC, im-
plement longhole stoping. Deliveries are
scheduled to be complete by Q4 2024.
“We’re always striving to increase
our productivity and efficiency,” said
Youcheng Wang, VP of JCHX Mining
and GM of JCHX Overseas Division.
“We are excited to introduce Sandvik
underground drills to site for the first
time. We are already successfully oper-
ating Sandvik drills in other mine sites
around the world, and we expect to rep-
licate our success at Kamoa-Kakula.”
Sandvik also introduced AutoMine
for Underground Drills in November
2023. This is a tele-remote solution
that enables operators to remotely, and
simultaneously control and supervise
multiple automated Sandvik under-
ground drills, increasing their efficien-
cy, safety and overall productivity.
Sandvik said that, with AutoMine for
Underground Drills, it has become the
first OEM to introduce a unified traffic
management system for drills, loaders
and trucks.
The new offering is available for
Sandvik longhole drills (DL) i-series
machines with three levels of tele-re-
mote operations: single drill, drill fleet
and machine fleet. Operators have the
flexibility to choose between operat-
ing from an AutoMine chair or console
station, depending upon which offer-
ing level best suits their operational
requirements.
Sandvik said the AutoMine for Un-
derground Drills tele-remote system
includes ring-to-ring tramming capabili-
ties, allowing seamless control and co-
ordination of drills, loaders and trucks
operating in the same area with sophis-
ticated traffic management.
AutoMine also incorporates an en-
hanced Access Protector System.
This safety feature prevents personnel
from entering the machine area while
the system is operating in automation
mode or remote mode. In addition, it
has an advanced traffic management
system that enables operators to easily
control the traffic flow of multi-machine
operations and handle complex operat-
ing situations, resulting in greater flexi-
bility and mining output.
Driller training has also been high
up the agenda for Sandvik. The compa-
ny introduced two new virtual training
simulators to its Digital Driller offer-
ing in October 2023. The new Sand-
vik DD322i and Sandvik DD422i Dual
Controls simulators feature the latest
software and advanced training meth-
ods for underground drill operators and
maintenance teams.
The Dual Controls simulator, which
was showcased at the CIM Conven-
tion in Montreal, Canada, in May 2023,
replicates the dual drilling control pan-
el available for Sandvik DD422i and
Sandvik DD422iE rigs, and can be fur-
ther customized to include either one
or two control panels during training,
depending on the application. Opera-
tors can experience true multitask op-

Expert Outlook: Another Busy Year Ahead

2023 was a busy year for both drill rig manufacturers and con- will allow it to become more agile and to focus even more
tract drillers alike, and this trend looks set to continue as favor- closely on the needs of its customers. Kirky added that, in
able commodity prices and shortages of skilled labor prevail. addition to benefitting from Boart’s engineering and product
Boart Longyear Products offers a full suite of services development functions, this move will also allow its services
for production drilling, raise drilling and blasting, cable bolt business to adapt to market conditions at a much faster pace.
drilling and service holes. Terry Kirky,
Global VP of Drilling Services at Boart
Longyear, told E&MJ that the firm has
seen a steady stream of requests from
miners doing their own production drill-
ing over the past 12 months, despite not
many new mines opening.
“We believe this is mostly due to min-
ers not being able to man up the rigs
themselves, and drillers moving around
or bidding onto higher paying develop-
ment jobs in the mine,” he explained.
“With gold price staying over $2k/oz,
we expect more demand for long hole
drilling, especially for the specialty nar-
row-vein drilling and blasting that we’re
known for underground. In addition,
miners that are going to lower their
grade cut-off and need more production
drilling done are expected to engage to
capture the upside on price.”
Boart announced in December 2023 The Boart Longyear Services team onsite in Australia. The business has numerous long-term production
that the company is going private which drilling contracts where its team is integrated into the mine production group. (Photo: Boart Longyear)

34 E&MJ • MAY 2024 www.e-mj.com

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 PRODUCTION DRILLING
The new FLP1410 single boom, low-profile face drill. (Photo: Mine Master)
erations from a single control panel,
including bolting, boring and meshing.
Both new simulators retain the clas-
sic features of Digital Driller, such as
total location flexibility, easy setup, cus-
tomizable training courses and group
learning. However, Sandvik said the
upgraded software now offers a more
sophisticated and authentic operator
experience.
Digital Driller can be utilized across
all competency levels, from product
familiarization and basic training for
novice operators, to developing and
refreshing the skills of experienced
operators. Trained operators receive a
formal qualification in Beginner, Profes-
sional or Drill Master levels after each
module has been completed.
Epiroc Leads ReNAM
Autonomy Project
Epiroc, meanwhile, is leading a collab-
orative project with Boliden, Algoryx
and Örebro University that is scheduled
to run until 2025 with the aim of imple-
menting fully autonomous face drilling.
Face drilling is already automated in
part, with rig control systems following
digital drill plans. However, in practice,
the face topography is seldom perfect.
Often, it’s necessary for the operator to
adjust the drill plan manually to com-
pensate for various types of obstacles.
36 E&MJ • MAY 2024
Oskar Lundberg, Global Innovation
Manager at Epiroc Underground divi-
sion, explained in a recent interview:
“The success of the blast is very much
dependent on the quality of the drilling.
We are trying to figure out if an au-
tonomous system can achieve results
that are comparable with or better than
those of experienced operators.”
The plan is to equip a Boomer face
drill rig with a laser scanner and an AI
system to scan and analyze the face
before adjusting and applying the drill
plan. To teach the system to identify
potential problems and decide which
changes should be made to the drill
plan, the project is constructing a sim-
ulated environment for running the
thousands of scenarios necessary for
the trial-and-error process of machine
learning. After simulation training, the
system graduates to an actual physical
mine for the final tests.
To build the digital twin, an actual
mine tunnel at Boliden is scanned, and
the environment is then rendered in
the Unity game engine. A large number
of slightly randomized environments,
including obstacles, are generated to
provide different training scenarios. A
digitalized version of the rig is inserted
into the simulated environment, and a
physics engine from Algoryx ensures
that all forces affecting the rig are as
close to reality as possible. A simulated
laser scanner, with corresponding func-
tionality to a real one, is added to the
simulated rig.
Epiroc said that, from the system’s
point of view, it’s vital that the simulat-
ed environment resembles an actual
mine as closely as possible. The digital
twin does not have to look exactly like
a mine, but it has to scan like one. The
simulated laser scans the simulated
environment, generating a point cloud
which the system then analyzes to look
for potential problems and adjusts the
drill plan accordingly.
It added that another area that can
benefit from machine learning is the au-
tonomous control of the two booms on
the rig; the booms must ‘learn’ how to
move freely and precisely without col-
liding with either each other or the rock.
After running and analyzing different
scenarios a few thousand times, the
system should be ready for testing in
an actual mine.
“Using simulation is a much safer
and quicker way to accomplish the task
— we simply cannot shut down a mine
for the weeks or months necessary to
train the system,” said Lundberg. “This
will hopefully enable us to greatly re-
duce the need for physical testing and
also simulate scenarios that would be
hard to set up in real life.”
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 OPEN-PIT BLASTING
New Tech Improves Blast Outcomes
Advanced software helps users optimize blasts for improved fragmentation,
productivity and safety
By Jesse Morton, Technical Writer
Recent technologies released or an-
nounced by the major suppliers in the
surface blasting space seek foremost to
improve blast outcomes. They also offer
numerous other benefits, including im-
proved safety and regulations compliance.
Optimization System
Ups Productivity
Experts at Dyno Nobel reported the Del-
ta E2 (ΔE2) blasting-optimization system
was used by a copper mine in the U.S. to
increase productivity and cut costs.
Previously, the mine was “running at a
24% P80 passing,” and was loading “differ-
ent products based on borehole wetness,”
said Jay Thorsness, field trials and oper-
ations specialist. The strategy “presented
an inconsistent PF within the pattern and
inconsistent fragmentation of each blast.”
Switching to “ΔE2 allowed for custom
loading of each pattern as well as each
individual hole within a pattern based on
rock hardness developed within the pre-
load software,” he said.
New technologies from the top blasting solutions suppliers seek to optimize blasts for improved productivity.
(Photo: BME)
38 E&MJ • MAY 2024
Using the latest version of Differ-
ential Energy, the ΔE 2 system, allowed
for wider patterns that “achieved a
33% or greater P80, with an increase
from 27,000 metric tons/day (mt/d) to
more than 36,000 mt/d on average,”
he said. “Along with pattern expansion
and density control, data has shown
a significant production increase re-
sulting in a substantial cost savings
for the customer.”
ΔE2 offers the “flexibility to custom
load each pattern as well as custom
load individual holes within a pattern
according to geologic conditions and
desired PF,” said Jeff Averett, senior
manager, bulk products and delivery
systems. “Everything can be done on
software that is then loaded into the
DynoLogix control system on the load-
ing equipment.”
Thus, the system, which includes Ti-
tan Bulk Emulsion and the DynoLogix
bulk-loading technology, “allows mining
engineers to maintain full control of the
blast-loading process,” he said. “It allows
the application of explosives energy in a
very controlled manner.”
The system assimilates data from
“smart drills, geologic models, or any
other available information that quanti-
fies the rock mass to optimize the energy
in the blast,” Thorsness said.
“This is done using proprietary soft-
ware that allows the engineer to easily
define how energy is distributed within
the blast and even within individual bore-
holes,” he said. “The easy-to-use desk-
top software is used to create loading
instructions for the bulk truck.”
The operator designates which hole is
being loaded and the depth. “The truck
will make any needed adjustments and
log dozens of data points about the ac-
tual loading conditions that can be sent
back to the software to track perfor-
mance of the loading process,” he said.
Blasting optimized by the ΔE2 system
can contribute to increased productivity.
“ΔE2 provides the opportunity to cus-
tom load by density in a given range with-
in the borehole,” Averett said.
“The desired density aligns to specif-
ic ranges of rock hardness to maximize
rock fracture in each of the segments
within the borehole,” he said. “Up to six
different density segments can be loaded
in a single borehole.” With a carrying ca-
pacity of 19,000 kg, jumbo-sized trucks
pump at a rate of 800 kg/min, “which
maximizes load time per load on the pat-
tern and minimizes reload time.”
Optimized blasting can also translate
to lower costs. When loading emulsion
“the end-of-hose gassing technology
allows very quick changes to the ener-
gy profile in the borehole,” Averett said.
“This helps reduce overall drill and
blast costs by potentially reducing drill-
ing costs and explosives usage when
ground conditions permit,” he said. “The
product undergoes additional refinement
on the bulk truck that improves explosive
efficiency and energy yield.”
www.e-mj.com

Beyond being used to optimize blasts
to improve productivity, the system can
be used to help optimize safety.
“Safety is always our highest priority,”
Thorsness said. “Titan Differential En-
ergy is manufactured, transported, and
stored on site as an oxidizer, greatly re-
ducing any unplanned events,” he said.
“It only becomes a blasting agent during
the loading process during the final mix
at the end of the loading hose.”
The end-of-hose gassing technolo-
gy ensures “the emulsion is not sensi-
tized until it leaves the loading hose and
is placed in the borehole,” he said. “The
bulk trucks also have an advanced safety
shutdown system that monitors several
parameters on the bulk truck and will stop
loading if an unsafe condition is detected.”
Optimization of energy placement
may also reduce flyrock. Beyond that,
the system can also be used to help with
compliance to regulations on leaching.
“The Titan bulk emulsion product line,
which is the foundation of the Differen-
tial Energy System, significantly reduces
NOx and nitrate leaching in groundwa-
ter,” Thorsness said.
Research and development for the
Differential Energy system began in the
early 2000s. “The development of our
automated gassing system in the mid-
2000s and then the end-of-hose gassing
system in the late 2000s allowed finer
control of the gassing process,” Averett
said. “The development of our proprietary
control-and-delivery system allowed sig-
nificant improvements in the accuracy of
the gassing process and quality of product
delivered,” he said. “In 2018, the ΔE2 sys-
tem was released, and it allows the sys-
tem to use available data on geologic con-
ditions to guide loading and placement of
energy within each borehole.”
Rigs Integrate Optimization
System
Separately, an autonomous rotary drill
rig expert at Sandvik said customer
feedback on iSeries rig integration with
Dyno Nobel’s blast optimization solution
furthers other continuing horizontal inte-
gration projects.
“Ultimately, user experience has been
positive using the solution,” said Demetre
Harris, product line manager, automation
and rotary drills. “And working together
with Dyno Nobel on this integration gives
our customers the potential for optimal
www.e-mj.com
The ΔE2 system assimilates data from smart drills and geologic models to optimize blast energy. Users
can then custom load each pattern, as well as the individual holes, according to geologic conditions
and desired PF. (Photo: Dyno Nobel)
blasts, which can result in lower blasting
costs and better fragmentation.”
The iSeries control platform, DRi, was
purpose-built for integration with current
and future technologies and advanced
control solutions. In this case, Dyno No-
bel’s blast optimization software solution,
ΔE2, automatically accesses and uses
measure while drilling (MWD) data.
That data is captured at 5-cm in-
tervals by iSeries rigs: the DR410i,
DR412i, DR413i, DR416i, and Leopard
DI650i drilling rigs. The data is trans-
mitted to the MySandvik OnSite or Pro-
ductivity solutions.
A script for the MySandvik Online Ap-
plication Programming Interface “copies
the MWD data for each hole within each
drill pattern and arranges the informa-
tion for Dyno Nobel to access,” Harris
said. “The customer accesses the data
through the ΔE2 system,” he said.
Using ΔE2, the customer completes
“a sanity check to ensure that the data
is accurate and that there aren’t any
malfunctioning sensors on the drill rig,”
he said. “The data is then processed
through the ΔE2 Rock Hardness algo-
rithm, which calculates the overall hard-
ness of the hole and hardness at various
depths of the hole.”
That data is fed to the ΔE2 Preload
application “so that the pattern-loading
instructions can be created,” Harris said.
“Lastly, the blast-loading plan is sent di-
rectly to the DynoLogix bulk truck con-
trol system, which allows Dyno Nobel
to match explosive energy to where it’s
needed in the rock mass.”
The cooperation between the two
suppliers on horizontal integration was
OPEN-PIT BLASTING
driven mostly by shared priorities. “This
integration with Dyno Nobel was done
first because of a visionary customer and
a great collaborator in Dyno Nobel,” Har-
ris said. “We all saw a need and worked
together to deliver a solution,” he said.
“Just as our APIs are available to all of
our customers, Dyno Nobel’s solutions
are available to all of their customers.”
Sandvik’s iSeries rigs have multiple
active integration options. And, for Sand-
vik, the collaboration with Dyno Nobel
for horizontal integration is one of many.
“We have active onboard collaborations
with fleet management systems to pro-
vide machine positioning, status, and
productivity information,” Harris said. “In
addition, we are currently working with a
customer regarding an integration to im-
prove their blasting efficiency.”
Sandvik iSeries rigs support “third-
party planning solutions pulling informa-
tion to assist customers with planned
versus actual variance tracking,” he
said. “We have found over the years
that, with each new customer, a new op-
portunity for integration and improving
efficiency is born.”
Therefore, Sandvik is seeking similar
partnerships on horizontal integration
with other blasting solutions suppliers.
“Sandvik’s ultimate goal is to provide
solutions that create value for the mining
industry,” Harris said.
“If we have a customer with a differ-
ent blasting supplier and each party is
willing to collaborate, let’s work together
to create a fantastic solution,” he said.
“Whether it is for blasting improvements,
operational efficiency, or preventive rig
health initiatives, Sandvik is always will-
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 39
 OPEN-PIT BLASTING
ΔE2 includes Titan bulk emulsion, above, and
the DynoLogix bulk-loading technology. (Photo:
Dyno Nobel)
ing to sit down and discuss solutions with
customers and third-party solution pro-
viders.” Through such partnerships, “we
are looking at developing many solutions
to revolutionize day-to-day operations.”
Modelling Software Predicts
Outcomes
An expert at Austin Powder said Para-
digm software is uniquely a pure-play
drill-and-blast modeling software solu-
tion. “Paradigm software is complete-
ly focused on the drilling and blasting
phase of mining, whereas other offerings
may include some blast design and anal-
ysis features,” said Alan Romphf, global
blast engineering manager.
“Paradigm is a state-of-the-art blast de-
sign and engineering modeling package,”
he said. “It can be used for everything
from complicated blast designs where out-
comes are critical to simple blast timing de-
signs and everything in between.”
Paradigm can be used during the
design phase “to predict and analyze
various blasting outcomes such as fly-
rock, vibration, drilling accuracy, frag-
mentation, and wall damage,” Romphf
said. “Using Paradigm, mining engineers
can significantly enhance their ability to
design blasts, improving operational ef-
ficiency, reducing costs, and creating saf-
er working conditions.”
Features include 3D textured terrain
integration. “Paradigm users can design
blasts using textured terrain modeling, al-
40 E&MJ • MAY 2024
lowing the blast designer to examine the
material’s apparent geological features,”
he said. The suite of blasting models
includes “ground vibration, air overpres-
sure, near-field damage, muckpile pe-
rimeter, flyrock range and risk calculator,
and blast fragmentation prediction.”
The models can be used to improve
safety. “The models within Paradigm are
field-proven and are continually being re-
viewed and refined,” Romphf said. “Par-
adigm’s Sweetspot and Vibration foot-
print models have been used to extract
previously compliance-locked resources
and reduce environmental impacts from
blasting worldwide.”
The flyrock model can be used to
“assess the potential range of flyrock
and the probability of something within
a specified area being struck by flyrock,”
he said. “Paradigm’s flyrock model im-
proves safety by allowing engineers to
better determine clearance areas before
firing the blast, considering the blast de-
sign and terrain effects.”
The Sweetspot vibration model “uses
the principle of wave superposition with
some proprietary twists to simulate
blast vibration outcomes,” Romphf said.
“Sweetspot permits users to run millions
of timing iterations to determine how to
sequence the firing of blastholes to min-
imize how a blast affects or is perceived
by people at locations within or surround-
ing a mine.”
Paradigm can import and export blast
patterns. “Blast patterns can be created
within polygons, smoothing curved rows
into straight rows, in rectangular or stag-
gered grids, or in free form,” he said.
“Patterns generated with Paradigm can
be exported to the IREDES format which
is compatible with many types of smart
drilling equipment.”
Paradigm has a “relatively shallow
learning curve,” he said, and it offers a
range of benefits. Topping the list is im-
proved production and increased revenue.
“A blast outside of specifications can
slow down production or be outright dis-
ruptive to a mining operation,” Romphf
said. “Overly large material may be dif-
ficult to handle or may block a primary
crusher, while material that is too fine
may also be detrimental to downstream
processing,” he said. “Designing the
best possible blast using Paradigm will
help ensure the right material is deliv-
ered to the crusher.”
Optimized crushing translates to im-
proved production and operational ef-
ficiency. “By modeling blast outcomes
during the design phase of blasting, Par-
adigm also helps mining customers re-
duce costs,” Romphf said. “This efficien-
cy translates into improved profitability
and enhanced investor confidence.”
By helping to reduce risks involved in
blasting, Paradigm assists customers in
complying with regulations and satisfying
stakeholders.
“External stakeholders often perceive
blasting as risky or dangerous,” Romphf
said. “Designing blasts to minimize per-
ception and environmental impact can
help a mine maintain its social license
to operate in the community,” he said. “A
blast designed to provide the right gra-
dation of fragmented material with mini-
mized vibration and overpressure percep-
tion offsite is a win-win scenario for both
the mine and external stakeholders.”
Paradigm empowers the miner with
data that can be used to make critical de-
cisions that can improve operational per-
formance. The same data can be used to
explain and illustrate those decisions to
stakeholders and investors. “The ability
to make data-driven decisions based on
simulations and analysis enhances in-
vestor confidence in the company’s man-
agement and operational capabilities,”
Romphf said. “Overall, Austin Powder’s
Paradigm software can improve safety
and regulatory compliance and enhance
operational efficiency, ultimately bolster-
ing investor confidence.”
Paradigm was first developed by Igne-
ous Tech, which was acquired in 2023 by
Austin Powder. “Many of the design tools
and models within Paradigm were spec-
ified by Dr. Cameron McKenzie of Blas-
technology Australia,” he said. “Austin
Powder’s global team of technical service
experts have honed and validated the
tools and models found within Paradigm.”
More recently, the software system and
E*STAR electric detonators were trialed by
an open-pit iron ore mine in Sweden that
wanted a solution to improve fragmenta-
tion quality and that offered more control.
“The typical iron ore blast in this mine uses
the following parameters: hole depth is 15
m; hole diameter is 165 mm; hole depths
vary from 10 to 20 m; burden is 4.7 m; and
spacing is 5.0 m,” Austin Powder said.
“The typical, nonelectric blast was done
with stemming lengths of 3.3 m.”
www.e-mj.com
 OPEN-PIT BLASTING

ore and waste, and control of muckpile

A 3D flyrock shroud generated with Paradigm shows flyrock potential for the blast from both the face and
bench levels in yellow. The red curve indicates terrain intersections; the pink area indicates the expected
bulk muck movement perimeter. (Image: Austin Powder)
The miner aspired to “be one of the
most innovative and high-tech mining
companies,” which “is the main rea-
son why they are using Austin Powder
E*STAR detonators,” the supplier said.
“The mine requested a separation of
movement.”
The trial blasts were planned using “a
blast-design modeling software, Blasting
Solutions, and later, using Paradigm,”
Austin Powder said. “Based on inputs
and software analysis, best timing (in-
ter-hole and inter-row delay) was calcu-
lated and recommended.”
The electric detonators and Paradigm
delivered superior results compared to
the preexisting solutions. Those results
included better initiation control, control
of muck pile movement, and improved
dilution control.
“Using E*STAR electronic detonators
with optimized timing focused on rock
properties and blast conditions allowed
the mine to increase the stemming length
from 3.3 m to 4.3 m,” Austin Powder said.
“That resulted in saving 25 to 28 kg of
bulk emulsion 70/30, which is 9% of the
average hole amount.”
The results exemplify the capabilities
of Paradigm and other solutions by Austin
Powder, Romphf said. “And developing
new features and improvements to the
Paradigm software is ongoing,” he said.
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in mind, Austin Powder strives to ensure
that the tools in the customer’s blast de-
sign toolbox remain the sharpest.”
System for UG Gives
Enhanced Control
BME announced the AXXIS Centralized
Electronic Blasting System (CEBS) for un-
derground. The digital detonator system
augments AXXIS Titanium software for
deep-hole operations and AXXIS Silver
software for smaller blasting operations.
A blasting systems expert at BME
said CEBS uses IoT technology to cap-
ture and use data within the software
suite. It allows “improved safety, en-
hanced control, increased accuracy, and
dual communications, which are funda-
mental for underground operations,” said
Nishen Hariparsad, general manager of
technology and marketing.
Real-time, two-way communications
between the blast controller on the sur-
face and the logging device at the face
allows the customer “to optimize the
design, optimize the blast, react to any
challenges that have occurred during
the pre-blast check, and go beyond the
basics of just capturing and initiating a
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OPEN-PIT BLASTING
blast,” he said. Dual communications
“allows you to react to issues as they
occur,” to ensure safety and compliance,
and to ensure that “the blast design, as it
was designed, occurs as designed.”
The handheld logging device, the
AXXIS UG Logger, logs individual deto-
nators and performs test functions. It can
be configured as a key logging device for
safety and security purposes. “The log-
ging device ensures that you input the
correct timing design, you have visibility
on the correct detonator used, and you
ensure that the precision that has been
timed to that blast design is as it was de-
signed,” Hariparsad said.
The logger communicates with the
AXXIS CEBS Blasting Box, situated un-
derground, which aligns the timing de- The AXXIS CEBS system includes an AXXIS UG
Logger, AXXIS CEBS Key Logger, AXXIS CEBS
sign with the blast design. The blasting Blasting Box, and BME’s Blastmap Underground
box communicates with the blast control- blast design software. (Photo: BME)
ler, running Blastmap Underground de-
sign software, on the surface. The con- need of running new cabling, without the
troller manages the entire process, and need of new architecture or alternate com-
monitors and reports all data and activity. munication channels,” Hariparsad said.
AXXIS CEBS is designed for use on The system uses AXXIS Silver elec-
almost any underground network. “The tronic delay detonators. “The reason we
system has been designed to feed into do this is so the integrity of the blast is
standard network architecture without the maintained. It ensures the quality of the
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MAY 2024 • E&MJ 43
 OPEN-PIT BLASTING

our customers with guarantees on

blast outcomes.”
That means blasting becomes more
predictable. “If they have a good under-
standing of predictable blast outcomes,
they can better manage their entire value
chain,” Hariparsad said. “That alone drives
efficiency in the entire process, drives
costs down, offers safety benefits and,
through the value chain, improves yield,”
he said. “That is why an electronic blasting
system that is fully programmable that can
deliver accuracy and precision delivers not
just on blast outcomes but on customer
expectations through the value chain.”
Trials for AXXIS CEBS have resulted
in numerous customers eager to deploy
the system, he said. In trials there were
“zero misfires, and zero incidents.” The
time savings alone “make a success sto-
ry for us.” Customers are switching from
alternate systems because they “see the
Above, the power system enclosure for Drill Assist. (Photo: Hexagon) benefits provided in terms of ease of use,
improved safety and other value adds.”
blast outcome,” he said. “We know the of use. “That is what sets it apart from
technology the AXXIS detonator holds other systems in the underground mar- Study Says Drilling AI
and the benefits it provides.” ket,” Hariparsad said. “The system is Ups Productivity
The primary benefits offered are designed around precision, accuracy A white paper from Hexagon said field
Matrix_E&MJ MAY 2024.qxp_E&MJ OmniPro Ad 4/30/24 11:39 AM Page 1
accuracy, efficiency, safety and ease and efficiency,” he said. “It provides trials of its autonomous blasthole drill-

44 E&MJ • MAY 2024 www.e-mj.com

 OPEN-PIT BLASTING

ing system gave substantial productivity “By eliminating the requirement for The next study could look at how Drill
gains while cutting costs and reducing the operator to ‘estimate’ and enter Assist can help optimize blasting. “Pre-
operator training to a mere 15 minutes. drill site parameters prior to commenc- liminary results suggest that the use of AI
“Hexagon Drill Assist uses artificial intel- ing drilling on each hole, new operator in the drill algorithm is making the MWD
ligence to increase drill productivity by training for the drilling process was re- data more consistent and more reliable,”
42% over a leading OEM drill automation duced to just 15 minutes for each new Stacy said. “Gains in this area of study
system,” said Curtis Stacy, senior prod- operator,” Hexagon reported. “Hexagon will impact operating costs, from the
uct manager, autonomous drills, Hexa- achieves this minimal training time by mine to the mill.”
gon’s Mining division. limiting the amount of interaction re- New tests are expected that will
Originally developed by Phoenix Drill quired for04-22_EMJ_InsertV2.pdf
an operator to use the1 tech-
5/6/24 trial
8:05the
PM solution on additional makes
Control before it was acquired by Hexa- nology to just one button.” and models.
gon, OEM-agnostic Drill Assist “coexists
with the OEM control system and leverag-
es any existing sensors on the drill rig,” the
paper said. “When not in use, the Hexagon
Drill Assist technology platform is discon-
nected from the OEM control system.” It
can be installed in roughly a work week.
Drill Assist uses artificial intelligence
“in the drill algorithm, eliminating the
need for manually entering drilling pa-
rameters, thereby reducing human inter-
action to nearly zero,” the paper said.
The AI sets and adjusts rotation
speed and bit force based on rig limita-
tions and performance. “The decision
engine leverages AI to monitor all sensor
inputs simultaneously, applying a rules-
based decision-making process based
on the sensor input levels to generate
control responses,” the paper said. “The C

decision engine automatically detects

down-hole issues and triggers control Mre-
sponses that correct the detected issues Y

before they become significant problems CM

while simultaneously filtering the false
positives associated with the protec- MY

tion-biased tuning philosophy.” CY

The AI also generates critical data.

CMY
“The solution’s algorithms were created
to calculate the hardness of the ground K

being drilled,” the paper said. “All rele-

vant sensors are monitored simultane-
ously, and rules are applied to determine
a hardness value.”
The system was first tried on a low-
tech and then on a high-tech rig. On both,
it delivered similar results and benefits.
Topping the list were “increased pro-
ductivity, lowered training requirements
for new operators, reduced technology
maintenance requirements” and “added
Visit us in Las Vegas
value through data generated during the September 24 – 26
drilling process,” the paper said. “Cost of Booth 4315
drilling was reduced by 30%.”
New operator training was drastically
reduced, “empowering trainees to perform
at expert production levels when they first
start in operations,” the paper said.

www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 45

 MATERIAL HANDLING
Ready to Handle Anything
E&MJ presents new insights, equipment and installations in mine materials handling
By Carly Leonida, European Editor
Conveyor drive technology specialist, Flender, is teaming mechanics with digitalization to create the next
chapter in mechanical drive solutions. (Photo: Flender)
Materials movement is a core component
of every mining operation, and one upon
which production and profitability arguably
hinge. Reliability, durability and longevity
are important characteristics for convey-
or components, stackers, drive systems,
feeders, auxiliary equipment and more,
and vendors are continually working to
better the performance of installations,
both old and new. Here we present, by
company name and in alphabetical order,
insights into important projects around the
globe, the latest equipment and design
updates, as well as expert knowledge of
system engineering and design.
Hägglunds Drives Power
Aitik
Hägglunds, a brand of Bosch Rexroth,
has installed hydraulic direct drives at
a new crushing plant for Boliden’s Aitik
copper mine in Sweden. The company
detailed this in a recent case study.
Aitik has a long-term goal to raise its
production from 36 to 45 million tons of
crushed ore. To achieve this and improve
the consistency and reliability of pro-
duction, Boliden has invested in a new
crushing plant with two spindle crushers.
The feed system for the plant was de-
signed by Metso in the US, and adapted
46 E&MJ • MAY 2024
to suit Aitik’s needs in collaboration with
Hägglunds, which supplied four CBm hy-
draulic Hägglunds motors. One reason
why Boliden decided to invest in apron
feeders with direct hydraulic drives was
frequent problems with gearboxes. The
operator also set high demands for the
performance of the equipment. Metso
drew up a specification of requirements
based on two motors that share the load
on each feed unit, with a capacity of
8,000 metric tons per hour (mt/h), a vari-
able speed of 0–7.46 rpm and a starting
torque of around 1,000,000 Nm.
The solution offered by Bosch Rex-
roth was two CBm 2000-1400 motors per
apron feeder. Jörgen Larsson, project
manager at Boliden said: “We wanted to
have some power in reserve, so that’s
good. It gives us a maximum capacity of
9,000 mt/h. It also gives us redundancy
for all the main components, so we can
drive with one motor if needed.”
The drive systems take up minimal
space and allow fast replacement of com-
ponents, thanks to the splined couplings.
“The main benefits are that we have im-
proved availability while reducing mainte-
nance costs,” said Larsson. “The hydraulic
drives provide better access from the sides
and make the plant easier to maintain. An-
other big advantage is that we can reverse
the hydraulic drives during maintenance.”
The new plant was commissioned in
June 2023 and is now running at full pro-
duction capacity.
Doppelmayr, New
Possibilities for UG
Transport
Doppelmayr’s Vertical RopeCon is a novel
concept which adapts the company’s prov-
en RopeCon system to the specific require-
ments of underground mining applications.
Like a conventional conveyor, this system
can be loaded by a transfer conveyor or by
an ore pass. The material is transported to
the surface on a conveyor belt. This belt is
equipped with side walls and cleats, form-
ing pockets for the material. Above ground,
the material is transferred to another con-
veyor, another RopeCon system or dis-
charged onto a stockpile.
Doppelmayr said that maintenance
is simple and cost effective as all moving
parts are mounted on the belt and will pass
the terminals at regular intervals. Access to
the shaft is not required. Reuse of existing
ventilation shafts is also possible. As the
main drive is installed above ground, un-
derground heat development is reduced.
Doppelmayr also offers a concept for
horizontal and inclined underground con-
veying applications. The Tunnel RopeCon
has wheel sets running on track ropes
and track rope frames which are sus-
pended from the tunnel ceiling. The belt
is turned after passing the unloading point
which avoids any residual material falling
from the returning belt in tunnels. All mov-
ing parts are mounted to the belt and will
pass the terminals at regular intervals.
Both systems provide a low-mainten-
ance conveyance solution with minimal
moving parts and high availability even in
harshest operating conditions, making them
a sustainable alternative to haul truck fleets.
Fenner Dunlop Rebrands
X Series
Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting is re-
freshing its branding for the X Series line
www.e-mj.com
 MATERIAL HANDLING

of products – UsFlex, Nova-X and Ultra X

(formerly Patriot X). It said that the redesign
signifies its efforts to unify the Fenner Dun-
lop brand across the Americas and EMEA
(Europe, Middle East, Africa) organizations
for a seamless customer experience.
The X Series was developed to solve
the everyday challenges encountered by
conveyor operators using traditional plied
belting, specifically aiming to alleviate pain
points such as premature belt carcass
damage and wear. X Series belts are de-
signed to be lighter and more flexible than
traditional plied belting, allowing them to
maneuver around critical conveyor com-
ponents, like pulleys and idlers.
Fenner Dunlop has also relaunched its
most heat resistant conveyor belt called
OptimaHeat Xtreme. Designed in 2022,
and released in 2023, this belt is made us-
ing a single ply fabric called Nova-Xtreme.
This is combined with a high-performance
cover compound called OptimaHeat that
protects the carcass even under the most
extreme high-heat conditions.
Hägglunds CBm drives were recently selected to power the apron feeders at Aitik’s new crushing plant
Being a single ply carcass, No- in Sweden. (Photo: Bosch Rexroth)
va-Xtreme isn’t prone to delamination
caused by impacts, trough transitions tion to its resistance to hardening and be to design gear units for plant manu-
and flexing around pulleys, or heat aging cracking, Fenner Dunlop said the major facturers and operators in such a way
to the skim compound between plies that advantages of the Optima Heat Xtreme that it is both economically and ecologi-
can cause separations leading to failures. rubber are its enhanced physical prop- cally optimal: as simple as possible and
Unlike conventional heat-resistant multi- erties, including resistance to abrasive only as large as necessary.”
ply belting, the fabric also has exceptional wear and superior adhesion strength. Flender’s AIQ digital solutions com-
resistance to ripping, tearing and impact. bine intelligence, knowledge, and exten-
Another advantage created by the Flender Pioneers Drive sive experience to meet customer require-
single-ply construction is the splice Intelligence ments for diagnosis, early fault detection
strength and reliability. The use of a fin- Conveyor drive technology specialist, and process optimization. In minerals and
ger splice joint means that up to 90% Flender, is teaming mechanics with digi- mining, AIQ Core Torque offers a cost-effi-
of the belt’s tensile strength is retained, talization to create the next generation of cient solution that harnesses both sensor
whereas a 3-ply step splice only achieves mechanical drive solutions. technology and analytics. It continuously
a maximum efficiency of 67%. Andreas Evertz, CEO of the Flender monitors drives and evaluates operation-
The OptimaHeat compound can with- Group, told E&MJ: “The digitalization of ally relevant data. In addition to torque,
stand maximum continuous material tem- drive technology has incredible potential. AIQ Core Torque also measures oil tem-
peratures up to 400°F, and extreme peak We are convinced that drive technology perature, speed, and vibration values.
temperatures as high as 750°F. In addi- needs to be reinvented. The goal must In recent years, Flender has carried
out extensive field measurements and
collected and evaluated reliable data. The
load spectra collected by torque measure-
ments from a variety of applications and
thousands of gear units provides compre-
hensive information about the utilization of
drives and their optimal operating points.
Julia Zundel, head of digital business
at Flender, explained: “The most import-
ant finding is that AIQ leads to a massive
cost reduction for plant manufacturers
and operators. When designing drives,
Rendering of Doppelmayr’s Vertical RopeCon concept which adapts the company’s RopeCon system the exact operating data was often not
for underground applications. (Image: Doppelmayr Transport Technology) known. Today, we know that many drives

www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 47

 MATERIAL HANDLING

Martin Engineering: Better

Motion’s Durowall sidewall belting has proven to be a popular solution in mining applications. (Photo:
Motion Conveyance Solutions)
could be significantly smaller in their ap-
plication for regular operation and we’re
now able to plan drive technology with
almost pinpoint accuracy.”
Zundel added: “If mines want to
achieve the perfect application-fit of drive
technology and optimize their application
as well as the drive train, they can’t avoid
digitalization. We’re talking about savings
of up to 50% on all relevant components.
We can say that because we’ve been
measuring and analyzing it for years.”
Productivity Through Clean,
Clear Belts
The introduction of modern belt clean-
ing technology can help operators to
increase the volume of material entering
transfer chutes by preventing it from pil-
ing up around the discharge zone.
“This greater volume can lead to
blockages in the transfer chute followed
by downtime to unclog it,” explained Dan
Marshall, process engineer at Martin
Engineering. “However, designers can
take a holistic approach and engineer
an efficient discharge transfer point with
components that work together.”
The discharge zone starts at the last
troughed idler before the conveyor belt
flattens and encounters the head pul-
ley. Cargo falls from the conveyor into
a transfer ‘drop’ chute that can lead to
another conveyor, storage silo/pile or
transport vehicle, etc. The primary clean-
er is located after the discharge stream
to clear any adhered material, while a
secondary cleaner clears dust and fines
from divots and cracks in the belt.
“Obvious signs of discharge inefficien-
cy are spillage, carryback, chute clogging

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48 E&MJ • MAY 2024 www.e-mj.com

 MATERIAL HANDLING

and dust,” Marshall said. “Alone, each
can lead to a workplace safety violation,
together they result in unscheduled down-
time and an increased cost of operation.”
He explained that primary cleaners or
‘scrapers’ can fail, causing adhered coarse
aggregate and caked fines to pass by the
blade and spill around the discharge area.
Fugitive material can build up quickly and
encapsulate the belt, fouling rolling com-
ponents and causing the belt to ride on top
of the course pile.
Carryback is another source of fugi-
tive dust and fines, and it can easily mi-
grate into return rollers and take up pul-
leys, fouling the bearings, drives and the
face of the roller.
Marshall said: “If there is adequate
space, install secondary and tertiary
cleaners to ensure the belt is clean on
the return. To improve safety, slide-in
slide-out units allow a single worker to
pull them away from the stringer for fast-
er external servicing. Consider a diagonal
or V-shaped plow placed underneath the
loading zone right before the tail pulley that
rides on the underside of the belt removing
any loose traveling material. For more ef-
fective cleaning and reduced friction dam-
age, mount a plow with torsion arms rather
than one held in place by chains.”
Over- or under-tensioning, and/or ex-
tending blade changes for too long can
also cause spillage. Marshall said that
entering a service agreement with the
blade manufacturer to regularly monitor
tension and change the blades could be
an effective solution.
Marshall recommends installing belt
trackers or crown rollers along the upper
and low belt path to ensure alignment, as
mistracking can be another cause of spill-
age along the belt path and at discharge
points. “We recommend installing a belt
tracker a distance of 3 to 4 times the width
of the belt prior to the head pulley, as the
trough angle flattens to ensure the belt
hits the head pulley in the center,” he said.
Once material is discharged down a Flender’s AIQ solutions combine sensor technology
and analytics to meet customer requirements for
transfer chute, obstructions may occur. diagnosis, early fault detection and process
Untrained and uncertified personnel should optimization. (Image: Flender)
never enter a clogged chute or bin. Instead,
Marshall recommends situating air can- By reconfiguring the chute’s exit into a
nons around the chute with nozzles pointed sloping scoop, material can be slowed
in the direction of the material flow. Shots of and loaded onto the next belt in a con-
air dislodge material and prevent buildup. trolled manner.
Uncontrolled airflow at discharge Marshall added that retroactively in-
points can also create dust emissions. stalling equipment that improves both

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www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 49

 MATERIAL HANDLING
A clogged transfer chute or hopper can be highly dangerous. However, air cannons can be strategically
situated around the chute to support material flow and prevent blockages, as in this installation.
(Photo: Martin Engineering)
safety and efficiency should be a prior-
ity of any operator. “Although the initial
capital investment might be slightly high-
er, the return on investment (ROI) and
benefits are not just fewer injuries, but
reduced labor costs for maintenance,
less equipment replacements, greater
50 E&MJ • MAY 2024
compliance and an overall lower cost of
operation,” he concluded.
Motion: How to Size
Sidewall Pockets Correctly
Selecting the correct conveyor sidewall
pocket size can significantly impact sys-
tem performance. Andrew Weisenstine,
Senior Product Manager for Motion Con-
veyance Solutions, gave some useful
tips on sizing in a recent blog post.
“Sidewall pocket size is the area be-
tween the inside of the sidewalls and the
cleat,” Weisenstine explained. “It may
seem minor in material handling and con-
veyor systems. However, sidewall pocket
size is critical for optimizing sidewall con-
veyor belt performance, increasing pro-
ductivity and ensuring workplace safety.”
When well-designed, a pocket can
hold more product, allowing operators
to get the correct capacity out of their
conveyor with less downtime. It also lets
material move smoothly and consistently,
avoiding the spillages and jams.
Sidewall pocket size can also improve
conveyor adaptability by enabling varied
materials to move efficiently, and custom
sidewall pockets make it quick and easy
to switch the size and shape of the mate-
rial being conveyed.
Weisenstine said: “A correctly sized
sidewall pocket lowers the risk of inci-
dents and health problems by stopping
material from spilling out and reducing
dust generation. Also, less spillage into
www.e-mj.com

adjacent pockets reduces the need for
environmental or facility cleanups.”
The article named several factors
to determine the correct pocket size for
each application:
• The cleat pocket must be twice the size
of the largest particle being conveyed.
• The cleat height should be 75% of the
maximum particle size if the incline an-
gle is less than 75°.
• If the incline angle exceeds 75°, the
cleat height should be 150% (1.5 times)
of the maximum particle size.
The company’s Durowall sidewall
belting offers various cleat styles and
compounds in single- and two-piece
construction.
“Many of our larger cleats contain a
double layer of fabric reinforcement for
added strength,” Weisenstine explained.
“Our rubber compound has a higher du-
rometer than corrugated sidewall, and
belt covers to maintain the cleats’ shape
and integrity when transporting heavy
material in steep-angle applications.”
Durowall has proven to be a popular
solution in mining applications, and the
various fabrication options allow the belt-
ing to be tailored to each project. Options
www.e-mj.com
MATERIAL HANDLING
include cross-rigid base belting, polyure-
thane corrugated sidewalls and cleats.
Motion offers different cleat styles
and patterns to fit various applications.
T-cleats are vertically oriented and are
suited to conveying material up to a
35-degree incline angle. According to
Weisenstine, these offer “cleaner re-
moval of material at the discharge end.”
C-cleats offer a greater carrying capacity
than T-cleats. These are scoop-style an-
gled cleats used for inclines over 35°.
“[S-cleats] form a bucket when used in
a vertical application,” said Weisenstine.
“They are vertical for the first 60% of their
In February 2024, Superior Industries Inc. an-
height, then bend at a 40° angle for the rest
nounced a major update to its conveyor idler design.
of the height.” These are best suited where (Photo: Superior Industries Inc)
the incline exceeds 45° and in high-ton-
nage applications, as the vertical portion creasing productivity, and improving safety
of the cleat allows it to be mechanically and environmental friendliness,” said Wei-
attached to the sidewalls, creating a more senstine. “Industries that understand the
stable and durable conveying pocket. importance of sidewall pocket size will stay
Calculating the correct capacity of ahead of the competition while ensuring
custom sidewall belts and determining their processes are safe and sustainable.”
the right sidewall pocket size is very im-
portant, as is optimizing the number of PROK, New Facility in Salt
sidewall pockets. Lake, More R&D
“[There are] many benefits, such as In January 2024, PROK opened a new
making it easier to move materials, in- manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City,
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 51
 MATERIAL HANDLING
Material discharge from conveyor belts no longer needs to be a dirty, dusty process with the installation
of a next generation primary cleaner. (Photo: Martin Engineering)
Utah. Strategically located near major
mining operations in the US, the new fa-
cility ensures customers access to local
engineering expertise, responsive oper-
ational and maintenance assistance, and
round-the-clock services.
The cornerstone of the new facility is
its ability to manufacture PROK HDPE,
a high-tech composite roller featuring
visual wear-indicator technology. This di-
rectly addresses a common concern for
conveyor system operators — determin-
ing the condition of rollers in real-time.
Providing a clear visual signal when a
roller is approaching the end of its life helps
prevent issues associated with worn-out
rollers, reducing the risk of unexpected
failures, and ensuring the continuous and
safe operation of conveyor systems.
Paul Byrne, managing director of
PROK, said: “This expansion rein-
forces our dedication to providing cut-
ting-edge solutions and being close to
our customers.”
PROK has invested heavily in re-
search and development, both in man-
ufacturing automation and materials
engineering, leading to the introduction
of several innovative conveyor compo-
nents. This includes the incorporation of
advanced materials, such as nanocom-
posites and high-performance polymers,
to enhance wear resistance and overall
durability of conveyor rollers.
The company recently manufactured
two 48 metric tonne pulleys — the largest
52 E&MJ • MAY 2024
ever produced in Australia — which are
now headed to a large overland convey-
or in Indonesia.
Superior: New Conveyor
Idler, Upgraded Automation
In February 2024, Superior Industries Inc.,
announced what it calls “the most significant
redesign to conveyor idlers in decades.”
Jason Adams, president of Superior,
explained: “Tens of thousands of Superi-
or idlers are installed on our own convey-
ors every year, so roll performance really
matters. The new idler exceeds our own
high-performance standards, and we’re
excited for other conveyor owners and
operators to benefit from this upgrade.”
A key feature of the new idler design is
an ironclad weld joint at the tube-to-end
disc; the flush end disc prevents material
entrapment between the roll and frame,
and the weld bead is securely housed
within the roll’s structure, ensuring added
durability. A modern, robotic welding pro-
cess allows for greater weld penetration
and extreme consistency.
The design of the idler bearing seals
has also been revamped following a de-
cade of rigorous testing. Superior said
that the lifespan of the new standard
bearing seals surpasses all other mod-
els tested, while a premium titanium seal
provides extended longevity for demand-
ing applications.
The idler redesign was supported by
a $4.5 million investment in cutting-edge
idler manufacturing equipment at Superi-
or’s two US idler production locations. The
upgrades allow for greater manufacturing
speed and an increased production rate
of up to 35% for standard and custom
idlers, as well as robotic manufacturing to
ensure a high level of consistency.
In February, Superior also launched
version 14.0 of its TeleStacker Conveyor
PilePro Automation program. The updated
touch screen boasts a higher resolution to
enhance visibility in outdoor settings. Ad-
ditionally, the screen’s protective housing
has been fortified to withstand fluctuations
in temperature more effectively, ensuring
great performance in various conditions.
Each screen is now pre-loaded with
an on-demand view of the owner’s man-
ual. A PDF viewer provides screen-spe-
cific instructions from the owner’s manual
for each step in the automation user ex-
perience. The upgraded technology ap-
plies to all new TeleStacker Conveyors,
and operators can upgrade their existing
conveyors through their local dealer or
Superior’s Aftermarket Parts department.
Voith, Pulley Design
According to CEMA
and German Standards
Voith offers fluid couplings for demanding
belt conveyor drives as well as complete
drive and control solutions for mining ap-
plications. The layout and calculations
for the company’s Voith TurboBelt Hese
Pulleys are customized and consider the
corresponding environmental influences
in the application area. This guarantees
engineering optimization considering the
most common American and German
design standards, which Dr.-Ing. Adam
Gladysiewicz, manager, engineering,
material handling solutions, examined in
a recent technical article.
“The book ‘Belt Conveyors for Bulk
Materials’ is prepared by the Conveyor
Equipment Manufacturers Association
(CEMA). However, in Germany, different
DIN or VDI standards are used for differ-
ent parts of belt conveyors,” Gladysiewicz
explained. “In comparison, CEMA uses
different definitions for carrying idlers and
belts and shows large differences in the
calculation of belt conveyors.”
CEMA describes two types of belt
pulleys:
• Standard pulleys with diameters of up
to 1,524 mm and shaft diameters of up
to 254 mm and loads of less than 490
www.e-mj.com
 MATERIAL HANDLING
kN. These pulleys are selected from
tables as finished standard products.
• Engineered pulleys. These should be
used for belt strengths greater than
1,400 kN/m (St1400 and higher).
Different definitions are given for both
pulley types. Table 1 shows the pulley
widths given by CEMA alongside those
given in ISO 1536 and the German stan-
dard VDI 3622.
“It should be noted that the CEMA
standard pulleys have much smaller
widths,” explained Gladysiewicz. “While
this reduces the manufacturing costs, it
also increases the risk of damage to the
belt or structure if belt skew occurs.”
Shape and position tolerances for
conveyor belt pulleys are not given in
the DIN and VDI standards. In contrast,
CEMA defines permissible dimensional
tolerances for belt pulleys which are rela-
tively high (see Table 2).
“Pulley shafts are most commonly made
of 42CrMo4 steel,” said Gladysiewicz.
“CEMA uses the strength values for steel
grade SAE 4140, which is the equivalent
of 42CrMo4. However, the values are giv-
en for the soft-annealed condition. As a
result, the strength of the material based
on CEMA is considerably lower than that
based on German standards.”
Consequently, Gladysiewicz recom-
mends using the strength parameters
defined in the FKM guideline “Analytical
Strength Assessment of Components”
(VDMA, 2020). CEMA also defines the
minimum diameter of a shaft for a given
safety factor using the equation below.
“In the equation, only the diameter
under the shaft-to-hub connection is con-
sidered,” said Gladysiewicz. “In addition,
where:
FS = safety factor (minimum 1.5)
D = shaft diameter
M = bending moment
Sf = material fatigue strength with
correction factors for size,
temperature, and so on
Sy = yield strength
T = torque
54 E&MJ • MAY 2024
Belt Width Pulley Width [mm]
[mm] Recommended
Pulley Width
(Table 7.38)
800 850
1000 1050
1200 1275
1400 1475
1600 1675
2000 2075
Table 1 — Pulley widths.
Table 2 — Shape and position tolerances for pulleys.
the fatigue strength and plastic deforma-
tion are combined in one equation. For
non-driven pulleys, this equation means
that the yield strength is not considered.”
The DIN 743 standards differenti-
ate between fatigue strength and yield
strength for the shaft calculations. The
effects of transition radii, locking assem-
blies, keys, and surface finish are consid-
ered in these standards. The calculations
are also much more complex; the mini-
mum safety factor is 1.2.
CEMA has approximately 32% higher
safety factors on average. This can lead
to smaller diameters for pulley shafts
and thus reduce the cost. However, in
some cases, pulley shafts designed
according to CEMA can be undersized
compared with DIN 743.
CEMA also defines a second condi-
tion for the selection of the shaft: deflec-
tion. Gladysiewicz explained that, in this,
it’s assumed that the shaft-to-hub con-
nection behaves like a joint. However,
sources or references that substantiate
this hypothesis are missing.
“Calculation of pulley bodies is also not
defined or described in CEMA,” he said.
“VDI 3622 specifies that “in many cases
Engineered Pulleys ISO 1536
(CEMA) VDI 3622
952–1105 950
1152–1305 1150
1352–1505 1400
1552–1705 1600
1752–1905 1800
2152–2305 2200
— especially at low or medium loads,” the
calculation of fatigue limits for the shaft
and bearings is sufficient. However, the
terms ‘medium’ and ‘low load’ are not de-
fined more precisely. It’s also stated that,
in other cases, “a subsequent calculation
of the entire pulley shell with the shaft as a
complex structural unit” with finite element
methods (FEM) is recommended.”
Gladysiewicz summarizes that the
CEMA calculations for highly loaded
pulleys that are put together with locking
assemblies are not suitable. “The CEMA
shaft calculation, which does not con-
sider transition radii or, for tail pulleys,
yield strengths, can yield shafts with
insufficient fatigue strengths,” he said.
“The general pulley tolerances, lengths,
and diameters defined in CEMA can
also lead to problems.
“For precise pulley calculations, DIN
743 and the FKM guideline are therefore
recommended. Pulleys for high loads
should be analyzed as complex struc-
tural units with FEM. For the shape and
position tolerances, the values proven in
practice should be used. The major pul-
ley manufacturers have their own stan-
dards that ensure correct design.”
www.e-mj.com
TSUV Gyratory Crushers
With great power comes
greater throughput
Our TS Gyratory Crushers are built for the Key benefits
toughest crushing duties while providing ■
Ultra-heavy duty design
safety, reliability, and ease of maintenance. ■
Lowest cost per tonne in operation
That means you get higher availability and ■
Lowest total cost of ownership (TCO)
throughput along with maintenance cost ■
Safer, simpler maintenance
reductions. ■
Digitally enabled for optimal productivity

The TSUV Gyratory Crusher adds even more

Read more at
power, capacity and safety, to give miners www.flsmidth.com
an extra low total cost of ownership (cost per
tonne) and improved availability compared
to more traditionally designed crushers.
 CRUSHERS AND SIZERS
Crushers Adapt to Higher Demands
Capacity and efficiency are important considerations for high tonnage
crushing applications
By Steve Fiscor, Editor-in-Chief
Mines are processing more low-grade
ores, which means today’s crushers
need to reduce more ore to produce the
same amount of metal. With these higher
throughputs, unplanned downtime is un-
acceptable. The crushing circuit also sets
the stage for what happens downstream,
so producing a consistent product effi-
ciently is important.
Mining operations require reliable
crushers that can handle impact without
compromising on availability and effi-
ciency. Capital expenses and operating
expenses are also top of mind.
Many of today’s comminution success
stories were initiated through strong rela-
tionships between the mining companies
and original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs). Understanding the needs of mod-
ern mining operations and their limitations,
OEMs have developed tools and systems
that improve safety, extend equipment life,
and meet sustainability initiatives.
FLSmidth Offers
an Extensive Line
The Mark V Top Service Gyratory Crush-
er, or the TSUV, represents FLSmidth’s
To keep people out of harm’s way, FLSmidth recently developed a hook that could be used to remove or
replace the spider on a gyratory crusher. (Photo: FLSmidth)
56 E&MJ • MAY 2024
top capacity machine for primary crush-
ing applications. When combined with the
company’s primary crushing station, it can
provide an in-pit crushing and conveying
(IPCC) solution for hard rock applications.
In addition, with the merger of FLS-
midth and thyssenkrupp Mining, the con-
solidated FLSmidth portfolio combines
the TSUV with the former thyssenkrupp
KB crushers, which are two equivalent
gyratory crushers and the only top ser-
vice machines in the industry. “The top
service design has become the preferred
standard and the benchmark for the in-
dustry due to its superior maintainability,”
said Bill Malone, vice president and global
product group manager for crushing and
screening for FLSmidth. “Both models
complement each other, and they have
an equally extensive installed base.”
Another machine that sets FLSmidth
apart is its Jaw Gyratory Crusher Pro. The
company designed this crushing technol-
ogy for processing high volumes of larger
feed sizes underground, for block cave
mining applications as example, rather
than using standard gyratory crushers. The
new larger Jaw Crusher Pro models have
improved nip angles and stroke. “These
crushers can crush harder material and are
capable of increased capacities,” Malone
said. “The base of the machine can be
installed in a matter of two to three hours,
and it is designed with an optimized con-
cept, reducing service time by up to 20%.”
Proper equipment selection is also an
important consideration when it comes to
achieving greater operational efficiency.
“We have had requests where we might
supply, for instance, one large crusher
rather than two small ones, as this might
be a more efficient option overall,” Malone
said. “A lot of times the decision is based
on efficiency and the life of the machine
and making the most of that lifetime.”
FLSmidth offers more options to ac-
commodate comminution needs for hard
rock applications with the ABON Sizer
and the Eccentric Roll Crusher (ERC).
The ERC fits into the medium range of
capacities, and it comes with a more
compact design, allowing a smaller
footprint inside the pit. Its sweet spot is
around 5,000 metric tons per hour (mt/h),
Malone said. “ERC technology operates
in a much more compact plant envelope,
which equates to less weight, a lower
bench height, less earth moving, etc., a
lower overall capital expense,” he said.
“It provides a high reduction ratio and a
fine product with less power per ton pro-
cessed, making it a viable option for pri-
mary hard rock crushing applications.”
The ABON Low Speed Sizers have
been a reliable source of crushing and
sizing for the mining industry for more
than 50 years. These systems are de-
signed and serviced by FLSmidth’s team
in Melbourne, Australia. They source the
materials, build the machine, and pro-
vide the engineering, technical support,
and spare parts. The ABON Sizers have
proven to be very useful in many mining
applications, including alumina, iron ore,
copper, nickel, and limestone.
Accepting feed through the top of the
crushing chamber, the material is drawn
www.e-mj.com

FLSmidth delivered a 9,000 mt/h sizer and the mining company that purchased it has ordered five more.
(Photo: FLSmidth)
through the toothed rotating shafts, crush-
ing it to the specified size. “These durable
and reliable machines deliver high avail-
ability and are capable of handling capaci-
ties more than 12,000 mt/h, even clay and
sticky materials,” Malone said. “The low roll
speeds maximize wear life and generate
minimum fines, dust, and dynamic loads.”
In 2018, a mining project that required
a high processing capacity led to the de-
velopment of the largest ABON Sizer
ever built. “It was a huge challenge that
needed a huge solution,” Malone said.
“The ABON engineers and product team
were ready for the challenge.”
Working with the mine’s produc-
tion, maintenance, and commercial staff
throughout 2019, the team created a ma-
chine that would achieve the goal, the
largest twin-roll sizer they had ever pro-
duced. With a weight of more than 270 mt,
the ABON 16/400CHDTD-RA Sizer was
installed in mid-2021, and it successfully
delivered 9,000 mt/h. “The mine was so
impressed by its performance, it ordered
five more in mid-2020,” Malone said. Since
then, these hardworking machines have
delivered full production, even when test-
ed by lumps as large as 3- x 2- x 2-m. The
mine confirmed the ABON Sizers had deliv-
ered robust and reliable operation through
at least two cycles of operation of nine to 10
months each, which corresponds to a tooth
life of 16 million tons per unit cycle.
FLSmidth provides some of the most
innovative gyratory, jaw and cone crush-
ers for the mining industry, and these
products rely on well-engineered liners
to function optimally. Crusher liners im-
www.e-mj.com
prove wear life and equipment depend-
ability, while also reducing operational
costs. “Every crusher produces a range
of product sizes,” Malone said. “If you can
improve that range for longer, then you’re
not only increasing the crusher’s efficien-
cy but also helping downstream process-
es to be more efficient, too. This is why
choosing and optimizing liners is crucial.
“Based on previous performance, we
already know how long the liner will last
and its limitations,” Malone said. “We can
forewarn miners before issues arise.”
FLSmidth’s customer service strategy
is a partnership model, where the com-
pany works closely with the mines. The
company said it has also enhanced its
workshop capacity, where the OEM can
better address the operational issues for its
customers with a stronger local presence.
This gives the mines the ability to sched-
The 800i has new mechanical and automation advantages that simplify service and troubleshooting.
(Photo: Sandvik)
CRUSHERS AND SIZERS
ule work by an OEM to an OEM standard,
which is a high-quality service. Working
with a non-OEM service provider is a risk,
where quality could be compromised, or
the non-OEM service provider might not
have the right gear to complete the job.
Developing close relationships with the
mines has enabled FLSmidth to create a
transparent environment for communica-
tion and idea-sharing, which has led to
some of the company’s most inspired in-
novations. This includes a spider hook for
the FLSmidth range of gyratory crushers.
“Removing a spider from a crusher has tra-
ditionally been a manual process, where
mechanics enter the top of the crushers
and install slings around the spider to re-
move it,” Malone said. “We developed a
novel design for a hook that could be used
to remove or replace the spider remotely.
It eliminates safety concerns and makes
the job easier and quicker to do. We re-
cently delivered a spider hook for one of
the larger crushers in Australia and we are
finding this relates to other customers as
well, with one also sold into Europe.”
The ABON Sizers require a large
amount of steel, which is energy inten-
sive. “In line with FLSmidth’s overall
sustainability ambitions, we are always
working to find solutions to reduce the
environmental impact of our operations,”
Malone said. “A key focus area is the
recovery and recycling of steel compo-
nents to be upcycled. The team in Mel-
bourne has been upcycling for more than
20 years, with a very successful program
of steel reuse and recycling.”
The opportunity to reduce the environ-
mental impact comes from both the man-
ufacturing process and the maintenance
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 57
 CRUSHERS AND SIZERS
for ABON product lines. FLSmidth’s ‘take
back’ program includes taking back and
recycling steel scraps and shavings from
the manufacturing process, as well as re-
cycling unusable, worn teeth and shafts
from repairs.
The success of FLSmidth’s commi-
nution program is based on good rela-
tionships with the miners and suppliers,
a thorough knowledge of how to create
value for a mining operation’s business,
and, of course, a strong motivation to use
circular economy practices to lower envi-
ronmental impact.
Sandvik Launches Upgraded
Cone Crusher Series
Sandvik said its cone crusher design phi-
losophy is based on continual evolution
of parts, materials, and technologies to
improve reliability, availability, and pro-
ductivity. That commitment led to the
introduction of the latest in connected
crushing, the upgraded 800i cone crush-
er range with new ACS-c 5.
“The upgraded 800i crushers with
new ACS-c 5 are a natural next step in
setting the bar for crushing,” said Javier
Valdeavellano, lifecycle manager for the
800i cone crushers. “Their ideal combina-
tion of high crushing forces, reliability and
simplicity make them easier to operate,
manage, maintain and service, leading to
productivity and uptime gains that are ga-
mechangers for operational performance.”
Sandvik said these new crushers are
designed from the ground up to maximize
The Superior MKIII primary gyratory crusher.
(Photo: Metso)
58 E&MJ • MAY 2024
tonnage of the desired end-product. Op-
erators simply select the correct chamber
configuration, set the crusher program for
the automation system, and start crushing.
The 800i has new mechanical and
automation advantages that simplify ser-
vice and troubleshooting, improve safety,
and optimize performance while minimiz-
ing downtime.
With flowsheets that use 3-stage
crushing and conventional grinding, the
800i assists SAG/AG circuits with pebble
crushing and optimize particle size dis-
tribution for lump ores and heap leach
applications. The 800i crushers are also
suitable for HPGR circuits. They crush
more and deliver finer particle sizes to
the downstream processes.
The 800i crushers are ready to be
connected to the SAM by Sandvik cloud-
based digital assistant, the company’s
data capture and analysis service sup-
porting operational excellence in crush-
ing and screening plants.
“SAM collects information from all the
connected Sandvik equipment to provide
a complete overview of your entire op-
eration,” said Ali Jumaa, digital solution
specialist for Sandvik. “It allows oper-
ators to look at the status of connected
equipment, communicate across teams,
view alerts and notifications, pro-active-
ly order spare parts and much more.
The new SAM mobile app for iOS and
Android allows them to have access to
crusher data and insights in their pocket.”
Metso Delivers Crushing
Technology
During February, Metso announced that
De Grey Mining Ltd. placed a EUR20 mil-
lion ($21.6 million) order for a Superior
MKIII 50-65 primary gyratory crusher and
two ball mills for its Hemi gold project,
which is located in Western Australia.
“Our aim with Hemi is to deliver a Tier
1 gold project and make it a future top
5 Australian gold mine from a production
perspective,” said Glenn Jardine, manag-
ing director, De Grey Mining. “The 10 mil-
lion mt/y process circuit will be equipped
with state-of-the-art equipment and prov-
en technologies contributing to responsi-
ble ore processing. We’ve just partnered
with Metso in delivering the first key
items for the process circuit, namely the
primary gyratory and ball mills, and we’re
looking to make the rest of the process
equipment decisions soon.”
Renowned for its safe and efficient op-
eration, the Superior MKIII primary gyrato-
ry crusher will be the driving force for Hemi
Gold’s entire processing circuit, explained
Kai Rönnberg, vice president, minerals,
Asia Pacific at Metso. “We look forward
to working on this project and future ones
with De Grey Mining,” Rönnberg said.
Metso also has an extensive footprint
in Australia. During March, the company
opened its Karratha Service Centre, lo-
cated in the Pilbara in Western Australia,
and it’s the company’s largest service
center. “The Karratha Service Centre will
be able to support our customers, as well
as the Hemi plant, with the latest technol-
ogies and sustainable aftermarket solu-
tions,” Rönnberg said.
The Superior MKIII primary gyratory
crusher provides high throughput and less
downtime, enabling maximum efficiency.
The product line has been developed to
meet the needs of miners with changing
ore grades and conditions. Metso also
provides a comprehensive scope of spare
and wear parts and services to optimize
the crushing circuit operation throughout
the lifecycle. Since the line’s launch in
2018, Metso has sold more than 50 Supe-
rior MKIII primary gyratory crushers.
Metso also offers modular Foresight
crushing stations, which the company
said are unique, cost-efficient, and pro-
ductive, and designed to provide signifi-
cant time and resource savings. The sta-
tion comes equipped with proven Metso
equipment and technology, such as Met-
so Metrics, to deliver maximum produc-
tivity for even the most demanding min-
ing applications, the company said.
The Foresight semi-mobile primary
gyratory (SMPG) stations use the Su-
perior MKIII primary gyratory crusher.
With a modular approach, the station
combines robust feeding (truck dumps or
conveyors) to provide optimum capacity
with high availability and productivity.
As an example, the Foresight SMPG
station is a crushing plant made of steel.
The guiding principle behind the design,
according to Metso, is to reduce concrete
work to the largest degree and build a
modular plant with a focus on ease of
installation and associated site-activi-
ties, maximizing off-site work, as well as
ease of relocation. The Foresight SMPG
station has capacities as high as 15,000
mt/h and is best suited for primary crush-
ing or IPCC applications.
www.e-mj.com

The Foresight SMPG station is a semi-mobile, modular crushing plant is made of steel, which can accept
fee from haul trucks or conveyors. (Illustration: Metso)
MMD Sizers Process All
Feeds Including Hard Rock
MMD has been manufacturing sizers for
more than four decades, processing over
80 different materials in more than 70 coun-
tries worldwide. Sizers offer a compact and
efficient way of comminution in primary,
secondary and tertiary stage crushing, in
both underground and open pit operations.
Sizers originated in the coal industry,
and some believe that Sizers are only
suitable for soft material processing. This
is simply not the case for MMD Sizers.
MMD said it only produces one type of
crusher and they are specialists in sizer
technology. The company’s efforts have
been focused on evolving sizers to be
successful in a wide range of operations,
especially hard rock applications.
The additional benefits a sizer brings,
such as producing a controlled and well-
shaped product with minimal fines while
also being compact, energy efficient, and
maintenance-friendly, make it an appeal-
ing option when it comes to selecting a
machine for most material processing op-
erations, and especially hard rock. MMD
said its dedicated in-house technical devel-
opment team has provided consistent re-
search and development since the sizer’s
inception and original patent in 1979. With
the experience gained over the years, the
company said it has refined and expanded
the sizer’s capability to operate successfully
www.e-mj.com
in a variety of industries, processing some
materials rated at up to 400 megaPascals
From the Sizer teeth design to the
drive train, the progress of these spe-
cialist heavy-duty sizers has taken many
years of careful development and fea-
tures a range of adaptations to allow
them to handle harder rock.
MMD said it selects tooth designs and
materials by prioritizing both durability
and functionality. With a focus on ensur-
ing the tooth grip’s strength matches the
power required for material processing,
we conduct rigorous testing to guarantee
optimal performance. The company said
its engineers assess various factors such
as material composition, surface texture,
and mechanical properties to ascertain
the machine’s ability to hold and effective-
ly break down the material securely. By
MMD’s semi-mobile sizer stations require simple pontoon bases rather than costly, heavy-duty foundations.
(Photo: MMD)
CRUSHERS AND SIZERS
adhering to quality standards, MMD said
it ensure that its machines not only meet,
but exceed expectations in handling di-
verse materials across various industries.
Another key feature throughout
MMD’s range of sizers is the use of in-
house designed gearboxes. Using only
the highest quality manufacturing pro-
cesses, materials and components guar-
antees they can deal with the unique
stresses inherent with sizing hard rock.
MMD has also provided complete
hard rock sizer solutions in the form of
semi-mobile and fully-mobile sizer sta-
tions. Due to the lightweight nature and
balanced breaking action of the sizer,
MMD said the semi-mobile sizer stations
for hard rock applications generally only
require simple pontoon bases rather than
costly heavy-duty foundations and civil
work. However, ancillary structures still
require some adaptation to match up with
the impact forces generated in hard rock
applications. For example, improved wear
resistant hoppers with extra supports to
resist the high impacts and extra abrasion
resulting from the truck dump. Adapta-
tions such as these ensure that MMD ma-
chines are designed to endure the harsh
mining environment and are built to last.
MMD said its sizers and sizer stations
undergo rigorous FEA, DEM and Explicit
Dynamics analysis at the design stage.
This examination provides data on impact
forces, load conditions, fatigue cycles,
as well as material flow characteristics,
which assist in optimizing the design.
This is particularly useful for wet and
sticky applications where material hang-
ups and blockages could be problematic
in features such as hoppers and chute
work. MMD said maintenance its sizers is
streamlined with swift and effortless shaft
replacements, ensuring minimal down-
time and smooth operational continuity.
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 59
 OPERATING STRATEGIES
Diesels Dominate Haulage as Engine
OEMs Explore Future Alternative
Power Systems
When it comes time to select a surface
mine’s primary haulage method, the
main event has always been the battle
between flexibility and operating efficien-
cy. Truck/shovel haulage remains the
leading contender from the perspective
of system flexibility, while in-pit crush-
ing and conveying (IPCC) in its various
forms – fixed, semi-fixed, semi-mobile or
fully mobile – holds the edge in overall
efficiency, according to most studies.
However, the mining industry has al-
ways been interested in larger-capacity
mobile loading and haulage equipment
and demand for bigger haulers has large-
ly maintained its momentum despite oc-
casional slowdowns due to market fluc-
tuations, the global pandemic and other
factors. Recent sales announcements
from the leading haul-truck manufactur-
ers highlight major orders for large and
ultra-class (320-400 ton) electric-drive,
rigid-body haulers, underscoring the in-
dustry’s need to move more material and
the role that electrified, autonomous truck
haulage is expected to fill in the future.
For example, last August BHP, Cater-
pillar and Cat dealer Finning announced
an agreement to replace BHP’s entire
haul truck fleet at the huge Escondida
Komatsu and General Motors plan to begin testing of a 930E mining truck powered by HYDROTEC fuel
cells at Komatsu’s Arizona proving ground in the mid-2020s.
60 E&MJ • MAY 2024
mine in the Antofagasta Region, northern
Chile. The agreement is part of a strate-
gic equipment renewal process devel-
oped by Escondida, and will include new
410-ton-payload Caterpillar 798 AC elec-
tric drive trucks, which were due to start
arriving at the mine in the second half of
2023, with delivery of the remaining trucks
to extend over the next 10 years as the
three companies work to replace one of
the largest fleets in the industry, currently
comprising more than 160 haul trucks.
Just a few months later, Barrick’s Ne-
vada Gold Mines (NGM) announced it
had signed a multi-year agreement with
Komatsu to deliver 62 930E-5 haul trucks
between 2023 and 2025. The new trucks
will work at two Nevada mines: 40 will be
deployed to the Carlin Complex and 22
will be at the Cortez site. And earlier this
year, Komatsu reported that more than
700 of its mining trucks were running on its
FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage Sys-
tem worldwide, including more than 100 of
its 400-ton-capacity 980E-AT models.
Among the less-clear factors associat-
ed with the transition towards newer and
increasingly autonomous truck fleets is
how many of those trucks will wind up be-
ing purely diesel powered versus alterna-
tive systems such as battery electric, hy-
drogen or some form of hybrid technology.
Mining-class truck and engine manufac-
turers are hedging their bets by pairing up
with companies that can offer experience
and resources applicable to development
of nontraditional offroad power systems.
For instance, in December 2023, Gen-
eral Motors and Komatsu announced that
they plan to jointly co-develop a hydro-
gen fuel cell power module for Komatsu’s
930E electric drive mining truck. The two
companies noted that hydrogen fuel cells
are light and quick to refuel – properties
that make them a prime candidate for
electrifying applications traditionally pow-
ered by diesel engines. Hydrogen, accord-
ing to GM, provides an effective method
to package large quantities of energy
onboard the vehicle, without compromis-
ing payload carrying capacity, and in ad-
ditional, provide a zero tailpipe emissions
solution for vehicles with extreme hauling
requirements, like the Komatsu 930E min-
ing truck, with its nominal payload of 320
tons. These vehicles typically operate at
a single mine throughout their life, which
simplifies the challenges of sizing and
deploying an effective hydrogen refueling
infrastructure to service the vehicle fleet.
GM and Komatsu intend to test
the first prototype HYDROTEC-pow-
ered mining vehicle in the mid-2020s
at Komatsu’s Arizona Proving Grounds
(AZPG) research and development facili-
ty. This vehicle will be powered by over 2
megawatts of HYDROTEC power cubes.
And, as we reported in April, engine
builder Cummins recently commissioned
a diesel hybrid truck in partnership with
Chinese manufacturer North Hauler
JSC. The hybrid NHL NTH260, a 220-
ton payload mining truck, was sent to the
Baogang Baiyun iron ore mine to begin
field testing. Cummins said its optimized
hybrid system allows the truck engine to
be downsized from the previous 2,500-hp
QSK60 to a 2,000-hp, two-stage QSK50.
Meanwhile, Hitachi Energy and Blu-
Vein, an Australian/Swedish battery-elec-
www.e-mj.com

Liebherr, recognizing that diesel power will remain a long-term solution for many mining customers, has been
integrating its D98XX series diesel engines into its trucks and excavators in new markets globally, both as
original equipment and as refits. The company also is exploring other power sources, including a prototype
battery-powered truck, shown here, that was developed in partnership with Australian miner Fortescue.
tric technology joint venture, signed a
memorandum of understanding to ac-
celerate the electrification of heavy-haul
mining fleets, aimed at leveraging the two
companies’ electronics expertise to pro-
vide charging technology that can deliver
electricity to haul trucks of up to 400 mt.
While haulage fleet electrification is ob-
viously a distant but distinct industry goal
among both suppliers and mine operators,
that doesn’t mean that investment in die-
sel-based technology is fading. Caterpillar
is reportedly planning to spend about $725
million by the end of 2027 to expand its
Large Engine Center in Lafayette, Indiana,
USA, where it builds the C175, 3500 and
3600 engine series. Liebherr, while cur-
rently involved in an agreement with Forte-
scue Metals Group to supply mining haul
trucks integrating zero emission power
system technologies being developed by
Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and Wil-
liams Advanced Engineering (WAE), also
has in the past few years begun integrat-
ing its D98XX series diesels into its trucks
and excavators in new markets globally,
both as original equipment and as refits.
As the company notes, electrification
will not be an option for every one of its
mining customers, and it’s confident that
future generations of internal combustion
engines can be adapted to work with re-
newable fuel sources such as ammonia,
methanol, and hydrogen. Overall, it in-
vested about €634 million ($674 million) in
research & development last year, mostly
for new products in the areas of alternative
drives, digitalization and autonomy. But it’s
also taking steps to ensure that its ICE en-
gines offer long-term value from improved
www.e-mj.com
OPERATING STRATEGIES
Proven Reliable
SLURRY
VALVES
flexibility, economy, reliability and less envi-
ronmental impact in mining applications.
“The D98 series was developed as
a platform concept,” explained Steffan
Apel, key account manager for Liebherr
Components. The company notes that
the D98 platform allows multiple pay-
load classes of Liebherr equipment to be
served by one engine. The 12-cylinder
D9812 can be used in the company’s R
9400, R 9600 and R 9800 excavators as
well as in its T 264 haul truck, while the
16-cylinder version is compatible with the
T 274 and T 284 truck models.
Over the past year or so, Liebherr
also reported on success of its LI3 fuel
Injector system, specifically developed
for large diesel applications such as its
98XX series in mining and other industri-
al segments. According to the company,
injectors from the LI3 product platform
have lasted 20,000 hours in a field en-
durance test without any difficulties. This
corresponds to an increase of 25% com-
pared with an expected service life of
15,000 hours. The results, said Liebherr,
confirm that use of LI3 injectors offers
notable benefits including longer main-
tenance intervals, which lead to lower DeZURIK specializes in slurry valves
maintenance costs. Less wear with an for isolation and control in abrasive
above-average service life also ensures slurries. We manufacture specialized
stable engine operation and reduces the knife gate, pinch, and other
likelihood of damage or warranty claims. valve styles that provide reliable
In addition, the company said that performance in mines worldwide.
compared to reference injectors, the Lieb-
herr injectors exhibited minimal cavitation
effects such as premature wear, reducing Learn more about DeZURIK valves
the risk of nozzle rupture and associated for slurry handling and other mining
applications at DeZURIK.com
engine damage and maintaining the en-
gine’s emissions control performance.
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 61
 SUPPLIERS REPORT
Boliden Commissions UG Battery-electric
Truck Trolley System
At the Kristineberg mine in northern Sweden, Boliden commissioned the first the first fully battery-electric
truck trolley system. (Photo: Boliden)
In partnership with ABB and Epiroc, Bo-
liden commissioned the first fully bat-
tery-electric truck trolley system on an
800-m-long underground mine test track
with a 13% incline at the Kristineberg
mine in northern Sweden.
The achievement, a milestone on the
path to an all-electric mine, will reportedly
allow the mine to extract ore with a lower
carbon footprint per ton of material moved.
Boliden said that beyond reducing carbon
emissions, the system could improve the
underground working environment, with
less emissions, noise, and vibration, while
reducing the total cost per ton.
“Over the past three years, we have
collaborated closely with the ABB and Epi-
roc teams to bring the electric mine of the
future one step closer,” said Peter Berg-
man, general manager of Boliden Area
Operations. “The most important thing for
us is of course that the technology works
in our operations, but we also see added
value that we together with our partners
can drive technology development so that
the system can be used in other mines.”
Each partner provided a unique set
of expertise. Epiroc added dynamic
charging to its proven battery-electric
Minetruck MT42 SG and battery system,
and the trolley solution is equipped with
ABB’s DC converter, HES880 inverters
and AMXE motors to enhance the power.
62 E&MJ • MAY 2024
Boliden intends to implement a full-
scale, autonomous electric-trolley sys-
tem in the Rävliden mine, a satellite ore-
body and extension of the Kristineberg
mine, and has placed an order for four
Minetruck MT42 SG trolley trucks from
Epiroc. The total distance will be 5 km at
a depth of 750 m.
Mongolian Copper Miner
Orders Five Drill Rigs
Sandvik has received an order from
Mongolyn Alt MAK LLC for electric rotary
drill rigs for use at the Tsagaan Suvarga
Project in Mongolia. The order is valued
at roughly $15.6 million.
The order includes five cable-electric
DR410iE drills, with deliveries scheduled
to begin in Q2 2024 and conclude by Q4
The truck features a trolley panto- 2025. Tsagaan Suvarga ranks as the
graph connected to an overhead cate- third-largest copper and molybdenum re-
nary line. The electric trolley line gives serve in Mongolia.
additional assistance to a fully loaded “We are very pleased to be selected
battery-electric mine truck on the most to supply our advanced electric rotary
demanding stretches up-ramp, enabling drill rigs to Mongolyn Alt MAK LLC and
further reach and battery regeneration help enhance drilling operations at the
during drift, which increases productivity Tsagaan Suvarga Project,” said Mats
drastically for a mining operation. Eriksson, president, Sandvik Mining and
ABB created the infrastructure from Rock Solutions.
grid to wheel, includ-
ing the electric truck
trolley system design
and the rectifier sub-
station for the test
track. The definition of
standards and vehicle
interface was joint-
ly developed by the
project partners. To
design a solution that
could adapt to voltage
fluctuations along the
system, ABB collabo-
rated with its partners
to build a digital twin to
simulate all scenarios.
The project is sup-
ported by funding from
the Swedish innova-
tion agency Vinnova
and their initiative, Sandvik sold five cable-electric DR410iE drills, similar to the above,
Sustainable Industry. to Mongolyn Alt MAK LLC. (Photo: Sandvik)
www.e-mj.com

Idaho Copper Corp. will use a TruScan mobile scanning unit to assess drill core. (Photo: Idaho Copper Corp.)
FLSmidth Tapped for
HPGR Maintenance
FLSmidth won a multi-year contract with
a Chilean iron ore miner to service five
high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR)
across three sites in Chile. All assembly
works as well as repairs on shafts are in-
cluded in the contract.
The service contract will be managed
and executed by FLSmidth’s Chilean ser-
vice center, which is close to the mines.
The center is equipped to make large
HPGR parts.
FLSmidth previously delivered to the
customer HPGR roll tires that ultimately
lasted more than three times as long as
the originally installed roll tires, the sup-
plier reported. The tires also increased
operational availability and significantly
reduced recirculation.
Those benefits and others are why
FLSmidth HPGR offerings are known as
the best in the industry, leadership at the
supplier said. “The fact that we can win
a large service contract on a non-FLS-
midth HPGR platform proves that we
have the service concept to back up the
technology, securing enhanced produc-
tivity and extended lifetime,” said Joshua
Meyer, service business line president.
FLSmidth has reportedly installed 155
HPGRs at sites around the world.
Copper Miner Adopts
Mobile Scanning Unit
Idaho Copper Corp. will use Veracio’s
TruScan to measure grade for thousands
of feet of drill core from the CuMo project.
www.e-mj.com
SUPPLIERS REPORT
gy-transfer solutions for trucks will be test-
ed at Vale’s operations in Pará over the
next few years. The companies will also
begin a joint study on a dual-fuel (ethanol
and diesel fuel) solution for haul trucks.
Vale said investing in initiatives to de-
carbonize mines and establishing stra-
tegic collaborations are fundamental to
company goals.
“We are developing a portfolio of op-
tions to decarbonize Vale’s operations,
including electrification and the use of
alternative fuels in the mines. The most
viable solutions will be adopted,” said
Ludmila Nascimento, energy and decar-
bonization director for Vale. “We believe
that ethanol has great potential to con-
tribute to the 2030 target because it is a
fuel that has already been adopted on a
large scale in Brazil, with an established
supply network, and which requires an
The miner said it will use the resulting active partnership with manufacturers.”
data to confirm previous lab analyses, to In 2020, Vale announced an invest-
determine potential ore-sorting parame- ment of between $4 billion to $6 billion to
ters for a preliminary economic assess- reduce its emissions by 33% by 2030.
ment, and to guide further studies.
“The ultimate goal of this exercise is Michigan Mine Selects
to reduce the overall mill size and signifi- Electric Railcars
cantly increase mill feed grades, which Carmeuse Americas contracted Intra-
the company expects will translate into motev for its TugVolt technology for
lower capital costs and higher profitability a mining site in Cedarville, Michigan,
for the project,” Idaho Copper Corp. said. U.S.A. With support from the Michigan
TruScan, a mobile scanning unit, Mobility Funding Program, Intramotev
uses X-ray fluorescence to analyze drill will deploy three TugVolt battery-electric
core on as small as 1.5 cm intervals. railcars to support a new railway that will
carry one six-car train of ore per hour.
Vale, Cat to Test Truck The development will be “the first
Power Options real-world operational deployment of a
Vale and Caterpillar signed an agree- battery-electric freight railcar capable of
ment to test bat-
tery-electric trucks
and energy trans-
fer systems, and to
conduct studies on
ethanol-powered
trucks. The aim is
to support Vale in
achieving its goals
of reducing carbon
emissions by 33%
by 2030 and ze-
roing its net emis-
sions by 2050.
Vale will test a
Cat 240-ton, bat-
tery-electric haul
truck at its oper-
ations in Minas
Gerais. Cat ener- In Minas Gerais, Vale will test a 240-ton battery-electric haul truck. (Image: Cat)
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 63
 SUPPLIERS REPORT
operating without a locomotive pulling
it,” Intramotev said. “It will also be one
of the largest scale implementations of
industrial robots.”
The deployment could reportedly elim-
inate up to 55,000 gallons of diesel con-
sumption and 617 tons of vehicle-level CO2
emissions. It will be a win-win for everyone
involved, leadership at the miner said.
“This partnership represents an incredible
opportunity to increase our efficiency, de-
crease our carbon footprint, and keep our
workers safe and focused on what they do
best through adoption of emerging digital
technologies,” said Jeff Bittner, senior vice
president of operations.
AMSA Contracts Wood
for Engineering
Engineering firm Wood has been award-
ed a contract by Antofagasta Minerals
S.A. (AMSA) for its Nueva Centinela cop-
per project, located in the Antofagasta re-
gion of Chile. The contract will see Wood
support AMSA in expanding the Esper-
anza Sur pit.
Wood will manage the construction of
a new concentrator, ore crushing facility,
conveyor systems, seawater pipeline,
tailing disposal and facility expansions,
as well as other necessary infrastructure
at the Centinela port. The project forms
part of AMSA’s $4.4 billion investment
into the Minera Centinela facility.
The project will position Centinela to
become one of the top 15 copper mines
in the world by output, producing an addi-
tional 170,000 metric tons per year (copper
Engineering firm Wood was contracted by Antofagasta Minerals for support for the Esperanza Sur pit
expansion project. (Photo: Wood)
64 E&MJ • MAY 2024
Redpath acquired RUC. Above, a RUC raise-drilling project. (Photo: The Redpath Group)
equivalent). First production is expected in
2027 with work commencing in May 2024.
Redpath Acquires RUC
Mining Contractors
Redpath (Australia) Holdings Pty Ltd,
a subsidiary of Redpath Mining Inc.,
signed a share-purchase agreement to
acquire RUC Mining Contractors Pty Ltd.
RUC will officially become part of Red-
path by June 2024.
George Flumerfelt, CEO at The Red-
path Group, said the acquisition recon-
firms Redpath’s position as a global
leader in safe mine development, shaft
sinking and raise-drilling services. “Red-
path has held RUC in high regard for a
long time and this agreement is evidence
of the quality of service and expertise
it sees across the RUC team,” he said.
“Our combined capabilities will be a
compelling proposition to customers and
strengthen our position in capturing large
and important projects in the future.”
RUC specializes in mechanized min-
ing, raise drilling, and shaft sinking, and
the company would offer Redpath great-
er connectivity across Australia, bridging
the east and west coasts with a dedicat-
ed plant, assets and training facilities on
both sides of Australia.
Surge Selects Boart
for Drill Program
Surge Battery Metals (SBM) contracted
Boart Longyear for drilling services for
the 2024 drill program at the Nevada
North Lithium Project (NNLP).
The program will drill eight reverse-cir-
culation holes to further expand and define
the lateral and vertical extent of the NNLP
deposit. SBM will test the known geophys-
ical footprint for lithium mineralization 1 km
to the west and up to a 1.2 km to the south
of the 2024 maiden resource area.
SBM said Boart was selected due, in
part, to its status as an industry leader.
“They have considerable experience in
lithium claystone deposits, and we are
particularly pleased that they will be us-
ing local crews and equipment,” CEO
Greg Reimer said.
Metso Introduces Liner
Recycling Offering in Chile
Metso deployed its circularity recycling
solution for Megaliner, Poly-Met, and rub-
ber liners at its factory in Concón, Chile.
The factory will be expanded and install
new equipment to increase production
capacity for mill liners by 30%.
www.e-mj.com

The recycling solution enables the ef-
ficient separation of different liner materi-
als so that the valuable rubber and steel
components can either be reused in the
manufacturing of new products or recy-
cled, Metso said.
“The liner recycling service is a con-
crete example of how Metso can drive
the mining industry towards more sus-
tainable practices,” said Eduardo Nilo,
president, South America.
Satellite Supports Mineral
Exploration
Fleet Space Technologies (FST) an-
nounced the successful deployment of
its next-generation Centauri-6 satellite
on SpaceX’s Bandwagon-1 mission.
Centauri-6 will play a vital role in ser-
vicing the global demand for the satel-
lite-enabled mineral exploration solution,
Letterhead, Bills, envelopes... Simple and on
ExoSphere, FST said.
white background - darker blue with PMS 877
for contrast on white
The satellite will help the supplier
“building capacity to deliver advanced
SATCOM capabilities with microsatellite
architectures,” FST reported.
Exosphere has been adopted by
more than “40 leading exploration com-
panies, including Rio Tinto, Core Lithi-
um, and Barrick Gold,” the supplier said.
It has been used to “complete 300-plus
BLACK
surveys for a variety of critical minerals
across five continents.”
IPS Acquires ABB Assets
Integrated Power Services (IPS) agreed
GRAYSCALE LOGO
to acquire assets of ABB’s Industrial Ser-
vices business. The business includes a
U.S. and Canadian service shop network
with locations in Tucson, Arizona; Evans-
ville, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina;
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and Burl-
ington, Ontario, Canada.
Matrix Design Group broke ground in April in Newburgh, Indiana, U.S., for its new headquarters. (Image: Matrix)
www.e-mj.com
SUPPLIERS REPORT
The transaction is expected to close
in Q3 2024.
FINALLY!
The acquisition would bring to IPS
approximately 114 employees; and five
well-equipped electric motor, genera-
tor, mechanical, switchgear, and circuit
breaker service centers, which were part
of the General Electric Industrial Solu-
A SEAL
DESIGNED FOR
SLURRY
tions acquisition by ABB in July 2018.
The ABB Industrial Services business
offers repair and field service capabilities
PUMPS
for electric motors up to 50,000 hp, and
low- and medium-voltage switchgear.
Additionally, the service centers perform
rotating equipment repair services for
pumps, compressors, blowers, bearings,
INTRODUCING THE
gearboxes, and OHV mining drivetrains.
DURAPACK™ System
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“We are excited to expand our exist-
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MAY 2024 • E&MJ 65
 PROCESSING SOLUTIONS
Despite a Weak Global Market,
Lithium Extraction R&D Thrives
Strong expectations of surging future
demand for critical minerals are power-
ing current widespread activity among
academic, institutional and corporate
interests to develop and refine the most
efficient and economical methods for ex-
traction of these minerals from a variety of
sources. Here are some recent examples
of what’s happening in the lithium sector.
The US Dept. of Energy’s Oak Ridge
National Laboratory announced that
chemists at ORNL invented a more ef-
ficient way to extract lithium from waste
liquids leached from mine sites, oil fields
and used batteries. They demonstrated
that a common mineral can adsorb at
least five times more lithium than can be
collected using previously developed ad-
sorbent materials.
“It’s a low-cost high-lithium-uptake pro-
cess,” said Parans Paranthaman, who led
the proof-of concept experiment. “The key
advantage is that it works in a wider pH
range of 5 to 11 compared to other direct
lithium extraction methods.” The acid-free
extraction process takes place at 140°C,
compared to traditional methods that
roast mined minerals at 250°C with acid
or 800°C–1,000°C without acid.
The ORNL technology relies on alu-
minum hydroxide as a sorbent for lithium
sulfate. In a process called lithiation, an
aluminum hydroxide powder extracts lith-
ium ions from a solvent to form a stable
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an acid-free technique that employs the
amorphous form of aluminum hydroxide to efficiently extract lithium ions from a variety of sources,
including mine waste liquid.
66 E&MJ • MAY 2024
layered double hydroxide, or LDH, phase.
Then in delithiation, treatment with hot
water causes the LDH to relinquish lithium
ions and regenerate the sorbent. During
relithiation, the sorbent is reused to ex-
tract more lithium. “This is the basis for a
circular economy,” Paranthaman said.
The research has been published in
the journal ACS Applied Materials and In-
terfaces. A related second paper, concur-
rently published in The Journal of Phys-
ical Chemistry, explored the stability of
delithiation under various conditions.
Aluminum hydroxide exists in four
highly ordered crystalline polymorphs
and one amorphous, or disordered, form.
Form turns out to play a big role in the
sorbent’s function. “Based on calorimet-
ric measurements, we learned that amor-
phous aluminum hydroxide is the least
stable form among aluminum hydroxides
and thus is highly reactive,” said Jayan-
thi Kumar, an ORNL materials chemist.
“That was a key to this method resulting
in greater lithium extraction capacity.”
Because amorphous aluminum hydrox-
ide is the least stable among the mineral’s
forms, it spontaneously reacts with lithium
from brine leached from waste clays. “Only
when we did the measurements did we re-
alize that the amorphous form is way, way,
way less stable. That is why it is more reac-
tive,” Kumar said. “To gain stability, it reacts
very quickly compared to other forms.”
Kumar is optimizing the process by
which the sorbent selectively adsorbs
lithium from liquids containing lithium, so-
dium and potassium and goes on to form
LDH sulfate.
At the Center for Nanophase Materi-
als Sciences, a DOE Office of Science
user facility at ORNL, the researchers
used scanning electron microscopy to
characterize the morphology of alumi-
num hydroxide during lithiation. It is
a charged neutral layer that contains
atomic vacancies, or tiny holes. Lithium
is absorbed at these sites. The size of
these vacancies is the key to aluminum
hydroxide’s selectivity for lithium, which
is a positively charged ion, or cation.
“That vacant site is so small that it can
fit only cations the size of lithium,” Kumar
said. ”Sodium and potassium are cations
with larger radii. The bigger cations don’t
fit into the vacant site. However, it’s a
perfect match for lithium.”
The selectivity of amorphous aluminum
hydroxide for lithium results in near-perfect
efficiency, according to the research team.
In a single step, the process captured 37
milligrams of lithium per gram of recover-
able sorbent — approximately five times
more than a crystalline form of aluminum
hydroxide called gibbsite, which was previ-
ously employed for lithium extraction. The
first step of lithiation extracts 86% of the
lithium in the leachate, or brine, from min-
ing sites or oil fields. Running the leachate
through the amorphous aluminum hydrox-
ide sorbent a second time picks up the rest
of the lithium. “In two steps, you can fully
recover the lithium,” Paranthaman said.
Next, the researchers want to extend
the process to extract more lithium and
regenerate the sorbent in a specific form.
Now, when the amorphous aluminum hy-
droxide sorbent reacts with the lithium and
is later treated with hot water to remove
the lithium and regenerate the sorbent,
the result is a structural change in the alu-
minum hydroxide polymorph from amor-
phous to a crystalline form called bayerite.
“The bayerite form is less reactive,”
Kumar said. “It requires either more time
— 18 hours — or more concentrated lithi-
www.e-mj.com
 PROCESSING SOLUTIONS

um for it to react, as opposed to the amor-

phous form, which reacts within 3 hours
to pick all the lithium from the leachate
solution. We need to find a route to get
back to the amorphous phase, which we
know is highly reactive.”
Meanwhile, American Battery Tech-
nology Co. (ABTC) announced comple-
tion of construction and the start of com-
missioning of its lithium hydroxide (LiOH)
pilot plant, which will enable it to demon-
strate technologies for accessing the lith-
ium contained in ABTC’s Tonopah (Neva-
da) Lithium Flats sedimentary-resource
project in an integrated and continuous
system, and to produce sufficient quanti-
ties of battery grade lithium hydroxide for
customer evaluation.
Noting that the US currently does
not have large-scale development of the
American Battery Technology, based in Nevada, USA has completed construction and started
conventional resources from which lithi- commissioning of a lithium hydroxide (LiOH) pilot plant, shown here, to demonstrate extraction
um products are generally derived, such technology applicable to its Tonopah Lithium Flats claystone resource.
as spodumene from western Australia or
lithium-rich brines primarily from South ABTC also said it plans to further technology partners were awarded a
America, ABTC said it has been develop- evolve this technology by constructing grant from the U.S. DOE to support con-
ing the Tonopah Flats project, comprising a commercial-scale 30,000-metric ton/ struction of a commercial refinery, and
more than 10,000 acres of lithium-bear- yr lithium hydroxide refinery utilizing the ABTC has engaged Black & Veatch for
ing claystone resource, to bolster do- present system design directly at its To- the engineering, procurement, and con-
mestic battery grade lithium products. nopah property. In 2022, ABTC and its struction of the facility.

www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 67

 EQUIPMENT GALLERY
New Excavator Improves Productivity
Komatsu Germany Mining Division (KGM) and SMS Equip-
ment announced the PC9000 hydraulic mining excavator. The
largest in Komatsu’s portfolio, the unit can be paired with 830E
through 930E haul trucks.
The PC9000 has a “larger bucket, higher digging forces and
other features to improve cycle time,” KGM said. “Its extended
reach is aimed at supporting customers’ growing Autonomous
Haulage Systems while a redesigned hydraulic system leads to
lower emissions.”
Benefits offered include improved productivity, efficiency and
performance, and lowered cost per ton of material moved, KGM
said. “More productive and more efficient while achieving highest
safety standards, the PC9000 marks an exciting evolution of our
surface mining lineup,” said Peter Buhles, vice president, sales
and services. “In developing the PC9000, we gathered input from
our global customers and distributors to create a machine that
responds to the mining industry’s emerging needs and is suitable
for any type of surface mining application.”
The first unit will go to an oil sands operation in Alberta, Can-
ada, Komatsu said.
Komatsu.eu
Next-gen Web-based Process Control
System
Valmet introduced Valmet DNAe, the next generation of the
namesake distributed control system (DCS). The web-based
68 E&MJ • MAY 2024
process control system comes with new cybersecure system ar-
chitecture, control software and hardware, and engineering and
analytics tools, helping customers improve the efficiency, produc-
tivity, sustainability and safety of their operations, Valmet said.
The DCS provides “a common user interface for controls,
analytics, configuration, and maintenance,” Valmet said. “Intui-
tive workflows simplify operations and enable users to manage
larger process areas with less effort.” Analytics tools can turn
data into actionable insights. “The new web-based configura-
tion environment provides a unified environment for all engi-
neering needs from office to field, enhancing flexibility in config-
uration and maintenance tasks.”
Users can “run industrial applications on-premise, at the
edge server, or in the cloud,” Valmet said. “It features a scalable
redundant data platform, granting easy and controlled access
to all data.” The DCS is “cybersecure by design, with role-based
access control, authentication, audit trail and encryption mech-
anisms.” It is capable of “smooth connectivity through secure
communication interfaces with external systems.”
Current users can adopt the new version easily, Valmet said.
The development represents a major milestone in process au-
tomation, leadership at the supplier said. “It provides a solid plat-
form for moving towards more digitalized, autonomous operations,
helping our customers thrive in the changing business environ-
ment,” said Emilia Torttila-Miettinen, president, automation sys-
tems. “In the development of this new system, we have focused on
usability and performance, with a modular approach that enables
upgrade paths also from our previous system generations.”
Valmet.com
‘World’s Most Powerful Screw-Type Mill’
Metso introduced the Vertimill 7000,
which the supplier described as “the
world’s most powerful screw-type
stirred mill.” With more grinding pow-
er compared to predecessor models,
the unit is engineered to lower total
cost of ownerhip.
Metso said the mill features the
same high energy-efficiency as the
previous models, but with more than
50% more power. “In addition, it is
equipped with double door access,
so less space is needed to open the
doors,” said Graham Davey, director,
stirred mills.
“The unit has also been equipped
with side discharge grinding media
ports to avoid double handling of the
media during service operations,” he
said. The mill can be used for grind-
ing almost any type of ore. “Typical-
ly, these robust stirred mills are used
for regrinding, secondary and tertiary
grinding as well as for lime slaking.”
www.e-mj.com
 EQUIPMENT GALLERY

With long component lifetimes, the mill has a 50% smaller

footprint than does predecessor models, Metso said. “Vertimill
grinding mills are part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering and
provide up to 40% better energy efficiency than ball mills.”
Metso.com

Digital Core Orientation Tool

IMDEX launched ACTx, a digital core orientation tool, at the
Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conven-
tion. The tool is part of the supplier’s end-to-end solutions for
drilling optimization, data collection and analysis.
ACTx provides unparalleled control and traceability, an ex-
pert with the company said. “There are many ways that the ori
mark can go wrong. This is where the ACTx solution changes
the game,” said Mark Gabbitus, product manager.
“The new Smart Jig works with the ACTx down-hole unit to
not only make it harder to put a bad ori mark on the core, but the
system also collects QA data about the orientation and marking
process that the geologist can access in IMDEXHUB-IQ,” he
said. “Additionally, the driller can see when there are issues and workflow, the ability to colorize merged datasets, and quality
enter in comments about what went wrong and why. This gives control options for the point cloud.
the geologist more confidence in the data they are using.” Aura’s automated noise filtering can now filter out moving
IMDEXLimited.com objects, such as people and vehicles.
The updated software features a simplified output folder
structure, easier ways to change processing settings, custom-
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point selection and filtering tools.
Emesent.com

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Unlimited Satellite Survey Service
Hypervine launched its Unlimited Satellite Survey Service for Electrical 
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The advertised benefits include lower costs; detailed reports
Conveyor Systems & Belt Installation 
on ferrous metal content, land surface temperature changes,
and vegetation indexes; advanced imaging and analytics for Underground Construction 
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Hypervine said its service was built through its partnership
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Updated Survey Scan Visualization
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Emesent reported it updated and improved Aura software for
use with the Hovermap drone survey solution. The scan-visual-  RAM-Enterprise.com 
ization software now offers more colorization options, a faster

Mining Ad Jan.indd 1 1/8/2024 5:13:06 PM

www.e-mj.com MAY 2024 • E&MJ 69
 CONSULTANTS & SERVICES

YOUR
CLASSIFIED
AD HERE
1 column x 3” space
Starting at $525

CONTACT YOUR SALES REP

TO BOOK A SPACE TODAY

FOR ADVERTISING, CONTACT YOUR

INTERNATIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE:
Midwest/Eastern U.S. & Canada Germany, Austria & Switzerland Japan
Craig Scharf Gerd D. Strasmann Masao Ishiguro
Tel: +1 904-721-2925 ext. 106 Tel: +49 202 28 14 64 83 Tel: +81 (3) 3719-0775
cscharf@mining-media.com info@strasmann-media.de ma.ishiguro@w9.dion.ne.jp

Western U.S., Canada & Australia Scandinavia, U.K. & European

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70 E&MJ • MAY 2024 www.e-mj.com


ASGCO Manufacturing Inc............................ 43
Boart Longyear .............................................. 7
Cementation USA......................................... 23
Compass Equipment.................................... 31
DeZURIK Inc................................................ 61
Dyno Nobel Inc............................................. 48
E&MJ Website.............................................. 53
FLSmidth...................................................... 55
Flyers Energy LLC........................................ 29
Geosyntec Consultants................................. 30
Haulage & Loading 2025.............................. 41
Immersive Technologies............................... 27
Jennmar Corp............................................... 17
Komatsu Mining Corp USA......................... IBC
Loenbro........................................................ 31
Martin Engineering....................................... 45
Matrix........................................................... 44
www.e-mj.com
ADVERTISING INDEX
McLanahan Corp............................................ 3
Minnovare (Hexagon)................................... 49
MMD GPHC Ltd............................................ 37
Mining Media Int’l - Social Media.................. 67
Mining Media Int’l - Subscription Renewal..... 50
Motion Industries.......................................... 11
MTG............................................................. 35
Premier Drilling Co....................................... 21
RAM Enterprise Inc...................................... 69
Schurco Slurry.............................................. 51
SealRyt Corp................................................ 65
Superior Industries Inc................................ IFC
TAKRAF GmbH............................................ 42
Weir............................................................ BC
Western Biological........................................ 28
World Mining Equipment (WME)................... 71
MAY 2024 • E&MJ 71
 MARKETS
ICSG Publishes Copper Market Forecast
The International Copper Study Group
(ICSG) met in Lisbon, Portugal, on
April 25, 2024. Government delegates
and industry advisors from most of the
world’s leading copper producing and
using countries discussed key issues
affecting the global copper market
and made the following predictions for
2024-2025.
World copper mine production is
expected to increase by 0.5% in 2024
with growth of 3.9% forecast in 2025.
The rate of growth of world copper
mine production in 2024 has been re-
vised down to 0.5% vis-à-vis the 3.7%
forecast by the group in October 2023.
This is mainly due to the slower than
expected ramp-up of several projects,
delays in project commissioning, re-
vised company production guidance
and the closure of First Quantum’s
380,000-metric-ton-per-year (mt/y)
Cobre Panama mine.
In 2025, global output will benefit
from the start-up of the Malmyzhskoye
mine in the Russian Federation as well
as the Kamoa-Kakula phase 3 expan-
sion in the DRC. Expansions and the
opening of some medium and small
mines will also add to production.
World refined copper production is
forecast to rise by about 2.8% in 2024
and 2.2% in 2025. In 2024, refined
copper output is expected to recover
from a series of maintenance outages,
Precious Metals ($/oz)
Gold $2,294.45 Aluminum
Silver $26.50 Copper
Platinum $964.00 Lead
Palladium $955.00 Nickel
Rhodium $4,725.00 Tin
Ruthenium $430.00 Zinc
Gold and silver prices provided by KITCO Bullion dealers (www.kitco.com). Platinum group metals prices provided by Johnson Matthey (www.platinum.matthey.com).
Non-ferrous base and minor metal prices provided by London Metal Exchange (www.lme.co.uk). Iron ore prices provided by Platts Iron Ore Index. Currency exchange
rates were provided by www.xe.com.
72 E&MJ • MAY 2024
accidents and
operational
issues that oc-
curred in 2023
in a number
of major cop-
per-producing
countries in-
cluding Chile,
Japan, India,
Indonesia and
United States.
O v e r a l l ,
primary elec- Source: International Copper Study Group (ICSG)
trolytic refined
output is expected to increase by has been revised down for 2024 to 2%
2.9% and electrowinning production from the 2.7% forecast at the group’s
by 0.5%. October 2023 meetings.
In 2025, although production will Chinese usage is expected to grow
benefit from the continued expansion by about 2% in 2024 and 1.6% in 2025.
of Chinese electrolytic capacity and After an estimated decline of 3% in
the ramp-up of new smelters/refin- 2023, world ex-China usage in 2024
eries in Indonesia and India, primary and 2025 is expected to increase by
electrolytic refined production growth 2.4% and 3.8% respectively, mainly
is expected to be limited by the con- due to the development of new semis
strained availability of concentrates production capacity in India and a num-
and to increase by a modest 0.7%. ber of other countries.
However, electrowinning output is ICSG expects a surplus of about
forecast to rise by 4% and secondary 162,000 mt for 2024 compared to a
refined production (from scrap) by 6%, surplus of about 467,000 tonnes fore-
benefiting from expanded capacity. cast last October with the difference
World apparent refined copper us- mainly due to lower than anticipated
age is expected to increase by about refined copper production. A surplus of
2% in 2024 and 2.5% in 2025. The about 94,000 mt is currently expected
rate of growth in world refined usage for 2025.
(May 3, 2024)
Base Metals ($/mt) Minor Metals ($/mt) Exchange Rates (U.S.$ Equivalent)
$2,516.00 Molybdenum $46,530 Euro (€) 1.077
$9,736.00 Cobalt $27,235 U.K. (£) 1.255
$2,155.00 Lithium Hydroxide $14,350 Canada ($) 0.731
$18,750.00 Australia ($) 0.661
$32,000.00 Iron Ore ($/dmt) South Africa (Rand) 0.054
$2,889.00 Fe CFR China $116.93 China (¥) 0.138
www.e-mj.com
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