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 PROSPECTORS & DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

2024
THE WORLD’S PREMIER
MINERAL EXPLORATION
& MINING CONVENTION

REGISTER AT pdac.ca/convention | #PDAC2024

MARCH 3-6
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 JANUARY 2024 • VOL 225 • NUMBER 1

FEATURES
Constraints Mount to Slow Mining Project Growth in 2024
Even though capital spending growth will moderate this year, it should
reach the highest level in nearly 10 years...................................................16

Control, Optimize, Integrate

E&MJ investigates the potential that advanced process control holds
in improving the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of mining
operations....................................................................................................24

Reloaded: Introducing the Next Generation of

Underground Mining Trucks
E&MJ looks at future-focused technologies and upcoming
product releases..........................................................................................28

Rigs Offer Automation, Remote Control, Integration

Drill rig OEMs race to perfect autonomous and remote control
solutions and technologies, and eye horizontal integration.........................34

Special Report: Arizona Mining...................................................... AZ1

In addition to the annual Project Survey, E&MJ
reviews developments with blasthole drills in this
LEADING DEVELOPMENTS edition. On the cover, a Pit Viper 271 drills the
Second Concentrator Approved for Centinela............................................... 4 bench autonomously. (Photo: Epiroc)

PDAC Prepares for Another Great Conference............................................. 5

Livent, Allkem Merge to Create Arcadium Lithium......................................... 5
Ma’aden Reports Significant Gold Discovery in Saudi Arabia....................... 5
New Study Highlights Big Energy Savings.................................................... 6
AROUND THE WORLD
U.S. & Canada: MSHA Issues Final Rule for Written Safety Programs.... 8
Latin America: Torex Gold Reports Successful Breakthrough of
Guajes Tunnel.................................................................................... 11
Australia/Oceania: Evolution Proposes Northparkes Acquisition.......... 12
Africa: Kamoa-Kakula Exports Copper Concentrate Using the
Lobito Corridor.................................................................................... 13
DEPARTMENTS
Calendar....................................................... 15
Classified Advertisements............................ 46
Equipment Gallery........................................ 44
From the Editor................................................2
Markets......................................................... 48
Operating Strategies..................................... 38
People.............................................................7
Processing Solutions.................................... 42
Suppliers Report........................................... 40
This Month in Coal........................................ 14

Process Control....24 Underground Mine Trucks....28 Arizona Mining....AZ1

www.e-mj.com JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 1

 FROM THE EDITOR
Supreme Court Will Not
Hear Pebble Case
Annually, E&MJ publishes the Project Survey in the
January edition. It details capital spending plans world-
wide. Some of the key takeaways from this year’s
survey is that, while growth in investment spending
will slow, it will still like reach the highest levels in 10
Steve Fiscor years. Approximately $263 billion worth of projects
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief are currently under construction. Moreover, the larg-
est global mining firms, Anglo American, Barrick Gold,
Freeport-McMoRan, Glencore, Newmont, Rio Tinto and Vale collectively are
planning to spend 8% more in 2024 than they did in 2023. As far as invest-
ment by commodity, copper, gold, and iron ore garner the greatest share of
investment after coal. The green energy transition, however, is one of the
main drivers for project investment. Not all new mining projects are moving
forward, especially in America.
The Alaska v. United States lawsuit was one of many lawsuits that the
U.S. Supreme Court did not take up during early January. In an unusual legal
maneuver, the state attempted to bypass the lower courts and have the jus-
tices rule on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to
veto the proposed Pebble copper and gold mine. The court did not rule for or
against the Pebble project. It simply did not decide to hear the case.
Nevertheless, the decision was another setback for Alaska in general and
Northern Dynasty in particular. During January 2023, the EPA issued a Final
Determination to veto any dredge and fill operations in a 309 mi 2 restricted
area, representing the South and North Fork Koktuli River watersheds and
the upper reaches of the Upper Talarik Creek watershed. The Pebble deposit
and Northern Dynasty’s proposed project, as currently envisioned, occupy
approximately more than 10-12 mi 2 within this area. The EPA not only blocked
the proposed Pebble project, but also any future development in this region.
Both Northern Dynasty and the State of Alaska believe this action was a
major regulatory overreach, which the EPA asserted under the Clean Water
Act. The State of Alaska could continue to litigate this using the lower courts
and the case could reach the U.S. Supreme Court again. It would likely be a
lengthy and costly process.
Whether the Pebble project is worthy of permit or not, Northern Dynasty
should be afforded due process. For now, it suffers the same fate as five other
proposed projects in the U.S. that have been stalled under the current admin-
istration, including the Resolution and Rosemont projects in Arizona, the Twin
Metals and Polymet projects in Minnesota and the Arctic project in Alaska.
Steve Fiscor, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
sfiscor@mining-media.com
2 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
www.e-mj.com
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Latin American Editor—Oscar Martinez, omartinez@mining-media.com
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Engineering & Mining Journal, Volume 225, Issue 1, (ISSN 0095-8948)
is published monthly by Mining Media International, Inc., 11655 Central
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COPYRIGHT 2024: Engineering & Mining Journal,
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 NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS
Second Concentrator Approved
for Centinela
After an extensive review, Antofagasta
plc has approved the construction of the
$4.4 billion Centinela Second Concen-
trator Project. The company said critical
path works will begin immediately with
full construction expected to commence
after definitive project finance documents
have been executed during Q1 2024.
“The Centinela Second Concentrator
Project is a key element of our profitable
growth strategy as it will add a further
170,000 metric tons per year (mt/y) of
copper equivalent production, with first
copper expected in 2027, significantly
progressing us towards our long-term am-
bition of 900,000 mt/y of profitable copper
production,” said Antofagasta CEO, Iván
Arriagada. “Importantly, it will also reduce
net cash costs and unlock significant val-
ue in the Centinela District’s 2 billion mt
ore reserve. This brownfield expansion
project is expected to deliver attractive re-
turns in excess of our cost of capital at a
wide range of commodity prices. We are
leveraging more than 20-years of opera-
tional experience and understanding of
Centinela’s ores, using existing infrastruc-
ture and building on long-established rela-
tionships within our local communities.”
The anticipated 170,000 mt/y of cop-
per equivalent production consists of
144,000 mt/y of copper, 130,000 oz/y
of gold and 3,500 mt/y of molybdenum,
The second concentrator is expected to add 170,000 mt/d of copper capacity to the exisiting Centinela
operations (above). (Photo: Antofagasta plc)
4 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
across a 36-year mine life. Net cash
costs in the Centinela district are expect-
ed to be in the first quartile of the industry
cost curve following the expansion.
The expansion project would include a
new 95,000 mt/d concentrator incorporat-
ing high pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs)
to reduce energy consumption, the expan-
sion of the existing raw seawater pump-
ing and transport system, a new tailings
storage facility, capacity growth in energy
and other input supply infrastructure, the
expansion of outbound logistics networks
such as the concentrate transport system
and critical port infrastructure, additional
loading equipment, autonomous hauling
equipment and a truck-shop for the mine
expansion at Esperanza Sur.
“This project will elevate Centinela to
become one of the top 15 copper mines
in the world by output and we will become
one of the leading gold producers in Chile,”
Arriagada said. He said the world is facing
a significant shortage of copper, with elec-
trification and the energy transition driving
rising demand. And he views the Second
Concentrator Project as a clear opportu-
nity to provide additional copper from the
mine’s existing resource base, using 100%
renewable electricity and raw sea water to
reduce Centinela’s environmental footprint.
The cost for the project was originally
estimated at $3.7 billion (August 2022).
Antofagasta said the new capital cost
estimate is based on detailed engineer-
ing and includes an escalation for infla-
tion during construction, a stronger local
currency estimate, updates to local labor
regulations, etc.
The second concentrator will source
ore initially from the recently opened Espe-
ranza Sur pit and later from the Encuentro
pit. The sulphide ore in the Encuentro pit
lies under the Encuentro Oxides reserves,
which are expected to be depleted by
2026. Fully exposing the sulphide ore in
the optimal sequence required to initiate
feed to the second concentrator from the
Encuentro Pit is expected to require sep-
arate investments in infrastructure, mining
equipment and mine development activi-
ties, which will materially commence half-
way through the construction phase of the
second concentrator and will span a peri-
od of 3-4 years. The combined investment
in mine development and sustaining capi-
tal for the expansion of the Encuentro pit is
estimated to be approximately $1 billion.
The company said detailed terms and
conditions have been substantially com-
pleted for the option to provide water for
Centinela’s current and future operations
by a third party acquiring the existing wa-
ter supply system and building the new
water pipeline expansion. The planned
outsourcing of the water supply will only
proceed if it improves the net present
value of the project, the company said,
with closure of this process scheduled to
be made alongside the execution of de-
finitive project finance documents during
Q1 2024. If it goes ahead as planned, the
company said an estimated $600 million
in cash will be received for the divestment
of the existing water infrastructure and the
project cost will reduce by approximately
$400 million, considering that the invest-
ment required to expand the existing wa-
ter system to supply the Second Concen-
trator will be undertaken by a third party.
The Centinela Second Concentrator
Project has all the relevant permits ap-
proved by the authorities in Chile for the
project to proceed into the construction
phase. First production is expected in 2027.
www.e-mj.com

Allkem operates lithium brine operations in Argentina.
(Photo: Allkem)
Livent, Allkem Merge to
Create Arcadium Lithium
Livent Corp. and Allkem Ltd. have ob-
tained all requisite shareholder approv-
als necessary to complete the merger of
equals transaction previously announced
in May. The two companies planned to
close the merger on January 4, 2024,
and begin operating under the name Ar-
cadium Lithium plc.
“The strong support of Livent and
Allkem shareholders for this transfor-
mational merger is a testament to the
compelling value proposition of Arcadium
Lithium,” said Paul Graves, president and
CEO of Livent and future CEO of Arcadi-
um Lithium. “We look forward to closing
the merger and pursuing the opportuni-
ties to create greater long-term, sustain-
able value for all of our stakeholders.”
Livent said it is one of only a small
number of companies with the capabili-
ty, reputation, and know-how to produce
high-quality finished lithium compounds
that are helping meet the growing de-
mand for lithium. Based in Philadelphia,
USA, the company operates manufac-
turing sites in the USA, England, China
and Argentina. Headquartered in Bue-
nos Aires, Argentina, Allkem’s portfolio
includes lithium brine operations in Ar-
gentina, a hard-rock lithium mine in Aus-
tralia and a lithium hydroxide conversion
facility in Japan.
Ma’aden Reports Significant
Gold Discovery in Saudi
Arabia
Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (Ma’aden) has
discovered a significant gold resource
potential extending along a 100-km strike
from the existing Mansourah Massarah
gold mine. This is the first find from the
www.e-mj.com
PDAC Prepares for Another Great Conference
The annual meeting of the Prospector
and Developers Association of Canada
(PDAC) takes place at the Metro To-
ronto Convention Centre, March 3-6,
2024. The event brings together miner-
al explorers, mining executives, suppli-
ers, students, and anyone interested in
mineral exploration and development. In
2023, PDAC hosted 23,819 attendees
from 133 countries. The exposition had
1,116 exhibitors, and 717 speakers gave
presentations during the conference.
For 2024, PDAC said it is planning
even more expert programming, engag-
ing presenters, and exhibitors. Each day
of the conference has a keynote. Jakob
Stausholm, CEO, Rio Tinto, will deliv-
er the Commodity Outlook on Sunday
morning, March 3; Michael Stanley, min-
ing lead for the World Bank, will present
the Mining Industry Outlook on Monday
morning, March 4. Denise Johnson,
group president, resource industries for
Caterpillar, will deliver the Technology
& Innovation Talk, and Wojtek Wodzicki
from Lundin’s Vicuña Exploration Team
will discuss the Discovery of the Year.
In addition to the keynote sessions, the
conference’s technical program offers 12
tracks and runs the gamut with presenta-
tions daily on exploration and development.
The other tracks include short courses,
accessing capital markets, an indigenous
program, a sustainability program and a
corporate presentation forum for investors.
The PDAC Awards Gala, which takes
place Tuesday evening at the Fairmont
The PDAC Core Shack provides a venue for prospectors to display their core samples. (Photo: PDAC)
NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS
Royal York, celebrates excellence in the
global mineral exploration and mining in-
dustry. The association acknowledges
the extraordinary accomplishments of the
2024 Awards Recipients for the Bill Dennis,
Skookum Jim, Sustainability, Thayer Lind-
sley and Viola R. MacMillan Awards. In
addition to a savory 3-course gourmet din-
ner with fine wine, the event offers an op-
portunity to rub shoulders with the Award
Recipients, C-level executives, financiers,
brokers and mining developers. This is a
ticketed event and it will sell out early.
The exhibition covers more than
600,000 ft2 including both the conven-
tion center’s North and South Build-
ings. This includes the Northern Ontario
Mining Showcase (NOMS), the largest
pavilion at PDAC, featuring more than
110 exhibitors and interactive displays
showcasing innovative products and
services to help plan, build, maintain,
and rehabilitate projects.
The Core Shack provides a unique
venue for companies to display their core
samples. Visitors can learn new or ongo-
ing projects, and the latest discoveries
will be featured along with maps, charts
and technical information.
At the Investors Exchange, delegates
can discuss investment potential with
450 junior mining companies, mid-sized
producers, major mining companies, fi-
nancial institutions and prospectors to
discover new business opportunities.
Visit www.pdac.ca/convention for up-
dates and more information.
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 5
 NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS
company’s extensive exploration pro-
gram, launched in 2022, aimed at build-
ing Ma’aden’s production pipeline.
“Last year, Ma’aden embarked on
one of the largest exploration programs
in the world,” said Robert Wilt, CEO,
Ma’aden. “These discoveries are a sig-
nificant demonstration of the untapped
potential of mineral resources in Saudi
Arabia, supporting the diversification of
the country in line with Vision 2030 and
establishing mining as the third pillar of
the Saudi economy.”
Exploration around Mansourah
Massarah has focused on identifying po-
tential deposits of similar scale with simi-
lar geology. Encouraging drill results from
multiple sites on Uruq South, along a 100-
km stretch south of Mansourah Massarah,
have uncovered similar geological charac-
teristics and chemistry to the Mansourah
Massarah deposit. These results include
high-grade drill intercepts, found 400 me-
ters away from and under Mansourah
Massarah, with several high-grade inter-
cepts including core intercepts showing
61 m at 10.4 grams per metric ton (g/mt)
of gold and 20 m at 20.6 g/mt of gold.
In addition, Ma’aden has expanded its
exploration footprint at the Jabal Ghadar-
ah and Bir Tawilah prospects 25 km north
of Mansourah Massarah, where the com-
pany is converting an inferred resource
of 1.5 million ounces (oz) to indicated
and measured status.
Ma’aden believes that these combined
drilling results have identified a potential-
Paula Cousins, chief strategy and sustainability officer for Weir, participates in a panel discussion on
the potential of avoided emissions at the COP28 UAE Japan Pavilion seminar in Dubai. (Photo: Weir)
6 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
ly 125-km strike with significant potential
to become a major world class gold belt
in Saudi Arabia. The near-mine drilling
results around Mansourah Massarah, in-
dicate that the resource is open both at
depth and along the strike offering signifi-
cant potential to expand resources at the
mine and, potentially, extend the mine life
with underground development.
“These discoveries have the potential to
be the center of the world’s next gold rush
and are a strong part of our growth strat-
egy,” Wilt said. “The Arabian Shield has
enormous potential for more world-class
discoveries, and this is the first of many we
expect to make in the coming years.”
Mansourah Massarah had stated gold
resources of almost 7 million oz at year-
end 2023 and nameplate production ca-
pacity of 250,000 oz/y.
New Study Highlights Big
Energy Savings
The Weir Group PLC, a global mining
technology leader, has completed a com-
prehensive study that highlights a signif-
icant opportunity to reduce energy use
and emissions in comminution. The rock
crushing process that is key to mineral
liberation consumes around 3% of the
world’s electrical power each year. The
study shows that replacing conventional
technology with innovative new solutions
can cut energy use by 40% while also
avoiding 50% of CO2e emissions.
Speaking at a COP28 panel discus-
sion hosted by the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry of Japan and moder-
ated by the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development (WBCSD),
Paula Cousins, chief strategy and sus-
tainability officer at Weir, revealed the de-
tails of the study that demonstrates how
using innovative technologies to crush
rocks can yield significant sustainability
benefits at lower operating cost.
The findings of the study come at an
important time. Metals, such as copper,
nickel and lithium, are critical elements
of the technologies that will power a
low-carbon future and it is widely ac-
cepted that a substantial increase in the
production of these metals is needed for
the transition to net zero. In response,
the mining industry is actively seeking
to adopt new technologies which ex-
tract and process those metals in more
energy-efficient and sustainable ways,
alongside increasing the use of renew-
able power.
Given its energy intensity, the decar-
bonization opportunities in comminution
are huge, with the basic comminution
process not having changed significantly
for many decades. Weir is collaborating
with customers and other partners to re-
define the process, developing innova-
tive combinations of proven technologies
to make significant improvements to effi-
ciency and environmental performance.
“The need for technology solutions in
mining is compelling. The world needs
more transition metals to achieve net
zero, but the mining industry needs to ex-
tract these using significantly less energy
and water,” Cousins said. “Our new, ex-
ternally assured study highlights the po-
tential for energy savings of 40% and for
50% of CO2e emissions to be avoided in
comminution, the most energy-intensive
stage of mining processes. By adopting
a systems-based approach to technolo-
gy collaborations, we can help the min-
ing industry scale up and clean up at the
same time.”
The study is the first to use WBCSD’s
Avoided Emissions Guidance to study
mining processes and the avoided emis-
sions results have been independently
assured by SLR Consulting Ltd. Three
of Weir’s technology combinations were
evaluated against a conventional com-
minution circuit design for an archetypal
mine processing 15 million mt/y of cop-
per ore in Chile. All three yielded sizeable
benefits versus the traditional circuit.
www.e-mj.com

BHP made several leadership an-
nouncements. Vandita Pant has
been appointed CFO, effective March
1, 2024. She is currently chief com-
mercial officer and she joined BHP in
2016. David Lamont, current CFO,
will remain with BHP until February
Vandita Pant David Lamont
2025 as a senior executive officer in
an advisory and projects capacity, re-
porting directly to the CEO. Rag Udd
has been appointed chief commercial
officer, effective March 1, 2024. He is
currently president for the Americas
and, since his appointment in Novem-
ber 2020, has brought a systematic
focus to leading the business safely
Rag Udd Brandon Craig and productively and has taken Jan-
sen Stage 1 and Stage 2 through to
sanction, opening up an exciting new
growth front for BHP in Potash. Udd
brings more than 25 years’ experi-
ence in the global resources industry
in North America, Australia and South
America. He has previously held se-
nior roles at BHP, including in Western
Johan van Jaarsveld Laura Tyler Australia Iron Ore, BMA and Technolo-
gy. Brandon Craig has been appoint-
ed president for the Americas, effective March 1, 2024. He is currently asset
president for Western Australia Iron Ore, and in this role has demonstrated his
ability to deliver strong performance across an integrated business of mines,
rail and port operations. Johan van Jaarsveld has been appointed chief tech-
nical officer, effective March 1, 2024. He is currently chief development officer
and he will replace Laura Tyler, who will leave BHP on February 29, 2024.
Lauren Roberts, senior vice president
and COO for Hecla Mining, is retiring
after more than 30 years in the mining
industry. The company said it will miss
Lauren’s keen strategic vision, his
ability to lead and mentor a positive
and transparent work culture, and his
Lauren Roberts Ed Opitz
invaluable guidance and integrity. “His
contributions have advanced Hecla’s mines and made the company better
miners,” Hecla Mining said. “Congratulations on an amazing career.” Hecla
also appointed Ed Opitz as its new director of safety. He was senior vice pres-
ident for safety and sustainability at Kinross Gold Corp.
Alcoa Corp. appointed Matt Reed as its executive
vice president and COO. Reed, who will be based in
Western Australia, will lead Alcoa’s global operations,
including bauxite mines, alumina refineries, and alumi-
num smelters. Previously, he served as vice president
of operations for Australia.
Matt Reed
Codelco appointed Alejandro San-
hueza Díaz to the vice presidency of
finance, and Sebastián Court Ben-
venuto to the new vice presidency
of strategy and management control.
Díaz joined Codelco in 2017 as cor-
porate manager of financial analysis,
and in 2023 he was promoted to
Alejandro Sanhueza Díaz Sebastián Court Benvenuto
corporate manager of finance. Ben-
venuto was previously corporate planning and develop-
ment manager for Metro Pago.
Eldorado Gold Corp. named Paul Ferneyhough as its
executive vice president and CFO. He succeeds the
retiring Philip Yee. Ferneyhough joined Eldorado Gold
in May 2021 to oversee the development and execu-
tion of the company’s strategic growth strategy. Most
recently, he was executive vice president, chief strate-
Paul Ferneyhough gy and commercial officer for Eldorado.
www.e-mj.com
NEWS - PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Integra Resources announced its COO, Tim Arnold,
has retired. He helped guide the Delamar project from
preliminary economic assessment to pre-feasibility
study. The submission of the MPO (see U.S. & Can-
ada, p. 8) represents the culmination of more than 3
years of permitting and baseline work overseen by Ar-
nold and his team. Integra also appointed Scott Olsen
Tim Arnold
to vice president, engineering and processing. Olsen
has held senior roles with both Barrick Gold Corp. and
Kinross Gold Corp. Most recently, he served as a senior metallurgical en-
gineer for Hanlon Engineering & Associates.
Osisko Development Corp. an-
nounced that its COO Luc Lessard
will leave the company to pursue
other personal and professional op-
portunities, namely as president and
CEO of Falco Resources Ltd. The
company has initiated an executive
Luc Lessard Éric Tremblay
search process
and Éric Tremblay, currently a director, will assume
the role of interim COO until the conclusion of the COO
search process.
Luca Mining Corp. appointed Lisa Dea as CFO. As the
former CFO for Guanajuato Silver Co. Ltd., she played
a pivotal role in strategically reactivating past produc-
ing silver and gold mines in central Mexico. Lisa Dea
Canagold Resources Ltd., the gold exploration com-
pany focused on advancing the New Polaris project,
appointed Chris Pharness as senior vice president
sustainability and permitting. For the past decade he
represented Barkerville Goldmines Ltd. as vice presi-
dent environment and sustainability, and more recently
with Osisko Development Corp. as vice president sus-
tainable development, after Osisko acquired Barker-
Chris Pharness
ville in 2019.
Morné Engelbrecht has been named CFO of Metals
Acquisition Ltd. He is a senior executive with more than
23 years of diversified experience in Australia and in-
ternationally in the professional services and resourc-
es industries. Engelbrecht replaces Dan Vujcic who
served as interim CFO and will now continue as chief
development officer.
Morné Engelbrecht
Electra Battery Materials Corp. announced that
George Puvvada, Ph.D., P.Eng., PMP, was appointed
vice president of metallurgy and technology effective
today. He brings 30 years of experience developing ef-
fective flowsheets for recovering metals from complex
formations and completing large-scale projects with
some of the mining industry’s largest companies, in-
George Puvvada
cluding Cameco, Xstrata, Vale, and Inco. Located north
of Toronto, Electra is executing a multipronged strategy
focused on onshoring the electric vehicle supply chain. It is currently con-
structing North America’s only cobalt sulfate refinery.
Caterpillar announced that Jason Kaiser, senior vice
president of the electric power division, has been appoint-
ed to group president of the energy and transportation
segment. In this role, he will have responsibility for the
rail division, solar turbines, large power systems division,
industrial power systems division,
electric power division, the oil and Jason Kaiser
gas and marine division, Cat Reman
and the electrification and energy solutions division.
Superior Industries has added Kyle Donaldson to its
conveyor components outside sales team. He will rep-
resent Superior in his home province of Ontario plus all
Kyle Donaldson of Canada’s Maritime region.
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 7
REGIONAL NEWS - U.S. & CANADA
MSHA Issues Final Rule for Written
Safety Programs
The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Ad-
ministration (MSHA) published a final
rule that requires mine operators to have
written safety programs for surface mo-
bile equipment, excluding belt convey-
ors, at surface mines and the surface
areas of underground mines. The agen-
cy requires that mine operators develop
programs, implement them, and update
them when necessary. The written safety
program must be developed and updat-
ed with input from miners and their rep-
resentatives. The written safety program
must include actions mine operators will
take to identify hazards and risks to re-
duce accidents, injuries, and fatalities re-
lated to surface mobile equipment.
In recent years, powered haulage
equipment and machinery have been
the leading causes of serious and fatal
mine accidents. “Given the number of se-
rious and fatal machinery and powered
haulage accidents that have occurred
in recent years, MSHA has worked hard
to issue this final rule to enhance safe-
ty protections for miners working with
and around surface mobile equipment,”
said Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety
and Health Chris Williamson. “As MSHA
works with the entire mining community
Turner Mining Group will provide a wide range of mining services for Bayer at its Soda Springs facility.
(Photo: Turner Mining Group)
8 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
to implement the new rule, we strongly
encourage everyone to prioritize training
and to identify and eliminate machinery
and powered haulage hazards that can
put miners’ lives and livelihoods at risk.”
The agency said the final rule of-
fers mine operators flexibility to devise
a safety program that is appropriate for
their specific mining conditions and oper-
ations. It becomes effective January 19,
2024, but compliance is not required until
July 17, 2024.
Turner Mining Group
Awarded 5-Year Mining
Contract with Bayer
Bayer awarded Turner Mining Group
a 5-year mining contract for its facility
in Soda Springs, Idaho. This strategic
partnership represents a significant mile-
stone for both companies, as it combines
Turner Mining Group’s industry-leading
safety and performance in mine services
with Bayer’s commitment to sustainable
and responsible resource management.
The contract, which was set to com-
mence in January 2024, encompasses a
wide range of mining services, including
drilling, blasting, mining of ore and waste,
over-the-road ore hauling, and material
processing. Turner Mining Group said it will
leverage its experience and expertise to
ensure the efficient and environmentally re-
sponsible extraction of valuable resources.
“We are excited to enter into this
strategic partnership with Turner Mining
Group,” said James Kramer, procure-
ment category manager at Bayer. “Their
reputation for excellence in mine services
aligns perfectly with Bayer’s commitment
to sustainable resource management.
This collaboration will not only enhance
our operational efficiency but also con-
tribute to our sustainability goals.”
Turner Mining Group is well known
for its unwavering commitment to safety
and performance. The company places
a high priority on the safety of its em-
ployees and environmental protection,
implementing strict safety protocols and
investing in state-of-the-art equipment
and technology to ensure safe and effi-
cient mining operations.
“We are honored to be selected by
Bayer for this long-term mining contract,”
said Keaton Turner, president and CEO,
Turner Mining Group. “This partnership
represents a significant vote of confi-
dence in our ability to deliver excep-
tional mining services while maintaining
the highest safety standards. We look
forward to supporting Bayer in achiev-
ing their objectives and advancing our
shared commitment to sustainability.”
Integra Submits Draft MPO
for Delamar
Integra Resources Corp. has submitted a
draft Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) to the
U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
for the DeLamar and Florida Mountain
Project located in southwestern Idaho.
The MPO is the culmination of more
than 3 years of environmental baseline
studies, initial engineering design, and
detailed description of mining and recla-
mation activities proposed for DeLamar.
It allows the company to initiate the draft
environmental impact statement (EIS)
process and begin work on the ancillary
permits necessary to bring DeLamar to a
production decision.
www.e-mj.com

The MPO submittal will initiate the
BLM’s review process. A completeness
determination would initiate the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process,
which is expected to begin in mid-2024.
“We are incredibly proud of the team
at Integra for the submission of the MPO
for DeLamar,” said Jason Kosec, presi-
dent, CEO and director for Integra. “This
not only represents a critical milestone in
the advancement of the Project, but also
sets Integra apart from its peers, being
one of only a few development compa-
nies in the western U.S. with a project
entering the NEPA permitting process.”
The MPO includes preliminary en-
gineering and site design to define pit
layout, heap leach location, development
rock storage facility design, and related
sequencing. In addition, the MPO in-
cludes placement of ancillary facilities,
incorporating access roads, power gen-
eration, primary crushing and processing.
During the MPO review process by
the BLM, the company will continue per-
mitting efforts in anticipation of the start of
the NEPA and EIS process at DeLamar.
Foran Project Reaches
Environmental Milestone
Foran Mining Corp. has achieved a major
milestone for its McIlvenna Bay Project in
Saskatchewan. Foran is planning to de-
velop a copper, zinc, gold, and silver mine
at McIlvenna Bay, and the project recent-
ly secured Ministerial Approval under the
province’s Environmental Assessment Act.
The Ministerial Approval concludes the
Environmental Impact Assessment pro-
cess for the project, enabling the compa-
ny to advance the project into the permit-
ting phase to secure necessary approvals
to construct and operate the mine.
Stantec completed an assessment
of the project’s effects on groundwater
quantity and quality. The modeling exam-
ined groundwater levels and groundwa-
ter discharge to surface water features.
It also looked at impacts of potential
mine seepage on groundwater. Stantec
continues to provide environmental as-
sessment services to Foran as the proj-
ect progresses into the final design and
construction phases.
McIlvenna Bay is a rich mineral de-
posit that is part of the Flin Flon Green-
stone Belt that has been producing min-
erals for 100 years. McIlvenna Bay is
located about 65 km west of Flin Flon,
www.e-mj.com
The Vanstar acquisition adds to IAMGOLD’s exploration portfolio within Northern Quebec. (Photo: IAMGOLD)
Manitoba, and is the largest undevel-
oped deposit in the region.
“Stantec has been an invaluable part-
ner during the groundwater modeling and
assessment process, through feasibility
and the environmental impact assess-
ment,” said Kirsten Ketilson, Foran’s ESG
director. “Their expertise has proven to be
an indispensable asset to our team.”
IAMGOLD to Acquire
Vanstar Resources
IAMGOLD Corp. has signed an agree-
ment to acquire all shares of Vanstar
Mining Resources Inc. Vanstar’s share-
holders will receive 0.2008 of an IAM-
GOLD common share for each Vanstar
share, which implies a total transaction
value of approximately $31.1 million.
Vanstar is a gold exploration company
with properties located in Northern Que-
bec at different stages of development.
Vanstar’s primary asset is a 25% interest
in the Nelligan joint venture project (IAM-
GOLD holds the other 75%), which is lo-
cated 60 km southwest of Chibougamau,
Quebec, Canada.
Under the terms of the current joint
venture agreement, IAMGOLD has the op-
tion to acquire an additional interest of 5%
by completing and delivering a feasibility
study on the project. Vanstar’s remaining
20% interest would be retained as an un-
divided non-contributory carried interest
until the commencement of commercial
production, after which the 20% undivided
interest becomes participating and Van-
REGIONAL NEWS - U.S. & CANADA
star would be required to pay its attribut-
able portion of the total development and
construction costs to the commencement
of commercial production from 80% of its
share of any distributions from the joint
venture. Vanstar also hold a 1% NSR roy-
alty on selected claims of the project.
“This transaction consolidates our
interests in the highly prospective Nelli-
gan deposit while building our explora-
tion portfolio within Northern Quebec,’
commented Renaud Adams, president
and CEO of IAMGOLD. “Our exploration
efforts at Nelligan to date, in partnership
with Vanstar, have shown the potential
for further resource expansion, which we
will continue to advance.”
On January 12, 2023, IAMGOLD an-
nounced an updated mineral resource
estimate for Nelligan of 72.2 million metric
tons (mt) of indicated mineral resources
averaging 0.85 g/mt of gold for 1.97 mil-
lion oz of gold, and 114.1 million mt of in-
ferred mineral resources averaging 0.88
g/mt of gold for 3.24 million oz of gold.
Nippon Steel to Buy
U.S. Steel
Through its subsidiary, Nippon Steel North
America, Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp.
(NSC) has agreed to acquire U.S. Steel
Corp. in a transaction valued at $14.1 bil-
lion. The agreement ends a monthslong
sales process for U.S. Steel, which had
been evaluating multiple offers.
The acquisition will enhance NSC’s
world-leading manufacturing and tech-
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 9
REGIONAL NEWS - U.S. & CANADA
nology capabilities and enable it to ex-
pand geographically. The transaction will
further diversify NSC’s global footprint by
significantly expanding its current pro-
duction in the USA, adding to its primary
geographies of Japan, ASEAN, and In-
dia. As a result of NSC’s acquisition of
U.S. Steel, its expected total annual
crude steel capacity will reach 86 mil-
lion mt, accelerating progress towards
NSC’s strategic goal of 100 million mt
of global crude steel capacity annually.
“We are excited that this transaction
brings together two companies with
world-leading technologies and man-
ufacturing capabilities, demonstrating
our mission to serve customers world-
wide, as well as our commitment to
building a more environmentally friend-
ly society through the decarbonization
of steel,” NSC President Eiji Hashimoto
said. “NSC has long admired U.S. Steel
with deep respect for its advanced
technologies, rich history, and talented
workforce and we believe we can joint-
ly take on the challenge of raising our
aspirations to even greater heights. The
transaction builds on our presence in
the United States and we are committed
to honoring all of U.S. Steel’s existing
union contracts.”
U.S. Steel is an integrated blast fur-
nace and electric arc furnace steel man-
ufacturer. It manufactures steel in the
USA and Europe (Slovakia) and distrib-
utes steel sheets for automotive, home
appliances, construction materials, and
tubular for the energy industry. U.S.
Steel’s crude steel production capacity is
approximately 20 million mt.
In addition to highly competitive in-
tegrated blast furnace mills, U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel’s iron ore mines contribute hundreds of million of dolars to the Minnesota economy. (Photo: U.S. Steel)
10 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
owns valuable assets such as one of the
world’s most advanced electric arc fur-
nace mini mill that is capable of produc-
ing high-grade steel, and iron ore mines
to self-supply manufacturing operations
in North America.
The company’s Minnesota Ore Oper-
ations in the Mesabi Iron Range of north-
ern Minnesota contributed $1.8 billion to
the local and state economy in fiscal year
2022, according to an economic impact
report released during December 2023.
The report further concluded that U.S.
Steel’s economic activity supported or
sustained 5,284 jobs. Facilities in this
region include Minntac in Mt. Iron and
Keetac in Keewatin.
U.S. Steel generated $141 million in
state and local taxes in Minnesota. The
company’s Minnesota Ore Operations
contribute annually to Minnesota public
schools through the Minnesota Perma-
nent School Fund. U. S. Steel has contrib-
uted more than $154 million since 2018
and is the largest contributor to this fund.
American Pacific Receives
Permits for the Madison
Project
American Pacific Mining Corp said it
has received the permits necessary to
commence drilling at the Madison cop-
per-gold project in Montana, USA. The
company said the five-hole diamond drill
campaign, which is expected to com-
mence in Q1 2024, is designed to further
define and expand on known near-sur-
face, high-grade copper and gold miner-
alization, while extending beneath known
mineralization to provide a foundation for
deeper exploration in areas which have
seen limited historical drilling.
“The Madison Project has always
been of keen interest to our team, given
its historical high-grades and still limit-
ed exploration,” said American Pacific
CEO Warwick Smith. “Madison has been
shown to carry significant grades, partic-
ularly in the skarn and we look forward
to extending skarn mineralization, as we
prepare to conduct more comprehensive
exploration into the porphyry-style miner-
alization beneath.”
Previous drilling in this area returned
drill intersections of 14.44 grams per
metric ton (g/mt) gold over 6.5 meters
(m) and 6.97% copper over 61.6 m.
Kennecott to Fully Transition
to Renewable Diesel
Rio Tinto will replace its entire petro-
leum-based diesel consumption with re-
newable diesel at its Kennecott copper
operation in Utah from 2024. The mine’s
fleet of 90 haul trucks and all heavy ma-
chinery will begin to transition to renew-
able diesel in the first quarter of 2024,
along with consumption from the concen-
trator, smelter, and refinery.
The transition will reduce Kennecott’s
Scope 1 carbon emissions by approx-
imately 495,000 tons of CO2 equivalent
per annum, comparable to eliminat-
ing the annual emissions of more than
107,000 passenger cars.
The renewable diesel is made from
renewable biogenic materials sourced
in the United States. It will be supplied
through the existing diesel supply chain,
as part of a continuing partnership be-
tween Kennecott and HF Sinclair.
“Transitioning Kennecott completely to
renewable diesel builds on a suite of de-
carbonization initiatives that have reduced
carbon emissions from the operation by
65% since 2019,” said Rio Tinto Copper
COO Clayton Walker. “This is an import-
ant next step in our commitment to finding
new and better ways to reduce operation-
al emissions, while producing materials
essential to the global energy transition.”
The decision to convert to renewable
diesel comes after a successful 7-month
trial at Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon
mine. This trial was conducted in collab-
oration with Cummins to test renewable
diesel in different operational environ-
ments and on different equipment which
supported the decision of Original Equip-
ment Manufacturers to approve the use
of renewable diesel in their equipment.
www.e-mj.com

Torex Gold Reports Successful
Breakthrough of Guajes Tunnel
Torex Gold President and CEO, Jody Kuzenko, detonates the final blast to achieve the breakthrough.
Just before the Christmas break, Torex
Gold Resources Inc. completed the break-
through of the Guajes Tunnel. The tunnel
unifies the Morelos Complex in Mexico
by connecting the existing operations on
the north side of the Balsas River with the
growing resource base of the Media Luna
Cluster on the south side. Torex Gold
operates the Morelos Complex, which in-
cludes the El Limón Guajes (ELG) mine
complex, the Media Luna project, a pro-
cessing plant, and related infrastructure.
“The breakthrough of the Guajes Tunnel
is a critical milestone in the development
of the Media Luna project, which remains
on track for first concentrate production in
late 2024,” said Jody Kuzenko, president
and CEO of Torex. “The Guajes Tunnel will
be the primary conduit for transporting ore
and waste from the Media Luna deposit on
the south side of the Balsas River to the
processing plant on the north side.” It will
also move miners and materials more effi-
ciently between both locations.
The breakthrough was achieved three
months earlier than scheduled, primari-
ly driven by world-class advance rates.
Rates north to south have averaged 7.1
meters per day (m/d) since the start of the
year, including a record average advance
rate of 8 m/d in November. What makes
the advance rates truly impressive is that
the tunnel is 6.5-m high by 6-m wide and
www.e-mj.com
that secondary development and installa-
tion of services have kept pace with over-
all tunnel progress, Kuzenko explained.
“We expect to commence anchor bolt-
ing for the 7-km overhead conveyor in
early 2024, which will pave the way for
the installation and then commissioning of
the conveyor in August 2024 well ahead
of completing the necessary upgrades to
the processing plant,” Kuzenko said.
Atlas Lithium Finds Funding
Atlas Lithium Corp. has secured $50
million from Chinese customers Yahua
and Chengxin, which will cover its total
capital expenditures for its Phase 1 de-
velopment. Under an accelerated devel-
opment timeline, the company could be
producing spodumene concentrate at its
Neves lithium project in Brazil’s Lithium
Valley by Q4 2024.
Extensive metallurgical test work has
validated the quality of Atlas Lithium’s
spodumene, which prompted the com-
pany’s technical team to expedite the
production timeline for its 100%-owned
Neves Project. The original target of
300,000 mt/year (mt/y) of spodumene
concentrate output remains on track for
2025 as Phase 2. However, the company
now targets to commence the initial pro-
duction of up to 150,000 mt/y of spodu-
mene concentrate by Q4 2024.
REGIONAL NEWS - LATIN AMERICA
This accelerated production timeline
will be enabled by deploying modular
dense media separation (DMS) technol-
ogy and contracting initial crushing and
open-pit mining operations. The first two
DMS modules for Phase 1 are currently
under construction with an estimated de-
livery date to Brazil by April 2024.
Mine development has also pro-
gressed significantly, with well-defined ore
bodies that have enabled the company to
develop a comprehensive mining sched-
ule. The geological modelling team has
completed a detailed block model of the
initial pit area, which has facilitated the de-
sign of an optimal open-pit outline by out-
side consultants. The initial mining plan is
focused on the Anitta 2 and 3 pegmatites.
Atlas said it is focused on sustainably
producing premium spodumene concen-
trate, including plans to maximize water re-
cycling, employ 100% dry-stacked tailings
without dams, avoid hazardous chemicals
in flotation during the lithium concentration
process, and planning to use renewable
energy sources for power. Additionally, the
company continues building public and pri-
vate partnerships to spur development in
the Jequitinhonha Valley region and takes
pride in serving as a sustainable job cre-
ator benefiting local communities.
SSR Mining Sells San Luis
Project to Highlander
SSR Mining Inc. said it has entered into
a definitive agreement to sell its San
Luis project to Highlander Silver Corp.
for $42.5 million. San Luis is a greenfield
gold and silver development project lo-
cated in the Ancash Department of Cen-
tral Peru. Backed by the Augusta Group
and the Lundin Family, Highlander is a
mineral exploration company focused on
the Central Andes.
Total consideration consists of $5 mil-
lion in upfront cash and up to $37.5 million
in contingent payments payable in cash.
Pursuant to the terms of the agreement,
SSR Mining will retain a 4% net smelter
returns royalty on the project, which will be
granted prior to the closing of the transac-
tion, which is expected in Q1 2024.
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 11
 REGIONAL NEWS - AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA
Evolution Proposes Northparkes
Acquisition
Evolution Mining has entered a binding
agreement to acquire an 80% interest in
the Northparkes copper-gold mine from
CMOC Group Ltd. for a total cash consid-
eration of up to $475 million. The proposed
transaction consists of an upfront cash
consideration of $400 million; and a con-
tingent consideration of up to $75 million.
Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumitomo
Corp. will retain its 20% interest in the North-
parkes JV. Under the Transaction struc-
ture, Evolution will acquire all the shares in
CMOC’s Australian subsidiary, CMOC Min-
ing Pty Ltd., which will not trigger any pre­
emptive rights. Evolution has also agreed
to enter into an offtake agreement with IXM
S.A. under which IXM will purchase from
Evolution copper concentrates produced
from the Northparkes mine equal to Evolu-
tion’s 80% attributable interest over the life
of mine’s existing ore reserves.
In addition, Evolution will assume the
obligations of CMOC Ltd. as guarantor
under the Triple Flag Metal Purchase and
Sale Agreement, under which Evolution
will deliver a percentage of its attributable
gold and silver production from Northpark-
es to Triple Flag over the operation. Com-
pletion of the Transaction is expected to
occur before the end of December 2023.
Underground operations at the Northparkes block cave mine are highly automated. (Photo: Northparkes)
12 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
“The acquisition of Northparkes rep-
resents a unique opportunity to add
another quality asset to our portfolio,
strengthening our positioning as a busi-
ness that prospers through the cycle,”
said Evolution’s Executive Chair, Jake
Klein. “Northparkes is a Day-1 cashflow
producing asset with a ~30-year mine life,
considerable upside and a well-estab-
lished team that has a great track record
and technical experience at the operation.
“CMOC has decided to exit the as-
set in pursuit of other strategic initiatives
more aligned to CMOC’s objectives. Ulti-
mately, this is a mutually beneficial out-
come for both parties and an opportunity
for Evolution to continue delivering on
the successful track record of the oper-
ation,” Klein said.
Located 27 km northwest of Parkes,
New South Wales, Northparkes has a
long history of ore reserve replenishment
and growth.
Northparkes was the first mine to use
the block cave mining method in Aus-
tralia. The asset’s underground mining
operations are highly automated, with
E48 block cave achieving 100% mining
automation in 2015. Mining production
is currently sourced from the E48 block
cave (which is nearing completion),
the E26 lift 1 block cave and the E26
sub-level cave supplemented by stock-
pile ore feed and open pit mining. The
onsite processing plant at Northparkes
produces a copper-gold-silver concen-
trate that is trucked and railed to the
Port of Newcastle before being shipped
to international clients.
Rio Tinto Progresses
Rhodes Ridge to PFS
Rio Tinto has approved a $77 million
pre-feasibility study (PFS) to progress
development of the Rhodes Ridge iron
ore project in the East Pilbara in West-
ern Australia. The commencement of a
PFS follows completion of an order of
magnitude study that considered devel-
opment of an operation with initial ca-
pacity of up to 40 million metric tons per
year (mt/y). The PFS is expected to be
completed by the end of 2025 and will
be followed by a feasibility study. First
ore from the initial development is ex-
pected by the end of this decade.
“The size and quality of the resource
base at Rhodes Ridge has the potential
to underpin our iron ore business in the
Pilbara for decades to come,” Rio Tinto
Iron Ore Chief Executive Simon Trott
said. “Longer term, the resource could
support a world-class mining hub with a
potential capacity of more than 100 mil-
lion mt/y of high-quality iron ore.”
Rio Tinto is planning to spend more
than $264 million on exploration over five
years from 2024 through 2028 as part of
the ongoing study phases. Study work
to date indicates a staged development
with an initial hub likely located in the
northern part of the project, adjacent to
existing rail infrastructure.
Rhodes Ridge contains 6.8 billion mt
of mineral resources at an average grade
of 61.6% Fe, including 5.3 billion mt at
62.2% Fe and 600 million mt at 63.9% Fe.
Last year, Rio Tinto (50%) and Wright
Prospecting Pty Ltd (50%) agreed to
modernize the joint venture covering the
Rhodes Ridge project, located 40 km
northwest of Newman.
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Kamoa-Kakula Exports Copper
Concentrate Using the Lobito Corridor
The first shipment of copper concentrate
from the Ivanhoe Mines’ Kamoa-Kaku-
la copper complex arrived by rail at the
Atlantic Ocean port of Lobito, in Angola.
The first shipment is a part of the trial ton-
nage under the memorandum of under-
standing signed between Lobito Atlantic
International SARL and Kamoa Copper
S.A. on August 18, 2023.
The rail line, linking the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) Copperbelt
to the port of Lobito in Angola, known as
Lobito Corridor, extends 1,289 km east,
from the port to the Angola-DRC border
town of Luau. The line then extends a
further 450 km east into the DRC, on the
Société Nationale des Chemins de fer
du Congo (SNCC) rail network, to Kol-
wezi. The line passes within 5 km of the
Kamoa-Kakula copper complex license
boundary and through the Western Fore-
land Exploration Project.
The previously announced trial ship-
ment is for the transportation of up to
10,000 metric tons (mt) of copper concen-
trate from Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 1 and
2 concentrators, along the Lobito Corridor.
Information will be gathered from the tri-
al shipment on greenhouse gas savings,
transit times, operating costs and other
factors. An initial shipment of approxi-
mately 1,110 mt of Kamoa-Kakula’s cop-
per concentrate was loaded on rail wag-
ons at the Impala Terminals warehouse
in Kolwezi and departed west along the
Lobito Corridor on December 23, 2023.
The shipment arrived at the port of Lobito
8 days later on December 31, 2023.
Currently, Kamoa-Kakula trucks its
copper concentrates by road across
sub-Saharan Africa to the ports of Durban
in South Africa and Dar es Salaam in Tan-
zania, as well as Beira in Mozambique and
Walvis Bay in Namibia. In 2023, approxi-
mately 90% of Kamoa-Kakula’s concen-
trates were shipped to international cus-
tomers from the ports of Durban and Dar
es Salaam, where an average round-trip
takes between approximately 40 and 50
days. The distance from Kamoa-Kakula
to the port of Lobito is approximately half
that compared with the port of Durban,
www.e-mj.com
The first train load of copper concentrate from the Kamoa-Kakula operation in the DRC arrives at the
Lobito Port in Angola. (Photo: Ivanhoe Mines)
and transportation by rail is both quicker
and significantly less energy-intensive.
Once fully active, the Lobito Corridor
is expected to significantly improve the
logistics costs and reduce the Scope 3
emissions carbon footprint of Kamoa-Ka-
kula copper exports. The development
of Ivanhoe’s current and future copper
discoveries within the Western Foreland
basin will also greatly benefit from the
Lobito Corridor.
“Our first trial shipment is an import-
ant milestone on the path to creating a
new supply chain linking the Central Af-
rican Copperbelt to world markets,” said
Ivanhoe Mines’ Founder and Executive
Co-Chairman Robert Friedland. “Estab-
lishing a reliable, modern rail link to the
port of Lobito in Angola will have trans-
formational benefits for the people of the
DRC, Angola and Zambia. Steel wheels
going downhill on steel rails, from over
3,000 feet elevation at Kamoa-Kakula
down to sea level at Lobito, will lower the
cost and carbon footprint associated with
exporting our copper anodes. Further im-
provements are possible through the use
of technology, such as battery-electric
locomotives, which are capable of gen-
erating electricity as they go downhill.”
REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA
Rio Tinto Offer Update
on Simandou
Rio Tinto recently provided an update on
the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea,
which is being progressed in partnership
with CIOH, a Chinalco-led consortium,
Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS),
Baowu, and the Republic of Guinea.
Simandou is the world’s largest un-
tapped high-grade iron ore deposit, ac-
cording to Rio Tinto. The Simfer joint ven-
ture’s mine concession held an estimated
total mineral resource as of December 31,
2022 of 2.8 billion metric tons (mt), of which
Rio Tinto is reporting the conversion of an
estimated 1.5 billion mt to ore reserves that
support a mine life of 26 years, with an
average grade of 65.3% iron and low im-
purities. Rio Tinto is also reporting mineral
resources exclusive of ore reserves of 1.4
billion mt at 66.1% Fe and low impurities.
Rio Tinto estimates that its initial
share of capital expenditure to develop
the Simfer mine and the co-developed
rail and port infrastructure project is ap-
proximately $6.2 billion.
“We are continuing to work closely
with the Government of Guinea, Chi-
nalco, Baowu and WCS towards full
(Continued on p. 15)
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 13
 NEWS - THIS MONTH IN COAL
Sanctions Weigh Heavily on
Russian Coal Miners
By Vladislav Vorotnikov
By 2030, Russian coal exports are expect-
ed to slump by 30% or 64 million metric tons
(mt), against 2021, unless massive invest-
ments are pumped into railway infrastruc-
ture development and import-replacement
of critical technologies, a forecast made by
the Russian Energy Ministry envisaged.
Under the radical scenario, Russian
coal production will plummet by 55 mil-
lion mt or 12.5%, entailing harsh con-
sequences for the economy of the coal
mining regions. The Ministry stated that
the existence of 10 communities that rely
on coal mining with a total population of
700,000 is expected to be in jeopardy
due to the closure of coal mines.
“Russia faces a threat of losing big
markets with a total volume of supplies
of 64 million mt/year,” the Ministry said,
adding that this figure doesn’t include
exports to Japan, Korea and Taiwan, the
future of which is not guaranteed.
Russian coal on those markets will
be replaced by supplies from Australia,
Indonesia, and, to a lesser extent, from
the USA, South Africa and Columbia, the
Ministry reported.
The only chance to avert this slump
in exports is by expanding the Eastern
Polygon, a Siberian railway system con-
sisting of the Baikal Amur Mainline and
Trans-Siberian Railway, to facilitate the
delivery of coal to the sea ports in the
Russian Far East.
In addition, substantial investments
are needed to replace the import of crit-
ical Western technologies, from which
Russian coal miners are barred by sanc-
tions, the Ministry noted.
Beating these goals will take up to 1.2
trillion roubles ($14 billion), the Ministry
calculated.
Russia is struggling to diversify coal
exports, but supplies to Asia, Africa and
the Middle East are hampered by prob-
lems with logistics, freight, and insur-
ance, Maxim Basov, general of SUEK,
the largest Russian coal producer, told
local press in September 2023.
Moreover, to access new markets,
Russian coal miners would have to offer
14 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
their product at a considerable discount.
In Asia-Pacific and Africa, the discount
reaches up to 67% to 73% of regional
benchmarks, a source in the Russian coal
industry told local newspaper Vedomosti.
The sanctions have pushed the price
of Russian exports below $100/mt, and
in some cases, to $90/mt, according to a
report by the Australian Department of In-
dustry Science and Resources. In addition,
a continuing downward rally of the Russian
ruble spurs operational costs in the Rus-
sian coal industry, particularly those asso-
ciated with replacing equipment.
The Russian coal industry has a “criti-
cal dependence” on foreign technologies,
the Energy Ministry said in a separate re-
port. The Russian authorities are encour-
aging local businesses to look into the
import-replacement of 78 items of mining
equipment and components, which are
in the highest demand among the coal
mines, though it would take years before
any tangible results are achieved.
Australia’s North Goonyella
Renamed Centurion
Peabody announced that its North Goo-
nyella mine in Queensland, Australia, will
now be known as the Centurion mine. In
October, the company reached an agree-
ment to acquire a large portion of the
Wards Well coal deposit adjacent to the
existing North Goonyella mine. The new
name reflects the pending addition of the
Lila Canyon (above) suffered a fire in September 2022 and has been unable to recover. (Photo: ACNR)
acquired resources, creating a premier,
tier-one premium hard coking coal mine
with a life of 25 years or more.
The Centurion mine remains on track
to commence mining of development
coal in the first quarter of 2024.
North Goonyella was idled because
of fire in Q3 2018. Since commencing
redevelopment in late 2022, Peabody
has invested more than $53 million on
ventilation, equipment, conveyors, and
infrastructure updates. Prior to the Wards
Well acquisition, North Goonyella had
more than 70 million tons of reserves.
ACNR Idles Lila Canyon
Indefinitely
The Lila Canyon underground coal mine,
located near Pirce, Utah, has been idled
indefinitely, according to the Salt Lake Tri-
bune. A WARN notice filed with the Utah
Department of Workforce Development
said that as many 150 employees could be
laid off by January 19, 2024. The longwall
mine, which is operated by Emery County
Coal Resources, a subsidiary of American
Consolidated Natural Resources (ACNR),
suffered a fire in September 2022 and it has
been unable to recover from it. In 2021, Lila
Canyon produced nearly 3.5 million tons
per year, according to data from the Mine
Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
While some of the coal was exported, most
of it was consumed by the Hunter and Hun-
tington power plants in Utah.
www.e-mj.com
 NEWS - CONTINUED

(Regional News-Africa - from p. 13)

sanction of this world-class project by

all partners,” said Rio Tinto Executive
Committee lead for Guinea and Copper
Chief Executive Bold Baatar. “Simandou
will deliver a significant new source of
high-grade iron ore that will strengthen
Rio Tinto’s portfolio for the decarbon-
ization of the steel industry, along with
trans-Guinean rail and port infrastructure
that can make a significant contribution
to the country’s economic development.”
In what will be the largest greenfield
integrated mine and infrastructure invest-
ment in Africa, more than 600 km of new
multi-use rail together with port facilities
will be co-developed by the Republic of
Guinea, Simfer and WCS. This will allow Considerable earthworks has commenced on Mount Ouéléba as well as the construction of several
the export of up to 120 million mt/y of other infrastructures necessary for the operation of our Simandou iron mine. (Photo: Rio Tinto Simfer)
mined iron ore by Simfer and WCS from
their respective Simandou mining con- proximately 70-km Simfer spur rail line First production from the Simfer
cessions in the southeast of the country. and a 60 million mt/y transhipment vessel mine is expected in 2025, ramping up
The co-developed infrastructure ca- port, while WCS will construct the dual- over 30 months to 60 million mt/y (27
pacity and associated cost will be shared track approximately 536-km main rail million mt/y Rio Tinto share). The mine
equally between Simfer, which will de- line, the approximately 16-km WCS spur will initially deliver a single-fines product
velop, own and operate a 60 million mt/y rail line and a 60 million mt/y barge wharf. before transitioning to a dual-fines prod-
mine in blocks 3 and 4 of the Simandou Once complete, all co-developed uct of blast furnace- and direct reduc-
Project, and WCS, which is developing infrastructure and rolling stock will be tion-ready ore.
blocks 1 and 2. transferred to and operated by the Com- Simfer’s initial capital funding require-
Under the co-development arrange- pagnie du Transguinéen joint venture, ment for the Simandou project is estimat-
ment, Simfer and WCS will deliver sep- in which Simfer and WCS each hold a ed to be approximately $11.6 billion, of
arate infrastructure scopes to leverage 42.5% equity stake and the Guinean which Rio Tinto’s share is approximately
expertise. Simfer will construct the ap- State a 15% equity stake. $6.2 billion.

NEWS - CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FEBRUARY 5-8, 2024: Mining Indaba, Cape Town, South Africa. JUNE 4-7, 2024: Elko Mining Expo, Elko Convention & Conference
Contact: Web: www.miningindaba.com. Center, Elko, Nevada, USA. Contact: Web: https://exploreelko.com/.

FEBRUARY 25-28, 2024: Society for Mining, Metallurgy and
Exploration (SME), Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Contact: Web:
www.smenet.org.
MARCH 3-6, 2024: Prospectors & Developers Association of Cana-
da (PDAC), Toronto, Canada. Contact: Web: www.pdac.ca.
MAY 12-15, 2024: CIM Connect (formerly known as the Canadian
Institute of Mining’s annual conference), Vancouver Convention
Centre, Vancouver, Canada. Contact: Web: https://convention.cim.org/.
MAY 28-30, 2024: Euro Mine Expo, Skellefteå, Sweden. Contact:
Web: www.euromineexpo.com.
JUNE 3-6, 2024: Exponor, Antofagasta, Chile. Contact: Web:
www.exponor.cl.
SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2024: MINExpo INTERNATIONAL, Las Vegas
Convention Center, Las Vegas, USA. Contact: Web: www.minexpo.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 Confer-
ence (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.
APRIL 6-9, 2025: The Haulage & Loading Conference, Hilton
El Conquistador, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Contact: Web:
www.haulageandloading.com.

www.e-mj.com JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 15

 PROJECT SURVEY 2024
Constraints Mount to Slow Mining
Project Growth in 2024
Even though capital spending growth will moderate this year, it should reach the
highest level in nearly 10 years
By Joe Govreau
Global mine project construction activity
growth slowed in 2023 and looks to have
plateaued as the first quarter of 2024
begins. This appears to be a near-term
phenomenon, as the energy transition
locomotive, which spawned a dizzying
amount of battery metal project activi-
ty, has encountered constraining mar-
ket drivers such as subpar China GDP
growth post COVID, slowing adoption
of electric vehicles (EVs) in some parts
of the world, and project cost inflation,
which have combined to delay activity in
an otherwise robust project arena.
Mining project construction activ-
ity declined 2.2% over the past year,
16 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
based on the value of projects, drop-
ping from about $269 billion in 2022
to $263 billion worth of projects cur-
rently under construction. The level of
activity is projected to be flat to mod-
erately higher in 2024 when compared
to 2023. For the most part, mining
companies are moderating growth in
capital expenditures in order to wait
out erratic market drivers. However,
eight of the largest global mining firms
(Anglo American, Barrick, BHP, Free-
port-McMoRan, Glencore, Newmont,
Rio Tinto and Vale) are collectively
planning to spend 8% more in 2024
than they did in 2023, with both BHP
Group and Rio Tinto announcing plans
to spend about $10 billion each. This
follows a 6-year growth cycle, which
has seen major mining firm project
spending increase every year, since
the bottom of the last cycle in 2017,
except during the COVID-impacted
2020. Nevertheless, 2024 should see
mining project spending reach the
highest level since 2015.
There is $1.2 trillion worth of min-
ing project activity worldwide (see
map), according to Industrial Info’s
Global Market Intelligence (GMI).
This includes capital and mainte-
nance projects such as grassroot
www.e-mj.com

mines, expansions, modernizations,
and other in-plant capital and mainte-
nance spending. Projects range from
the early exploration stage through
to those under construction. As can
be seen from the map, the majority of
the activity (74%) falls in the pre-ap-
proval stage, meaning those projects
have not received financing or permit
approval. These include projects in
the exploration, scoping, feasibility,
advanced planning, and permitting
stages. Projects that have reached
approval or are involved with detailed
engineering total $118.8 billion, and
there is $263 billion worth of projects
currently under construction.
Mining companies are preparing
for the expected long-term demand
increase for energy transition met-
als and minerals like copper, cobalt,
graphite, rare earths, lithium, man-
ganese and nickel. Geopolitical is-
sues, including the continuing war in
Ukraine and China’s dominance over
critical mineral processing, are forcing
governments to seek energy and re-
source security, which will be a major
driver for reshoring, near-shoring and
friend-shoring activity in 2024. Austra-
lia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico,
Morocco, Panama, Peru, Singapore
and South Korea are set to benefit
from this trend.
Government stimulus to spur do-
mestic production of critical and strate-
gic metals and minerals is dominating
mining company investment decisions.
Governments are also seeking to in-
crease the benefit of domestic natural
resources, often through measures
such as increased royalties and tax-
ation, stricter regulations or even na-
tionalization of industries. Resource
nationalism is impacting project activ-
ity in many parts of the world, name-
ly Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, Namibia,
Peru, and Zimbabwe.
Permitting remains a constraint
to mining projects in the Americas. In
the U.S., the federal government has
blocked certain major critical minerals
projects over environmental concerns,
including the Resolution project in Ar-
izona, and the Twin Metals project in
Minnesota. At the same time, the feder-
al government has also supported oth-
er projects. Most recently, the South32
www.e-mj.com
Hermosa Project in Arizona has been
put on the FAST-41 permitting process.
FAST-41 was created in 2016 to speed
up permitting for large infrastructure
projects and was expanded in 2021 to
include mining projects. Even with in-
clusion of FAST-41, the process is not
necessarily “fast” as the current time-
line takes the environmental impact
statement (EIS) through 2026 and the
final decision for approval is not sched-
uled until September 2026.
As a result of the long permitting
process for new mines, there has been
an increase in expansions and efficien-
cy improvements at existing mines,
which are easier to permit.
Environmental Social & Gover-
nance, or ESG, is becoming more
prominent in corporate plans and is
influencing financing and project ac-
tivity in a big way. For mining, most
companies are focusing on renew-
able energy projects, mainly solar or
wind and sometimes combinations
with battery storage to replace fossil
fuel usage at mines. Industrial Info is
tracking more than $18 billion worth of
renewable energy projects globally at
mining operations. For example, Anglo
American plans to add 3 to 5 gigawatts
(GW) of renewable energy projects at
its operations. Greenhouse gas re-
duction makes up the majority of the
remaining ESG-related projects, which
include things like replacing diesel
mining equipment with battery elec-
PROJECT SURVEY 2024
tric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cells, and
other electrification projects like trolley
assist projects for mine haul trucks.
U.S. & Canada
In the U.S., the Inflation Reduction
Act, Infrastructure Bill and Critical Min-
erals Bill are driving project develop-
ment throughout the supply chain from
mining, processing to end-product
production. The U.S. Department of
Defense has funded more than $326.9
million to support projects, including:
lithium mining and chemical produc-
tion, graphite mining and processing,
battery recycling, cobalt mining and
processing, rare earth processing and
magnet production, antimony mining,
and nickel mining and processing.
Similar stimuli are happening all over
the world, including in Australia, Can-
ada, China, the EU, and Japan, all of
which have their own stimulus plans
for critical minerals development.
Both the U.S. and Canada are in
the top 10 for mining project activity
in 2024 (see table). In the U.S., High-
land Copper’s Copperwood project
is a fully permitted project (the envi-
ronmental impact statement began in
2008) in Michigan’s upper peninsula.
Approximately $30 million had been
acquired for starting early site works
last year and the company hopes to
acquire full funding in early 2024 to
begin construction next year. But like
many projects in the U.S., funding has
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 17
 PROJECT SURVEY 2024
been difficult to come by, and exten-
sive regulatory requirements keep de-
laying this project.
Latin America
Social unrest and resource nation-
alism have been on the rise in Latin
America in recent years, and this has
had a significant impact on mining ac-
tivity in the region. In May 2023, Chile
approved a new mining royalty and
taxation plan, which increases mining
royalties from the current 5%-14% up
to 8%-26%, depending on the opera-
tion, and adds a 1% ad valorem tax on
sales profit. The new royalty plan has
caused companies to reassess proj-
ects such as Antofagasta’s $4.4 billion
Centinela mine expansion, which has
recently been approved. Freeport Mc-
MoRan has placed some projects on
hold as a result.
In an ongoing saga in Panama, the
government ordered the closure of
First Quantum’s Cobre Panama copper
mine by June 2024 after declaring its
operating contract unconstitutional.
Like other parts of the world, project
activity in the region is being driven by
demand for metals necessary for the
energy transition especially copper and
lithium. There has been an increase in
lithium investment projects in Argenti-
na, Chile, and Bolivia, in addition to the
discovery of new deposits in Peru, Bra-
zil, and Mexico.
18 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
Europe
The ongoing war in Ukraine and ener-
gy transition continue to be major driv-
ers for project activity in Europe. In the
EU, the Critical Raw Materials Act is
due to be enforced in early 2024. The
act states that the EU should mine
10%, recycle 25% and process 40%
of its annual needs of 17 strategic raw
materials by 2030. These include base
metals aluminum, copper and nickel,
along with key battery material lithium
and rare earth elements used in per-
manent magnets for wind turbines or
in electric vehicles.
Russia is currently the third largest
country in the world for mining project
activity in 2024 after China and Cana-
da. Construction is scheduled to begin
in summer 2024 for the delayed $8 bil-
lion GDK Baimskaya copper-gold mine.
And the United Kingdom has also risen
up to the top 20 with projects like Anglo
America’s Woodsmith polyhalite project
under construction.
Africa
Africa’s mineral reserves are vast. Ac-
cording to the UN, Africa is home to
30% of the world’s mineral reserves,
and it continues to receive resource
and infrastructure investment from
many countries interested in secur-
ing critical mineral supply, including
Canada, China, Russia and U.S.,
not to mention many others. Howev-
er, many challenges are constraining
development, including regional geo-
political instability, resource national-
ism, energy/infrastructure investment
and security/safety concerns. Mali,
Namibia, and Zimbabwe have all ini-
tiated new taxation/royalty programs
or nationalized mining to some extent.
Namibia and Zimbabwe have both re-
cently banned lithium ore and other
critical mineral exports with the goal
of encouraging processing in-country.
Safety and security are main concerns
in many countries, especially those
involved in armed conflicts, including
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia,
Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, and
South Sudan. In the DRC, armed con-
flict threatens more than 60% of the
world’s cobalt production, an important
energy transition metal for recharge-
able batteries. All of these issues work
to deter mining investment in these
countries. As a result, countries such
as Ghana, Morocco, Zambia, Ivory
Coast and Guinea are getting more
attention as comparatively friendly ju-
risdictions to do business in. Guinea is
a rising producer of bauxite and the Si-
mandou iron ore project in the country
is moving through construction.
South Africa has the largest estab-
lished mining industry and logistics in-
frastructure, with 324 major operational
mines, and accounts for about 43% of
all mines in Africa. South Africa is an
important producer of platinum group
metals (PGMs), including platinum, pal-
ladium, rhodium, etc., as well as gold,
manganese, coal, zircon, vanadium
and diamonds. However, South Africa’s
electricity problems and common roll-
ing blackouts are discouraging invest-
ments and causing existing operations
to close. And other countries, such as
Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Na-
mibia and Mozambique, have robust
mining project activity.
Middle East
Many countries in the Middle East
have recognized the need to diversi-
fy their economies away from a heavy
reliance on oil and gas exports along
with incorporating decarbonization ini-
tiatives across industries. One avenue
they are exploring is the expansion
www.e-mj.com

of metals and mining industries, with
a focus on manufacturing and val-
ue-added production. Iran dominates
mining activity in the Middle East and
is the only country from the region on
the global top 20 list. The National Ira-
nian Copper Industries Co. is planning
to start construction on a 320-mega-
watt solar farm at the Sarcheshmeh
copper mine in 2024. In Saudi Arabia,
the Saudi Vision 2030 aims to reduce
the country’s dependency on oil by
expanding non-oil industries, includ-
ing mining and manufacturing. Oman
has been focusing on the development
of its mining sector with plans to pro-
cess and export metals like copper
and zinc.
South Asia
India has a growing mining industry
with coal and iron ore leading the way.
Coal accounts for 80% of power gen-
eration capacity in India. Coal India is
on track to dispatch 1 billion metric tons
(mt) of coal this fiscal year, with annual
coal demand expected to remain in the
range of 1.2 billion mt through 2030.
As the second-largest steel producer
in the world, India has a large iron ore
demand. In 2023, iron ore production
was stable at around 250 million mt,
with a 6% increase in domestic steel
production. Indian iron ore production
is expected to increase to 260 million
mt by 2025. In 2024, steel demand in
India is expected to be robust. In Paki-
stan, Saudi Arabia has shown interest
in investing in the world class Reko Diq
gold-copper project.
Southeast Asia
Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines
are all on the global Top 20 list. Indo-
nesia has risen as a pivotal player in
the nickel domain, as the demand for
nickel, a crucial battery component for
electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable
energy storage systems like lithium-ion
batteries, continues to surge globally.
Indonesia’s prominence in the global
nickel industry is partly due to its ban
on nickel ore exports, which has stimu-
lated the growth of nickel mining, met-
al smelting, and processing facilities
within the country. Indonesia is push-
ing forward with multiple high-pressure
acid leaching (HPAL) projects and
www.e-mj.com
plans to broaden its scope by en-
compassing nickel sulfate, hydroxide,
cathode active materials (CAM), and
their precursors (pCam), processing
directly at the production sites. While
Indonesia’s role in the nickel industry
is substantial, it remains subject to
global market dynamics, with China
playing a significant role as the prima-
ry source of foreign direct investment
for projects, and market fluctuations in-
fluenced by EV demand and advance-
ments in battery technology.
Resource nationalism has impacted
nickel direct shipping ore (DSO) oper-
ations, primarily in Indonesia, leading
to a shortage of laterite and saprolite
ores required for smelting and HPAL
processing. Consequently, the Philip-
pines has expedited several grassroot
nickel DSO projects and is in the plan-
ning stages for constructing two addi-
tional HPAL facilities within the country,
spearheaded by the mining company
Nickel Asia Corp. This highlights the
region’s response to the challenges
posed by resource nationalism, demon-
strating its determination to secure
a stable supply of nickel to meet the
growing demands of the clean energy
and electric vehicle industries.
China
China’s economic recovery has been
slower than expected following the
pandemic lockdowns, and continued
friction with its main trading partner,
the U.S., will significantly impact Chi-
na in 2024. As a consumer of more
than half of the world’s resources,
any slowdown in the economy has a
significant impact on global mining
project activity. Still, China remains
the largest country for mining project
development, especially for coal, gold,
copper, and iron ore mining projects.
Lithium and potash project activity is
also very robust. China’s share of the
global market for lithium batteries has
reached more than 80%.
As a result of frequent accidents
in the mining industry, the Chinese
government will conduct strict safety
inspections on the mining industry in
2024, closing small and medium-sized
coal mines to reduce production over-
capacity, increasing investment in
non-ferrous metal mining, focusing on
PROJECT SURVEY 2024
5G+ intelligence, digitalization, and
automation construction in mines.
Australia
Australia is well positioned to support
the energy transition as the world’s
largest miner of lithium, the third-larg-
est producer of cobalt and fourth-larg-
est producer of rare earths elements.
Not to mention a leading exporter of
iron ore and coal as well as other re-
sources, including nickel, manganese
ore, tungsten, and vanadium.
Globally, coal remains the number
one commodity for mining project ac-
tivity (see table). Coal producers are
facing growing constraints on the avail-
ability of finance because banks have
increasingly sought to pivot away from
coal in favor of renewables. Neverthe-
less, Australia is a major exporter of
metallurgical and thermal coal to India,
Japan, South Korea, China, and Tai-
wan, all of which are continuing to add
coal-fired power plant capacity.
In Australia, the rapid growth of
global battery demand will drive mining
and downstream processing project ac-
tivity for battery chemicals like lithium
hydroxide, nickel sulphate, cobalt sul-
phate, high purity alumina, and vanadi-
um pentoxide. The first lithium hydrox-
ide refinery, owned by Tianqi Lithium
Corp and IGO, is now undergoing ma-
jor work to fix production bottlenecks.
The second lithium hydroxide refinery,
owned by Wesfarmers and SQM, is un-
der construction, with first production
expected in 2024. Pilbara Minerals and
Calix are planning to construct a lithi-
um phosphate refinery with a patented
electric kiln technology that can reduce
emission intensity and is powered by
renewable energy.
In conclusion, with construction ac-
tivity plateauing and major mining firm
capital spending growth moderating,
2024 should see flat to modest growth
in project activity in 2024. The energy
transition, ESG goals and government
stimuli to enhance domestic critical
mineral development will be the main
drivers of project activity in 2024.
Govreau is Vice President Research
– Metals & Minerals for Industrial Info
Resources headquartered in Sugar
Land, Texas.
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 19
 PROJECT SURVEY 2024

Major Mining Projects, Year-end 2023*

Project Name Location Status Type Products Owner Project Cost (US$M)**
BASE METALS
Copper
Baimskaya Russia FS, Delayed OP Cu, Au KAZ Minerals 8,500
Reko Diq 1 & 2 Pakistan FS OP Cu, Au Barrick 7,000
Pebble USA PEA, Delayed OP Cu, Au, Mo Northern Dynasty 6,770
Resolution USA PFS UG Cu, Mo Rio Tinto, BHP 6,000
Tampakan Philippines FS OP Cu, Au Sagittarius 5,900
El Pachon Argentina FS OP Cu, Mo Glencore 5,600
Galore Creek Canada PFS OP Au, Ag Newmont, Teck 5,208
Kamoa-Kakula IDP 3 & 4 Dem. Rep. Congo Construction OP, conc Cu Zijin Mining, Ivanhoe, DRC Govt 4,600
Centinela 2 Chile FS, expansion OP, conc Cu Antofagasta Minerals 4,400
Casino Canada FS OP, HL Cu, Au, Ag, Mo Western Copper 3,620
Frieda River Papua New Guinea FS OP Cu, Au PanAust, Highlands Pacific 3,600
El Arco Mexico PFS OP, conc, SX-EW Cu Southern Copper 3,540
NuevaUnion Chile FS OP Cu, Au Newmont, Teck 3,500
Josemaria Argentina FS OP Cu Lundin 3,091
Los Bronces IP Chile Permitting OP, UG Cu Anglo American 3,000
CuMo USA PFS OP Cu, Mo Multi-Metal Development 2,800
Cascabel Ecuador PFS UG Cu, Au, Ag SolGold 2,700
Schaft Creek Canada PEA OP Cu, Au Teck, Copper Fox 2,650
Los Chancas Chile FS Conc, SX-EW Cu Southern Copper 2,600
Michiquillay Peru FS OP Cu, Mo Southern Copper 2,500
Los Azules Argentina PEA OP Cu, Au McEwen Copper 2,462
Vizcachitas Chile PFS OP Cu, Mo Los Andes Copper 2,440
MARA Argentina PFS OP Cu Yamana, Glencore 2,400
La Granja Peru PFS OP Cu First Quantum, Rio Tinto 2,400
Santa Domingo Chile FS Complex Cu, Co, Fe, Au Capstone 2,180
Mason USA PEA OP Cu, Mo Hudbay Minerals 2,100
Las Bambas Peru Expansion OP Cu MMG 2,000
Lumwana Zambia FS, Expansion OP Cu Barrick 2,000
Filo del Sol Chile PFS OP Cu, Au Filo Mining 1,805
Antapaccay-Coroccohuayco Peru PFS OP Cu Glencore 1,500
Berg Canada PEA OP Cu, Mo, Ag, Au Surge Copper 1,472
Tia Maria Peru Construction, delayed OP Cu Southern Copper 1,400
Santo Tomas Mexico PEA OP Cu Oroco Resource 1,340
Copper World USA PFS OP Cu, Mo, Ag Hudbay Minerals 1,300
Kansanshi S3 Zambia Expansion OP Cu, Au First Quantum 1,250
Diamante-Andesita Chile Construction UG Cu Codelco 1,240
Zafranal Peru FS OP Cu, Au Teck 1,230
Zaldivar Chile Permitting, expansion OP Cu Antofagasta 1,200
Arctic USA FS OP Cu, Zn, Pb Ambler Metals 1,177
Santa Cruz USA PEA UG Cu Ivanhoe Electric 1,150
West Musgrave Australia Construction OP Cu, Ni BHP 1,100
Cadia PC1-2 Australia FS UG, plant Cu, Au Newmont 1,100
San Nicolas Mexico PFS OP Cu, Zn Teck, Agnico Eagle 1,100
Costa Fuego Chile PEA OP, UG Cu, Au Hot Chili Ltd 1,050
Cañariaco Peru PEA OP Cu Alta Copper 1,040
NewRange USA Permitting Complex Cu, Ni, PGM, Co Teck, Polymet 945
Mina Justa Peru IA UG Cu Minsur, Copec 924
Copper Creek USA PEA OP, UG Cu, Mo, Ag Faraday Copper 798
Chuquicamata Chile IA UG Cu Codelco 720
White Pine North USA PEA UG Cu, Ag Kinterra, Highland Copper 615
Eva Australia FS OP Cu Harmony 603
Kwanika-Stardust Canada PEA OP, UG Cu, Au NorthWest Copper 600
Los Pelambres 2 Chile Expansion OP Cu Antofagasta Minerals 500
Kennecott NRS USA Construction UG Cu Rio Tinto 498
Escalones Chile PEA OP, HL Cu World Copper 438
Alacran Colombia PFS OP Cu, Au, Ag Cordoba Mining, JCHXX 435
Copperwood USA FS UG Cu Highland Copper 391
McIlvenna Bay Canada FS UG Cu, Zn Au, Ag Foran Mining 368
Kutcho Canada FS OP, UG Cu, Zn Kutcho Copper 360
El Pilar Mexico Construction OP Cu Southern Copper 310
Tucumã Brazil Construction OP Cu Ero Copper 294
Van Dyke USA PEA ISR Cu Copper Fox 290
El Domo-Curipamba Ecuador FS OP, UG Cu, Au Adventus, Salazar 236
Florence USA Construction ISR Cu Taseko Mines, Mitsui 230
Silangan Phillippines Construction OP Cu, Au Philex Mining 224
Zonia USA PEA OP Cu World Copper 198
Chibougamau Canada PEA UG Cu, Au Doré Copper Mining 181
Carmacks Canada PEA OP Cu, Au Granite Creek Copper 162
Pumpkin Hollow USA Restart UG Cu Nevada Copper 115
Parys Mountain UK PEA UG Cu, Zn Anglesey Mining 99
Tower & Rail Canada PEA UG Cu, Zn Rockcliff 81
Johnson Camp USA PEA OP Cu Excelsior Mining 59
Nickel, Cobalt & Molybdenum
Crawford Phase 1 and 2 Canada FS OP Ni, Co, Pd Canada Nickel 3,500
KNP Australia PFS OP Ni, Co Ardea Resources, Japanese consortium 3,100

20 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024 www.e-mj.com

 PROJECT SURVEY 2024

Project Name Location Status Type Products Owner Project Cost (US$M)**
Sonic Bay Indonesia IA, pending Refinery Ni, Co BASF, Eramet 2,600
Wingellina Australia PFS OP Ni, Co NiCo Resources 2,500
Baptiste Canada PFS OP Ni, Co, Fe FPX Nickel 2,182
Turnagain Canada PEA OP Ni, Co Giga Metals, Mitsubishi 1,900
Sunrise Australia FS OP, conc Ni, Co Sunrise Energy Metals 1,830
Sorowako Indonesia FS Smelter Ni Vale Indonesia, Huayou 1,800
Nickel Shäw Canada PFS OP Ni, Cu Nickel Creek Platinum 1,700
Rönnbacken Sweden PEA OP Ni, Co Bluelake Mineral Group 1,400
Dumont Canada FS OP Ni, Co Waterton 1,018
Malmbjerg Greenland IA, pending OP Mo Greenland Resources 820
Araguaia 2 Brazil FS OP Ni Horizonte Minerals 694
Kabanga Tanzania FS UG Ni, Cu, Co Lifezone Metals 658
Vermelho Brazil FS OP Ni Horizonte Minerals 652
Eagles Nest Canada FS UG Ni, Cu, PGE Ring of Fire Metals 609
Thompson Creek USA PFS OP Mo Centerra 400
Broken Hill Australia PFS OP Co Cobalt Blue 384
Mt. Thirsty Australia PFS OP Ni, Co Greenstone, Conico 330
Crean Hill Canada PEA OP, UG Ni, Cu, Co Magna Mining 330
Samapleu Côte d’Ivoire PEA Complex Ni, Cu Sama Resources 282
Ulsan South Korea IA Refinery Ni Korea Zinc, Trafigura 140
Zinc/Lead
Hermosa-Taylor USA PFS UG Zn, Pb, Ag South32 1,230
Citronen Greenland FS UG Zn, Pb Ironbark 654
Pine Point Canada PEA OP, UG Zn, Pb Osisko Metals 653
Hilarion Peru PFS UG Zn, Pb Nexa Resources 585
Gamsberg 2 South Africa Expansion, construction OP Zn Vendanta Zinc 405
Prairie Creek Canada Permitting UG Zn, Pb, Ag NorZinc 368
Macmillan Pass Canada PEA OP Zn, Pb Fireweed Metals 296
Prieska South Africa FS OP, UG Zn, Cu Orion 267
Ayawilca Peru PEA UG Zn, Pb, Ag Tinka Resources 264
Lagoa Salgada Portugal FS UG Zn Ascendant Resources 164
Gorno Italy Scoping UG Zn Alta Zinc 114
Rosh Pinah RP-2 Namibia FS, expansion UG Zn, Pb Trevali 111
Santander Pipe Peru PEA UG Zn Cerro de Pasco 52
IRON ORE
Simandou 1 & 2 Guinea FS OP Fe WCS 16,000
Simandou 3 & 4 Guinea FS OP Fe Simfer 11,600
Zanaga 1 & 2 Republic of Congo FS OP Fe Zanaga Iron 4,700
Serra Sul 120 Brazil Expansion, construction OP, plant Fe Vale 2,700
Hawsons Australia PFS OP Fe Hawsons Iron, Pure Metals 1,400
Southdown Australia PFS OP Fe Grange Resources 932
Shymanivske 1 & 2 Ukraine PEA OP Fe Black Iron 771
Lobe Cameroon Scoping OP Fe Sinosteel, Cameroon Govt 676
Mont Sorcier Canada PEA OP Fe, V Voyager Metals 574
Lake Giles Australia FS OP Fe Macarthur Minerals 569
Razorback Australia PFS OP Fe Magnetite Mines 506
K. Hill Botswana PEA OP Mg Menzi Battery Metals 284
Nimba 1 Guinea PFS Complex Fe SMFG 108
PRECIOUS METALS & DIAMONDS
Gold
Donlin USA Permitting OP Au Barrick, NovaGold Resources 7,400
KSM Canada PFS OP, UG Au, Cu, Ag, Mo Seabridge Gold 6,400
Norte Abierto Chile FS OP Au, Ag Barrick, Newmont 6,000
Sukhoi Log Russia FS OP Au Polyus 3,300
Walfi-Gopu Papua New Guinea FS UG Au, Cu, Ag Newmont, Harmony 2,800
Yanacocha Sulphides Peru Delayed OP Au Newmont, Buenaventura, Sumitomo 2,500
Livengood USA PFS OP Au International Tower Hill 1,930
Cangrejos Ecuador PFS OP Au Lumina Gold 1,454
Stibnite USA PFS OP Au Perpetua Resources 1,263
Courageous Lake Canada PFS OP Au Seabridge 1,138
Windfall Canada FS UG Au Osisko, Gold Fields 1,100
KCGM Mill Optimization Australia Expansion Mill Au Northern Star Resources 959
Gramalote Colombia FS, suspended OP Au B2Gold 925
Volcan Chile PEA OP, HL Au Hochschild 900
Mount Todd Australia FS OP Au Vista Gold 892
Media Luna Mexico Construction UG Au Torex Gold 875
Skouries Greece Construction OP, UG Au, Cu Eldorado Gold 845
Horne 5 Canada FS UG Au Falco Resources 844
Tulu Kapi Ethiopia FS OP, UG Au Kefi Gold & Copper 785
Island 3 Canada Construction, expansion UG Au Alamos Gold 756
Cerro Blanco Guatemala FS UG Au, Ag Bluestone Resources 750
Springpole Canada PFS OP Au, Ag First Mining Gold 718
Back River Canada Construction OP Au B2Gold 655
Fenelon Canada PEA UG Au Wallbridge 645
Lynn Lake Canada FS OP Au Alamos Gold 632
Cariboo Phase 1 & 2 Canada FS UG Au Osisko Mining 588
Koné Côte d’Ivoire FS OP Au Montage Gold 544

www.e-mj.com JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 21

 PROJECT SURVEY 2024

Project Name Location Status Type Products Owner Project Cost (US$M)**
Adumbi DRC PEA OP Au Loncor 530
Eskay Creek Canada FS OP Au, Ag Skeena Resources 525
Duparquet Canada PEA OP, UG Au First Mining Gold 521
Chulbatkan Russia PFS OP, HL Au Polyus 500
Kurmuk Phase 1 and 2 Ethiopia Construction OP Au Allied Gold 500
Nyansanga Tanzania FS OP, UG Au OreCorp 474
Martha/Gladstone/WKP New Zealand PEA OP, UG Au OceanaGold 447
Veduga Russia PFS OP, UG Au Polymetal 447
San Gabriel Peru Construction UG, plant Au Buenaventura 430
La Mina Colombia PEA OP Au GoldMining 425
La Cumbre 1 & 2 Colombia PEA OP, HL Au, Ag Batero Gold 418
Wasamac Canada FS UG Au AEM, Pan American Silver 416
Ikkari Finland PEA OP, UG Au Rupert Resources 405
Castle Mountain 2 USA FS HL, plant Au Equinox Gold 389
Twin Hills Namibia FS OP Au Osino Resources 365
Lawyers Canada PEA OP Au, Ag Thesis Gold 364
Valentine Lake Canada FS OP Au Marathon Gold 361
Metates Mexico PEA OP, HL Au, Ag Chesapeake Gold 359
Fox Complex Canada PEA, expansion UG, plant Au McEwen Mining 358
Goliath Canada PFS OP Au Treasury Metals 335
Marban Canada PFS OP Au O3 Mining 326
Meyas Sand Sudan FS OP Au Perseus Gold, Sudan Govt 321
Los Filos Mexico FS, expansion UG, plant Au Equinox Gold 318
Coffee Canada PFS OP, HL Au Newmont 317
Loma Larga Ecuador Permitting UG Au, Cu, Ag Dundee 316
Hod Maden Turkey FS UG Au, Cu SSR, Horizon Copper 309
Volta Grande Brazil FS, delayed OP Au Belo Sun 298
Lihir Phase 14A Papua New Guinea FS OP Au Newmont 296
Twin Hills Namibia PFS OP Au Osino Resources 283
Gabbs Nevada PEA HL Au, Ag, Cu P2 Gold 278
Spanish Mountain Canada PFS OP Au, Ag Spanish Mountain Gold 273
Boto Senegal FS OP Au Managem, Senegal Govt 271
Goldboro Canada FS OP Au Signal Gold 271
Chimo Canada PEA UG Au Cartier Resources 252
Klaza Canada PEA OP, UG Au Rockhaven Resources 244
CK Gold USA PFS OP Au, Cu US Gold 221
Fremont USA PEA UG Au Stratabound Minerals 203
Posse (Mara Rosa) Brazil Construction OP Au Hochschild Mining 200
South Railroad USA FS OP, HL Au Orla Mining 190
Lemhi USA PEA OP Au Freeman Gold 190
Borborema Brazil FS OP Au Aura Minerals 188
Cabaçal Brazil PEA OP Au Meridian Mining 180
Ixtaca Mexico FS OP Au, Ag Almaden 174
Goldfields Canada PEA OP Au Fortune Bay 173
Bomboré Phase II Burkina Faso FS, expansion OP, plant Au Orezone Gold 167
DeLamar USA PEA OP, HL Au, Ag Integra Resources 161
West Kenya Kenya Scoping OP, UG Au Shanta Gold 161
Porvenir Nicaragua PFS UG Au, Ag, Zn Mineros 161
Kiniero Guinea Construction OP Au Robex Resources 160
La India Nicaragua FS OP Au Condor Gold 160
Diamba Sud Senegal Scoping OP Au Chesser Resources 159
Aurizona Brazil PFS UG, OP Au Equinox Gold 154
Mogale TSF South Africa Construction Hydro Au Pan African 145
Burnstone South Africa Construction UG Au Sibanye-Stillwater 130
ATO 2 Mongolia FS OP Au Steppe Gold 128
Tres Cruces Peru PEA OP, HL Au Steppe Gold 125
Fenix Chile FS HL Au Rio2 117
Beartrack-Arnett USA PFS OP HL Au Revival Gold 109
Havieron Australia Construction UG Au Newmont, Greatland Gold 106
Tulkubash Kyrgyzstan FS OP Au Chaarat Gold 104
Silver
Pitarrilla Mexico Scoping OP, UG Ag Endeavour 741
Cordero Mexico PFS OP Ag, Pb, Zn Discovery Silver 455
Cerro Las Minitas Mexico PEA UG Ag Southern Silver 341
Silver Sand Bolivia PEA OP Ag New Pacific Metals 308
Terronera Mexico Construction UG Ag, Au Endeavour 175
Los Ricos Mexico PEA OP, UG Ag, Au GoGold Resources 148
Tangana Peru PEA UG Ag, Au Silver X 61
El Tigre Mexico PEA OP Ag, Au Silver Tiger Metals 59
PGMs
Ngezi Zimbabwe Construction, expansion UG/smelter/refinery Pt Implats 1,800
Mogalakwena South Africa Construction UG, conc PGM Anglo American 1,500
Marathon Canada FS OP Pd, Cu Generation Mining 739
Garatau South Africa Construction UG Pt, Pd Zijin Mining 700
Waterberg South Africa FS UG PGM (4E) Platinum Group Metals 617
Darwendale Zimbabwe Suspended UG Pl (4E) Great Dyke Investments 500
Two Rivers Merensky South Africa Construction UG PGM (6E) African Rainbow Minerals, Implats 330

22 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024 www.e-mj.com

 PROJECT SURVEY 2024

Project Name Location Status Type Products Owner Project Cost (US$M)**
Marula South Africa Expansion UG Pt Implats 295
River Valley Canada PEA UG Pd New Age Metals 268
K4 South Africa Construction UG PGM Sibanye-Stillwater 228
Diamonds
Star-Orion Canada PEA OP Dia Star Diamond 1,410
Karowe UGP Botswana Construction UG Dia Lucara 683
Chidliak Canada PEA OP Dia De Beers 435
Diavik A21 Phase One Canada Construction UG Dia Rio Tinto 40
ENERGY & BATTERY METALS
Uranium
Arrow (Rook 1) Canada FS UG U NexGen 1,300
PLS Canada FS UG U Fission Uranium 1,155
Gryphon Canada PFS UG U Denison Mines 545
Norasa Namibia FS OP U Forsys Metals 433
Tumas Namibia FS OP U Deep Yellow 372
Madaouela Niger FS OP U GoviEx Uranium 343
Wheeler River Canada FS ISR U Denison, JCU 322
Etango-8 Namibia FS OP U Bannerman 317
Mulga Rock Australia FS OP U Deep Yellow 255
Wiluna Australia Scoping OP U Toro Energy 220
Tthe Heldeth Túé Canada PEA ISR U Denison Mines 112
Salamanca Spain FS OP U Berkeley Energia 96
Kayelekera Malawi FS OP U Lotus Resources 88
Tafoya-Marquez USA PEA UG U Anfield Energy 79
Lithium & Rare Earth Elements
Jadar Serbia FS, delayed UG Li Rio Tinto 2,400
Boardwalk Canada PEA Brine extraction Li LithiumBank 2,092
Zero Carbon Germany FS Brine extraction Li Vulcan Energy 1,620
Rainbow Lake Canada PEA Brine extraction Li Volt Lithium 1,549
South West Arkansas USA PFS Brine extraction Li Standard Lithium 1,300
San Jose Spain Scoping UG Li Infinity Lithium 1,287
Thacker Pass USA Construction OP Li Lithium Americas 1,060
Kemerton Australia Construction, expansion Plant Li Albemarle 1,000
Carolina USA FS OP, conc Li Piedmont Lithium 988
Beauvoir France FS UG Li Imerys 983
Mt. Holland Australia PFS OP, refinery Li Covalent Lithium 950
Wolfsberg Austria FS Complex Li Critical Metals 873
Arizaro Argentina PEA Brine extraction Li Lithium Chile 823
Tonopah USA PEA OP Li American Lithium 819
Tennessee USA FS Plant Li Piedmont Lithium 809
Sonora 1 & 2 Mexico FS OP, plant Li Bacanora 800
Rhyolite Ridge USA FS OP Li Ioneer, Sibanye-Stillwater 785
Tolillar Argentina PEA Brine extraction Li Alpha Lithium 777
Rincon Argentina Scoping Brine extraction Li Rio Tinto 769
Keliber Finland Construction OP/UG Li Sibanye-Stillwater 713
Crater Lake Canada PEA OP Sc Imperial Mining 712
Cinovec Czech Republic PFS UG Li CEZ, EMH 644
Clearwater Canada PEA Brine extraction Li E3 Metals 600
Sal de Vida 2 Argentina PFS, expansion Brine extraction Li Allkem 524
Kvanefjeld Greenland FS, delayed OP RE Energy Transition Minerals 505
Clayton Valley USA PFS OP, plant Li Century Lithium 493
Rose Canada FS OP Li Critical Elements Lithium 471
PAK Canada PFS OP Li Frontier Lithium 468
Longonjo/Saltend Angola, UK Scoping OP, plant RE Pensana 450
Pastos Grandes Argentina FS Brine extraction Li Lithium Americas 448
Wicheeda Canada PEA OP RE Defense Metals 440
Deep Fox-Foxtrot Canada PEA OP, UG RE Search Minerals 422
James Bay Canada Permitting OP Li Allkem 381
Pilgangoora P1000 Australia Construction, expansion Plant Li Pilbara Minerals 372
Zinnwald Germany PEA UG, plant Li Zinnwald Lithium 336
Kindersley Canada PEA ISR Li Grounded Lithium 335
Goulamina Mali FS OP Li Leo Lithium, Ganfeng 325
Songwe Hill Malawi FS OP RE Mkango Resources 311
Phalaborwa So. Africa PEA Hydro RE Rainbow Rare Earths 295
Bandeira Brazil PEA UG Li Lithium Ionic 233
Ewoyaa Ghana PFS OP Li Atlantic Lithium 185
Grota do Cirilo Brazil FS OP Li Sigma Lithium 123
Raleigh Lake Canada PEA OP Li International Lithium 112

* Information listed above has been compiled from available public sources, including corporate reports and presentations, press releases and regulatory filings.
E&MJ and its publisher, Mining Media International, assume no responsibility for errors, omissions or suitability for purpose.
** Original capital cost estimate is shown in most cases; mature projects may show updated late-stage capital estimate.
FS - Feasibility Stage; PFS - Preliminary Feasibility Stage; PEA - Preliminary Economic Assessment; IA - Investment Approval; OP - Open pit; UG - Underground; HP - Heap Leach; Conc - Concentrator

www.e-mj.com JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 23

 PROCESS CONTROL
Control, Optimize, Integrate
E&MJ investigates the potential that advanced process control holds in improving
the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of mining operations
By Carly Leonida, European Editor
Mining operations are under constant
pressure to maximize their resource
extraction while lowering energy us-
age, emissions, waste generation and
water consumption. Advanced process
control (APC) is one proven technology
that offers a way to optimize recovery
yields, lower energy consumption and
improve product quality by automatical-
ly adjusting process variables based on
real-time process data.
Marc Poualion, Industry Solutions
Director, Metals & Mining at Aspen
Technology, explained: “Mines are
increasingly deploying sensors and
collecting vast amounts of operation-
al data. APC not only leverages this
data to identify patterns, predict pro-
In the future, coupling APC solutions with those that harness AI and machine learning could offer
unprecedented levels of process performance. (Photo: Schneider Electric)
24 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
cess behavior and optimize control
strategies, but can also provide re-
al-time insights into process perfor-
mance. This allows operators to quick-
ly identify and address deviations from
optimal conditions.”
Ahmad Aly, Global Commercial
Leader for Industrial Automation and
Software in Mining, Minerals & Metals
at Schneider Electric, agreed: “The
mining and metals industry has been
using APC for over a decade, and it’s
well known for its ability to improve
yields, reduce energy consumption, im-
prove productivity, and more. All these
factors resonate with the larger themes
that we’re seeing in mining and metals
today around productivity and sustain-
ability. I believe these two trends, cou-
pled with the significant cost pressures
that we’re seeing, align very well with
what APC can deliver.”
In industrial applications, APC
solutions comprise a suite of software
which sits above basic process control
systems. By automating responses to
changes in inputs, such as conditions
or feed, APC can deliver better con-
sistency in outputs, like productivity. In
contrast, basic controls often require a
manual response when a certain set
point is reached.
Aly gave a relatable example: “Imag-
ine you’re driving a car and want to
reach a destination within a certain
timeframe,” he said. “The car is capa-
ble of driving at 100 kilometers per hour
(km/h) but, if you exceed 100 km/h then
you’ll get a speeding ticket, and if you
drive too slowly then you’ll be late. Now
imagine there are lots of people heading
to the same destination and each has
a different tolerance for safety when it
comes to speed, so some will drive at 95
km/h, some at 98 km/h. That variability
is down to the person who’s driving the
car. However, if everyone used cruise
control to drive at exactly 100 km/h, then
their journey times would be more con-
sistent, and no one would get a fine.
“APC is the process equivalent of
cruise control. The variability that we
see in mining and metals process per-
formance is often down to the way in
which human operators respond to
changes in key parameters. Operating
processes in a more consistent way on
a large scale can lead to big increases
in productivity and efficiency over time.”
What’s New?
Today, modern, best-in-class approach-
es to process control offer new adap-
tive workflows that enable faster APC
model deployment. Adaptive technolo-
gy enables more efficient maintenance
of APC models that can accurately
www.e-mj.com

represent new process conditions and
avoid loss of profits.
Poualion said: “APC is now a ma-
ture, proven technology. Commercial
solutions have evolved to provide more
self-guided, automated and intuitive
workflows, enabling process control
engineers entering the market to de-
velop powerful controllers with minimal
guidance. Thanks to this, a new gener-
ation of process control engineers are
better positioned to fill the void in field
expertise left by the retiring workforce.”
In the past, APC technologies were
often costly and complex to implement,
leading them to only be feasible for
large organizations with expert person-
nel who could spend hours integrating,
configuring, and maintaining the soft-
ware within the plant’s control system.
“APC technology has matured but
has also innovated significantly over
the last 10 years,” Poualion told E&MJ.
“End users are now able to develop
high-order dynamic models within min-
utes from historical data.”
Similarly, actual plant performance
changes over time due to issues,
such as catalyst degradation, fouling,
feed quality, and other factors. Today,
these inputs can be modeled, and APC
models are able to adapt to these new
conditions. Poualion said that patented
calibrate technology allows auto-step
testing and offline model development,
while the APC controller continues to
optimize, and operations remain undis-
rupted. Modern APC systems can also
offer virtual advisors that enable oper-
ations to be more self-reliant and make
better control decisions in seconds.
He added: “Much of the complex
engineering for control configuration
and model identification is now per-
formed via automated walkthroughs
supported by industrial artificial intel-
ligence (AI) that mines existing his-
torical process data and automatically
builds seed models.”
Where Can APC
Add Value?
Poualion explained that APC solutions
increase profitability and sustainability
by modelling and understanding the
relationship between manipulated and
controlled variables to manage opera-
tional priorities and objectives. These
priorities are translated into mathemat-
www.e-mj.com
Using APC to operate processes in a more consistent way can lead to big increases in productivity and
efficiency over time. (Photo: Schneider Electric)
ical expressions via APC that will make
decisions minute by minute to optimize
the plant and equipment according to
ranked objectives, such as increased
production, increased profitability/mar-
gin, or minimization of emissions.
Common applications include crush-
ing and concentration flowsheets, mill-
ing and grinding, and flotation circuits,
through to downstream portions of the
value chain, such as smelting. APC is
also used heavily in adjacent indus-
tries, such as cement, which operate
large kilns and mills.
Poualion gave some examples: “Ad-
justing agitation levels, determining
ideal reagent dosage, optimizing water
usage and creating more consistent
processes in froth flotation plants, de-
livers meaningful impacts on produc-
tivity and sustainability,” he said. “APC
solutions are similarly used to regulate
pH levels using lime dosing in leach
operations, and to optimize the spodu-
mene-to-lithium carbonate yields by
maintaining tight processing tempera-
tures in lithium kilns.
“Similarly, APC solutions optimize
surface area by controlling roaster
temperatures for neutralization and
leaching in gold concentrate roast-
ers. They can also automatically co-
ordinate underflow, recirculation, feed
water, rake height and a host of other
variables in thickeners.”
APC solutions can improve cyclone
performance by stabilizing discharge
density in crushing and screening; op-
PROCESS CONTROL
timize feed supply, gas consumption
and furnace operations in calciner op-
erations; and balance steam header
pressures to create more stabilized
operations in steam and power genera-
tion. All these applications lead to bet-
ter productivity and metal recovery, as
well as sustainability through reduced
water consumption and energy usage,
all while minimizing costs.
Aly explained: “APC is usually used
in processes where there are multi-
ple complex and sometimes conflict-
ing variables. As a concept, it’s been
around for quite some time. Ten years
ago, everyone was talking about expert
systems, rule-based control techniques
and fuzzy logic, and many of those ear-
ly deployments still exist. But today,
we’re seeing a shift towards model pre-
dictive control (MPC).”
MPC builds on the huge amount of
historical data that mining and metals
companies have available, allowing
them to make predictions in variability
which brings processes to a more sta-
ble state of operation. It does, however,
require good quality data, and special-
ized engineers with specific scripting
skill sets which are less common than,
say, Python or JavaScript capabilities.
“One of the first things we do before
embarking on a new APC project, is to
look at the clients existing data,” said
Aly. “It’s important to see which data
points they do and don’t have, so that
we can determine whether an APC sys-
tem would be beneficial or not.”
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 25
 PROCESS CONTROL
Increasing Flotation
Recovery in Oz
Together, Emerson and AspenTech offer
complete coverage of the comminution,
mineral processing and metal recovery
segments of the mining value chain.
Emerson’s solutions provide monitoring
capabilities through sensors and a base
control layer to generate critical mining
process data. This empowers Aspen-
Tech’s APC solutions which ensure opti-
mal operating conditions.
Dustin Beebe, Vice President of
Performance Software at Emerson, ex-
plained: “Identifying key sensors and
bringing those into control systems is vi-
tal to a successful APC project. You have
to have the right data and the handles to
optimize the process. Additionally, in min-
ing we see that access to sensor level
data, such as device alerts, provides in-
sights into equipment and sensor health,
which is key. Seamless integration with
base level controls like those in Emer-
son’s DeltaV control system allows APC
to be deployed to quickly capture bene-
fits and reduce the cost of maintenance.”
An operation in Australia recently
implemented Aspen DMC3 — Aspen-
26 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
Tech’s APC solution — as part of an
upgrade to its froth flotation circuits.
New flotation cells were introduced to
the existing system with parallel lead
and zinc recovery streams. Flotation
variables, such as aeration rates, pulp
levels and reagent dosing, required
balancing at the conceptual stage and
continual adjustment to determine im-
pacts on downstream metals recovery.
Once the solution was implemented,
Aspen DMC3 delivered optimized pro-
cesses for both lead and zinc recovery
based on the new plant installation,
leading to increased metal recovery
and profitability.
With data-driven continual optimiza-
tion sourced from plant historian data,
metal recovery increased by 1.35% an-
nually which, over the course of the full
year, scaled to generate additional rev-
enue of upwards of $2 million per year.
Saving Energy at a Chilean
Copper Concentrator
Schneider’s suite of APC solutions and
services encompass software and the
toolkits and knowledge required to suc-
cessfully deploy them.
“APC is a complex solution, and we
have specialized engineers as well as
after sales and customer support teams
in key mining locations around the
world, including Australia, Chile, China,
the US and Canada,” said Aly. “An im-
portant service that we provide is benefit
studies. Any company that’s considering
investing in an APC system first needs
to determine whether it would work giv-
en the state of their data and the returns
they could potentially expect.”
Based on their findings, the team can
then provide the client with a detailed
projection of which areas could benefit
from APC within their plant and the sav-
ings they could expect. The return on
investment (ROI) can also be calculated
based on energy consumption, fuel sav-
ings, improvement of yield, maintained
quality, reduction of rejects etc.
“We can even go a step further and
guarantee performance ahead of the
implementation,” said Aly. “Writing it
into a contract removes a lot of risk for
the client and gives them peace of mind
that the deployment will work.”
Schneider recently deployed an
APC solution at a copper concentra-
www.e-mj.com
 PROCESS CONTROL

tor in South America. The plant uses “The integration of different open Poualion agreed: “By implementing
cyclones for classification and the soft- control systems and the ability to con- APC solutions, mining operations will not
ware was introduced to improve pro- nect an additional IT layer which taps only increase productivity and profitability,
cess efficiency and reduce recirculation into business intelligence and KPIs will but will simultaneously become more sus-
to the mill, resulting in a 4%-5% energy allow even more efficient operations. I tainable in their daily operations. Those
saving in the mill. think APC can, and will, play a much teams will more easily meet the sus-
“The client also saw additional ben- more effective role in mining and met- tainability objectives their organizations
efits in productivity,” Aly told E&MJ. als operations when it’s deployed more commit to. They will also continue to be
“Because now, they’re spending less widely. And if we can solve adjacent granted social and regulatory license to
time regrinding material and have re- problems using AI and ML, then that operate by showing that they are invest-
duced their water usage too.” will make for a very interesting busi- ed in sustainability and commitment to the
ness proposition.” communities in which they operate.”
The Future is Integrated
In more complex applications, multiple
APC models can be deployed to opti-
mize processes against different objec-
tives and constraints. “At a certain point
in time, a mine might want to operate
for maximum productivity, even though
THREE WORDS.
it’s going to require more energy,” ex-
plained Aly. “At other times, the mine ONE PROMISE.
ALWAYS IN STOCK.
might want to focus on lowering its op-
erating costs. The optimizer functional-
ity in modern APC systems gives op-
erators the flexibility to optimize based
upon their specific schedule, plan and
key performance indicators (KPIs).”
In the future, coupling APC solutions
with those that harness AI and machine
learning (ML), either to orchestrate
complete plant performance, or to
solve adjacent challenges, could offer
unprecedented levels of performance.
“It’s common to have multiple APC
systems running within a plant,” said Aly.
“But I haven’t seen an additional orches-
tration layer deployed yet. Enabling that
would require input from business intelli-
gence, and connection to planning and
scheduling information. To give an anal-
ogy, it would be like the shift from cruise
control to fully autonomous vehicles. This
is where AI and machine learning could
potentially add value in the future.”
He added: “Going forward, cost pres-
sures on mining and metals companies
are only going to increase. We’re see-
ing degredation of ore grades, which
means that more effort needs to be
spent to extract valuable metals. APC
can help with that. We also see trends
such as sustainability increasing in
importance due to the demand for 90 4 - 35 6 - 6 8 4 0
energy transition minerals, like lithi- s al e s@ sc h u rcosl u rr y. com
um, cobalt and copper, which power 9410 Florida Mining Boulevard East,
electric vehicles and renewables. And Jacksonville, Florida, 32257
again, these put pressure on things
like energy and water consumption,
which APC can help optimize.

www.e-mj.com JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 27

UNDERGROUND MINE TRUCKS
Reloaded: Introducing the Next Generation
of Underground Mining Trucks
E&MJ looks at future-focused technologies and upcoming product releases
By Carly Leonida, European Editor
Sandvik’s prototype TH66X diesel-electric truck features a diesel engine with an electric driveline.
(Photo: Sandvik)
According to new research from Global-
Data, the global population of under-
ground mining trucks and loaders, in-
cluding active units and those in care
and maintenance, at the end of 2023,
totalled 22,927. Of these, 9,461 were un-
derground mining trucks, including 8,108
at active mines. Sandvik, Epiroc and Cat-
erpillar are thought to account for around
75% of these, although there’s a growing
range of options and innovations from
smaller players too.
Put simply, more mines means more
trucks, and the firm predicts steady growth
in output, as new operations ramp up over
the coming years and others look to re-
place aging fleets. The highest deliveries
of new machines are expected in Ocea-
nia, Africa and the Middle East, followed
by South, Central and North America.
Given these predictions, and the chal-
lenges that the industry faces surrounding
resource depletion and depth, geotechni-
cal constraints, safety, talent scarcity and
more, it’s pertinent to wonder what the
underground mining trucks of the future
28 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
might look like? Will diesel engines remain
a prominent feature? Will automation be
used more widely? Will electric and bat-
tery-electric technologies feature more
heavily? (As of November 2023, Global-
Data had identified 67 electric under-
ground mining trucks in operation globally,
although it expects this number to grow.)
In a bid to understand what’s coming
next and which factors are driving re-
search and development (R&D), E&MJ
spoke to five leading OEMs.
Sandvik: 1,000 Trucks
and Counting
In November 2023, Sandvik Mining and
Rock Solutions reached an important
milestone, producing its 1,000th large
underground mining truck in the 51-63
metric ton size class. E&MJ visited the
company’s Load and Haul division at its
home in Turku, Finland, shortly after the
TH663i left for delivery to a mine in Por-
tugal, with a view to learn more about the
company’s truck line and the direction in
which it’s heading.
But first, a little history… Turku has
been home to Sandvik’s Toro brand for
nearly 50 years. The company moved into
the site in 1974 and, over time, the facilities
have grown significantly. The latest devel-
opment (which was almost complete when
E&MJ visited in early December) was the
EUR 10 million Turku Business Park proj-
ect. Announced in 2022, this included the
modernization and expansion of Sandvik’s
existing facilities, as well as investment to
boost the manufacturing of battery-electric
vehicles (BEVs) for underground mining.
Today, the business park acts as a
hub for Sandvik’s global Load and Haul
business, housing its research and devel-
opment (R&D) activities, as well as sales,
manufacturing, marketing, purchasing
and communications, among others.
It also supports the company’s global
manufacturing base which has outposts
in China, South Africa and Malaysia, as
well as an R&D centre for BEV loader and
truck batteries in Camarillo, California.
Mikko Jukakoski, Vice President of
Product Line, Load and Haul Division, said:
“The Toro brand can actually trace its roots
back to 1971 in Tampere, Finland. The
1.5-metric ton (mt) capacity 100DH load-
er, which was the first model the company
produced, would fit inside the bucket of the
largest loader we produce in Turku today.”
Keeping Technology
Options Open
Sandvik now has one of the widest un-
derground load and haul offerings on
the market, including diesel and bat-
tery-electric models in its two bestselling
size classes. The diesel-driven TH551
(51 mt capacity) and TH663 (63 mt) were
launched in 2013 and are now in their
third-generation design iteration, and
battery-electric equivalents, the TH550B
(50 mt) and TH665B (65 mt), followed in
2021 and 2022 respectively.
“Electrification is not a new topic for us,”
said Jukakoski. “Sandvik has been making
www.e-mj.com

cable-electric loaders since the 1980s and
its first concept electric loader was pro-
duced in 1972. Optimizing the power-to-
weight ratio of our machines by removing
the diesel engine is a core part of our de-
sign capability, but it’s only in recent years
that the industry has started to realize the
potential safety and environmental bene-
fits that electrification also offers.
“As we speak, we have the first
TH665B undergoing site acceptance
testing with Barminco at AngloGold
Ashanti’s Sunrise Dam mine in Austra-
lia. We also have multiple TH550B units
operating globally. Some of these are
approaching the 20,000h mark which
makes it a mature design.”
Juha Virta, Vice President for Sales
& Marketing at Sandvik’s Load and Haul
division, told E&MJ: “There are many
factors feeding into the drive for electri-
fication, including sustainability through
a decreased carbon footprint, safety
through lower diesel particulate levels,
reduced heat and noise emissions, lower
ventilation costs and increased produc-
tion through higher hauling speeds.
“When we layer automation on top,
the potential gains can be huge. But ev-
ery mine is different in terms of its design,
geology and mining method. Regulations
and energy sources also vary geographi-
cally, as does availability of talent. That’s
why optionality is such an important part
of our product line, both for the power
source and the way in which the ma-
chines are engineered.”
Given the complex and varying de-
mands of future load and haul applica-
tions, Sandvik has opted for a modular
design on both its trucks and loaders, with
The 17.5-mt capacity Mine-Truck T1801C is one of Aramine’s most recent developments. The 1801C is
ideal for headings measuring 10 m2 to 16 m2. (Photo: Aramine)
www.e-mj.com
Epiroc’s Minetruck MT65 received a makeover in 2023. The new MT65 S offers enhanced productivity
and reliability. (Photo: Epiroc)
as much commonality in parts, e.g., wiring
harnesses, inverters and motors, as pos-
sible. This provides the flexibility to lever-
age different power sources and simplifies
servicing and inventory management.
Its’ current generation trucks feature en-
hanced ergonomics for operator comfort,
uprated suspension, and the i-versions
of the diesel trucks come with the latest
analytics and automation-ready capabili-
ties. Jukakoski added that the company is
working to add automation to its BEVs too.
“As a vendor, we need to be prepared
to support our customers in achieving
their sustainability and productivity goals
whatever the future looks like,” he said.
Exclusive: New 60+ Ton
Diesel-electric Truck
Having successfully launched both diesel
(mechanical driveline) and battery-elec-
tric trucks, Sandvik is now working to
add a diesel-electric model to its portfo-
UNDERGROUND MINE TRUCKS
lio. The prototype TH66X diesel-electric,
which features a diesel engine with an
electric driveline, was on the test track
when E&MJ visited, where it was under-
going technology validation before head-
ing to the Callio project at the Pyhäsalmi
mine in Pyhäjärvi, Finland. The mine is
one of the deepest in Europe at 1,445 m
and the long haul ramp will put the die-
sel-electric concept to the ultimate test.
“For sure we are commercializing it.
There’s high interest already,” said Juka-
koski. “But there’s still further engineering
and scaling to be done on the design.
We’ve worked with a number of customers
to gain feedback on this product, and we
plan to integrate some of the technologies
from the TH665B that’s currently being
trialled in Australia too. In time, Barminco
and Byrnecut will each get a prototype of
the diesel-electric TH66X to test.”
The TH66X essentially provides an
option that sits in between Sandvik’s
current diesel and BEV offerings, com-
bining the best of both designs. In time,
Sandvik will likely add to this with a
diesel-electric hybrid too, and thoughts
have already turned to which technolo-
gies might come next…
“We’re also looking ahead and have
many R&D projects ongoing, for instance,
in alternative fuels and trolley assist.
We’re using an agnostic approach in our
designs so that customers can choose
which combination of technologies is best
for them.” Jukakoski told E&MJ.
Virta added: “Our philosophy at Sand-
vik is to work closely with customers to
respond to their needs, but also to an-
ticipate what they might need and offer
them new ideas. That way we can work
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 29
UNDERGROUND MINE TRUCKS

together to optimize the technologies
and get the best possible solutions.”
He added that development is only
half the challenge with new technologies;
supporting miners in their deployment
and operation through services, spare
parts and training is equally as important.
“We’re investing a lot in competence
development,” said Virta. “Our Product
Master Programme provides global cov-
erage with technicians certified to a high
level. Their job is to support the mines
and to be our eyes and ears on ser-
vice-related tasks. We also have custom-
ers coming to train here in Turku almost
every week on topics from electronics to
hydraulics and BEVs. We have very ad-
vanced e-learning capabilities too.”
Fossil-free Steel,
and Beyond
Sandvik Mining and Rock solutions also
signed a letter of intent in November
2023 for the purchase of fossil-free steel
from Swedish steel manufacturer, SSAB.
This will be used in the production of
Sandvik loaders and trucks for the mining
industry. SSAB aims to deliver fossil-free
steel to the market at a commercial scale
during 2026, and the agreement ensures
that Sandvik will receive a portion, includ-
ing early samples to create, for example,
a prototype frame, loader bucket or truck
box, for use in demo products.
“This is another important tick in the
sustainability box for mining companies
and vendors alike,” said Virta. “We hav-
en’t announced the first products that will
feature the steel yet, but you may hear
something within the next year.”
Jukakoski added: “The amount of prod-
uct innovation that’s going on in the mining
sector has skyrocketed over the past five
years. But, even though Sandvik is invest-
ing in new concepts and technologies,
we’re investing even more to support our
existing product and customer base. Die-
sel-powered machines remain at the core
of our offering, and we will continue to de-
velop and support them as well as supple-
ment the range with new concepts, such as
hybridization and maybe even e-fuels in the
future. There are interesting times ahead.”
Aramine Optimizes Truck
Designs
“We’re observing a strong trend towards
innovations to improve the durability and
safety of mining trucks,” Marc Melkonian,
co-president of Aramine, told E&MJ.
“Engineers must find ways to improve
the durability of machines to reduce and
facilitate maintenance, while maintaining
high productivity. This necessitates a del-
icate balance to optimize performance.”
Safety features, which are a focal point
of these innovations, are being overhauled
to not only fortify the equipment but also pri-
oritize the wellbeing of operators and those
in proximity to the machines, for example,
through heightened driver visibility and the
incorporation of emergency brake systems.
“Concurrently, there’s a discernible
trajectory towards data analytics and
predictive maintenance technologies,”
said Melkonian. “This seeks to enable
the real-time monitoring of the health of
mining trucks and moderate the occur-
rence of downtime through proactive and
informed maintenance measures.”
He added that, arguably the most pivot-
al trend steering the current wave of inno-
vation is sustainability. “Mining companies
are trying to limit the environmental impact
of their operations by reducing energy con-
sumption and emissions,” he explained.
“This is pushing the industry towards the

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development of mining trucks with alterna-
tive power sources, reflecting a resolute
commitment to ecological responsibility.”
However, mining trucks operate over
very long distances, making models that
are powered entirely by batteries seem
somewhat utopian. The ideal solution
would involve hybridization through the use
of battery technology alongside a diesel en-
gine, but the bulk of these power sources
would not allow for a powerful and compact
truck. Alternatively, a hybrid version could
combine a trolley system for long distanc-
es and battery power for shorter distances,
but this solution requires the mine to have
a fixed installation for the longer routes.
“While awaiting the perfect solution,
Aramine mining trucks are equipped
with the latest-generation diesel engines,
thanks to our collaboration with Cummins
and Volvo,” said Melkonian. “This has en-
abled us to integrate Stage V engines with
exhaust gas treatment, producing remark-
able results in terms of pollution and reli-
ability, even in challenging environments.”
Evolution in environmental regulations
and industry standards has significantly
shaped the landscape of underground truck
design in recent years. Manufacturers have
www.e-mj.com
responded by adjusting their designs to
align with emerging standards, encompass-
ing emissions, safety, and broader environ-
mental considerations. Engines have also
evolved to produce more power with less
diesel consumption and fewer emissions.
Melkonian explained: “A decade ago,
miners predominantly required mechani-
cal trucks. Demand was driven by appre-
hensions about the nascent nature of ad-
vanced technologies and concerns about
machine durability. However, there has
been a paradigm shift. CAN bus electric
systems have demonstrated their efficacy,
dispelling earlier uncertainties. Miners are
now actively seeking trucks that not only
integrate these technologies, but also in-
corporate advanced features like data an-
alytics and predictive maintenance tools.”
In contemporary designs, mining
trucks are fitted with various sensors
and monitoring systems. These provide
real-time data on the health of the equip-
ment, empowering operators with action-
able insights. This integration facilitates
the implementation of predictive mainte-
nance strategies, effectively minimizing
downtime and elevating the overall reli-
ability of the equipment. This shift reflects
UNDERGROUND MINE TRUCKS
a progressive adoption of technology and
a heightened focus on optimizing opera-
tional efficiency in the mining industry.
“We’ve also seen an evolution in brak-
ing systems,” Melkonian told E&MJ. “Un-
derground mining trucks are equipped with
advanced emergency brake systems de-
signed to bring the vehicle swiftly to a halt
in critical situations, ensuring the safety of
both operators and surrounding personnel.
These systems incorporate cutting-edge
technology to enhance responsiveness
and reliability in emergency braking sce-
narios within the challenging underground
mining environment. The latest evolution is
in the ergonomics of the operator’s com-
partment. These are now more comfort-
able and provide improved visibility and
manoeuvrability of the equipment.”
Aramine’s latest truck models are the
T1601C, which has a haulage capacity
of 15-mt, and the 17.5-mt Mine-Truck
T1801C. Developed for small- to medi-
um-scale underground operations, the
1801C is ideal for headings measuring
10 m2 to 16 m2. The operator’s compart-
ment is designed to offer the best possi-
ble comfort and ergonomics with a for-
ward-facing operator seat.
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 31
UNDERGROUND MINE TRUCKS

Aramine’s Mexican subsidiary recently
delivered a fleet of mining trucks to an un-
derground operation in Mexico to replace
an older fleet from a competitor brand.
The operators had to adapt to the more
modern technologies featured on the
Aramine trucks, so Aramine dispatched
trainers to help with a smooth transition.
“To meet the demand of our customers
seeking a truck to complement our 4-ton
mining loaders (the L350D and L440B),
our engineers are developing a new, more
compact truck model,” said Melkonian.
“Based on the L440B loader, the new
truck will be available in multiple versions
to optimize its usage, ranging from full
battery-powered to full diesel, depending
on the applications and working distance.”
In terms of future developments, Mel-
konian told E&MJ: “2024 will be the year of
optimization at Aramine for our R&D team.
The goal is to replace a significant amount
of the steel in our machines with decar-
bonized steels. These will be introduced
starting in January on our battery-powered
mining loader, the L440B. Additionally,
we will optimize the software in our bat-
tery-powered machines to a V.3 version,
bringing more features and a reduction in
unnecessary battery consumption.”
Caterpillar and Newmont
Demonstrate BEV
In December 2023, Caterpillar announced
it had successfully demonstrated its first
battery-electric prototype underground
mining truck, growing its portfolio of bat-
tery-electric and semi-autonomous tech-
nology for underground mining applica-
tions. The demonstration for Newmont and
other industry leaders, at the company’s
proving ground in Tasmania, Australia,
comes on the heels of the 793 battery-elec-
tric prototype surface mining truck, which
was unveiled in November of 2022.
Caterpillar developed its first bat-
tery-electric prototype underground min-
ing truck with input and support from
Newmont Corp. The companies are col-
laborating to achieve Newmont’s vision of
a fully connected, automated, zero carbon
emitting, end-to-end mining system.
“This milestone is a reflection of the
partnership between our teams at New-
mont and Caterpillar, showcasing the im-
pact of strong collaboration in the mining
industry,” said Rob Atkinson, executive
vice president, Newmont. “Achieving this
milestone together, combining capabili-
ties and shared values, is a testament to
the strength of our strategic alliance.”
This battery-electric truck will com-
plete Caterpillar’s first fully electric un-
derground load and haul solution when
paired with the commercially available
R1700 XE battery electric loader.
Denise Johnson, Caterpillar’s Resource
Industries group president said, “This is a
milestone for the entire Caterpillar team as
we work closer than ever with Newmont to
provide more sustainable choices for the
underground mining industry.”
Caterpillar also completed a demon-
stration of its growing autonomy and au-
tomation capabilities. This technology ad-
dresses some of the key safety challenges
faced daily by its underground mining
customers, like the risk of collision when
moving heavy machinery through dark,
cramped spaces. Autonomous trucks can
help to enhance mine site safety by remov-
ing operators from potentially hazardous or
remote sites. Additionally, these features
can improve productivity by creating in-
creased visibility for mine site coordinators,
enabling more consistent operations for
both staffed and autonomous machines.
Johnson added: “We are building on
our foundation of industry-leading auton-
omous solutions for surface operations,
along with our deep experience in under-
ground technology, to provide significant
improvement in both productivity and safe-
ty for underground mining customers.”
Epiroc Outlines Next Gen
Minetrucks
In March 2023, Epiroc upgraded the Min-
etruck MT65 S — the company’s high-
est-capacity truck for large underground
operations. The latest version offers 18%
more productivity compared to the previ-
ous model and improved reliability.
Daniel Sandström, Global Product
Manager – Minetruck at Epiroc’s Under-
ground division, explained: “The close
collaboration with our customers has
been key during this project development
and outcome. The implemented changes
and updates on the Minetruck MT65 S
have been verified in the field at our cus-
tomers’ sites, safeguarding the improve-
ments work as intended in real mining
applications and environments.”

GHH Fleet for Bulgarian Gold Mine
German OEM, GHH, which is currently in the midst of a take-
over from Komatsu, announced in December 2023 that it
GHH machines at work underground. The company recently bagged a
bumper order from Bulgarian miner, Breznik Minerals Ltd. (Photo: GHH)
had booked a “double-digit number” order of machines for
Breznik Minerals Ltd. The Bulgarian company is part of the
Assarel-Medet JSC group of companies — a leading Bulgar-
ian miner.
The machines will operate at the Breznik gold project,
which is the first underground greenfield mine in Bulgaria
for more than 50 years. The site is located 35 km west of
the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Breznik Minerals Ltd will take de-
livery of the first machines from GHH dealer, Strotech Engi-
neering JSC, in the third quarter of 2024, with the remainder
scheduled to arrive in Q2 of 2025.
The order comprises multiple LF-7 diesel LHDs and MK-
20 and MK-30 diesel dump trucks. The LHDs are designed
for a payload of 7,000 kg with bucket sizes up to 4 m3. The
dumpers have 20- and 30-mt payloads, with boxes up to
18 m3 and 320 kW engine power ratings. GHH claims that low
operating costs are made possible by its unique truck frame
and system design. All vehicles can be monitored remotely
to manage maintenance with the GHH inSiTE software.

32 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024 www.e-mj.com

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 Table of Contents

A Message from Arizona Mining and Industry Get Our Support – AMIGOS...............................................4
Freeport Plans to Convert the Bagdad Mine to Autonomous Haulage......................................................6
Elevation Gold Charts a New Course.....................................................................................................12
Pinto Valley Helps Capstone Meet Its Sustainability Goals.....................................................................18
South32’s Hermosa Project Achieves Key Operational Milestones.........................................................24
Arizona Sonoran Advances Copper Projects............................................................................................... 28
University of Arizona’s New School Addresses Critical Need for Minerals and Mining Talent..................32
Mining School in Arizona’s “Silicon Valley” Drives Innovation and Addresses Workforce Gaps...............34
Construction Begins on Florence Copper’s Wellfield..............................................................................38
ASARCO Emphasizes the Importance of Mining....................................................................................40

Freeport-McMoRan.............................6 Elevation Gold..................................12 Pinto Valley.......................................18

South32 – Hermosa Project.............24 University of Arizona........................32 Florence Copper...............................38

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Foreword

A Message from Arizona Mining and Industry

Get Our Support – AMIGOS
also by standing up to be counted whenever the
mines need support.
AMIGOS members are an important collec-
tion of firms working on projects locally and
globally, with a strong employment presence in
Arizona. And, while our members work on proj-
Ray Hammerich, Chairman Sydney Hay, President ects throughout the world, mining must contin-
ue to thrive here at home. Our members will
It is an exciting time to be in the mining indus- do all that we can to get new projects up and
try. As our nation moves toward an ever-greener running while we continue to support longtime
economy, mining will be more important than Arizona stalwarts.
ever before. Green technological innovations We will also continue to help our member
need vast amounts of copper, silver, gold, lith- companies thrive. Our online meetings connect
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— an industry vital ments, sporting clays
to their future. Lit- “AMIGOS members not only events, conferences,
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the organization they tours provide oppor-
founded would grow goods and services to mines tunities for members
to become an indus- close to home and around the to network with their
try powerhouse. mine customers and
Our members globe, they also stand up to be have a lot of fun, too.
have developed a- counted whenever the mines If you are a sup-
mazing state-of-the- plier, join us! As a
art technologies so need support.” member, you will
that mines can better have opportunities
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And we, AMIGOS, are pretty good at creating mines. You will get known within the indus-
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thousands of our Arizona friends and neighbors gamigos.com will be a great tool for you. There
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AMIGOS stands for Arizona Mining and vices, company news and blogs, job openings,
Industry Get Our Support, but it really means and upcoming events. AMIGOS membership
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AZ-4 E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024

Project Management Maintenance and Support Conveyor Systems
Capital Projects Steel Fabrication & Erection Ball Mill Relines
Tu r n a r o u n d s Piping, Fitting & Welding Baghouse Replacement
Project EPCM Specialty Coating Hot Shot by land/air

A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO:

M o u n t a i n We s t I n d u s t r i a l w o u l d n o t b e w h e r e i t ’s a t t o d a y w i t h o u t t h e c o m m i t m e n t , h a r d
w o r k a n d d e d i c a t i o n o f e v e r y p a r t i c i p a n t . T h i s c o m p a n y r e f l e c t s h o n e s t y, t e a m w o r k , a n d
m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y, r e s p e c t . W i t h r e s p e c t c o m e s o w n e r s h i p . I b e l i e v e i n t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f
t a k i n g a c c o u n t a b i l i t y. M y c l i e n t s a n d e m p l o y e e s a r e o f t h e u t m o s t i m p o r t a n c e t o m e . A t M W I
we are a team. I hope that we can be a great partner to your company and support the
success of your business in the future.
N AT E A H L I N / / C E O M W I

MWI OFFICE:
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JASON SCOTT - 385.347.9872
Freeport-McMoRan
Freeport Plans to Convert the Bagdad Mine
to Autonomous Haulage
In addition to improving safety and efficiency, the change could reduce the mine’s idle time by 10,000 hours annually
By Steve Fiscor, Editor-in-Chief
Freeport-McMoRan and Caterpillar
recently announced that the two com-
panies are collaborating to convert
the mining company’s fleet of 33 Cat
793 haul trucks at its Bagdad mine in
Arizona to an autonomous haulage
system (AHS).
“We look forward to partnering
with Caterpillar to become the first
U.S. copper mine to implement a fully
autonomous haulage system, and we
are excited about the numerous ben-
efits it will bring to our Bagdad oper-
ation and employees,” said Kathleen
Quirk, president, Freeport-McMoRan.
“The three-year conversion project
is expected to improve safety, opti-
mize our fleet, reduce GHG emissions
through reduced idle time and position
us to capitalize on future technological
advancements in electrification.”
The cycle time for the trucks at Bagdad varies from 30 to 60 minutes from the pit bottom to the
crusher or multiple waste dumps. (Photo: Freeport)
AZ-6
Cat recently celebrated the 10th
anniversary of its MineStar Command
for hauling platform, and the company
has more than 620 haul trucks oper-
ating autonomously around the world.
These trucks have hauled more than
6.3 billion metric tons of material and
traveled more than 143 million miles
without causing any reported injuries.
“We are pleased to collaborate
with Freeport as they transition to ful-
ly autonomous haulage at Bagdad,”
said Denise Johnson, group president
of Caterpillar Resource Industries.
“The Cat 793 haul truck remains Cat-
erpillar’s most popular autonomous
truck model and is well proven to
enhance safety, increase productivity,
and reduce idle time across multiple
operations, including copper mines.
Additionally, Caterpillar continues to
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
work with Freeport, and other mining
companies, to introduce new electri-
fication technologies supporting their
sustainability objectives.”
Located approximately 100 miles
northwest of Phoenix, the Bagdad
mine is a porphyry copper depos-
it containing both sulphide and ox-
ide mineralization. It consists of an
85,000 ton-per-day concentrator that
produces copper and molybdenum
concentrate and a solvent extraction/
electrowinning (SX/EW) plant that
produces 9 million lb/y of copper. It is
one of the oldest, continuously operat-
ing SX/EW plants in the world.
Meeting Sustainability Objectives
Freeport-McMoRan has active part-
nerships with Cat and Komatsu to ad-
vance zero-emissions mining trucks,
supporting technologies and infra-
structure. In mid-2023, the company
decided to transition the haul truck
fleet at the Bagdad mine to 100% au-
tonomous over three years.
The first two years of the conver-
sion project will be spent retrofitting
the existing haul trucks with autono-
mous technology, installing new sup-
porting equipment and infrastructure,
and training its workforce to safely op-
erate and service the new technology.
During the third year, the autonomous
trucks are expected to come online.
Manned trucks run 24/7, but of-
ten sit idle for, among other things,
operator breaks, shift change, fatigue
and coaching. Freeport’s preliminary
estimates indicate that Bagdad will be
able to reduce idle time by more than
10,000 hours per year.
Although full electrification of
haul trucks on a large scale is still
years in the future, autonomous haul
Freeport-McMoRan
As each haul truck comes into the shop for a rebuild, it will be converted to AHS. (Photo: Freeport)
truck technology is an important step
toward electrification. Rather than
waiting for electrification technolo-
gy to be developed and attempting to
embrace it all at once, by transitioning
Bagdad now, Freeport believes they
will be able to learn more about auton-
omous technology and how to lever-
age that technology before battery-op-
erated haul trucks are introduced.
The Rationale Behind
the Decision
The Bagdad mine has operated
manned fleets very efficiently for
many years. They had evaluated the
use of AHS in the past but didn’t be-
lieve the economics would work. To-
day, both Cat and Komatsu have much
more experience operating fleets and
Freeport reconsidered.
“The efficiency of autonomous
fleets historically hasn’t kept pace
with, or hasn’t met the capability of
our manned fleets,” said Justin Cross,
vice president of operational improve-
ment for Freeport-McMoRan. “The
economic driver wasn’t there at the
time and the economics just wouldn’t
work out. The technology, however,
has matured. The Bagdad mine was
also dealing with some constraints as
far as finding and retaining labor. That,
coupled with the possibility of running
AZ-8
battery-powered trucks in the future,
brought the decision on AHS forward.
The time was right, and we believe
AHS will now be economically viable
as a deployed haulage solution.”
Cross believes the transition will
improve efficiency. “We are imple-
menting AHS at a site that is posi-
tioned to grow,” he said. “Increasing
the workforce to support manned
haulage is not a viable option, and
AHS minimizes that need.”
The use of electrically powered
haulage, whether it’s batteries, over-
head trolleys or both, is rather com-
plex. “Power management with these
systems will be incredibly important,”
Cross said. “If you have a 500-ton
truck running on empty, the operator
has to decide whether to make one
more run or recharge. What speed
were we supposed to be traveling on
that trolley line? Should I go to the
shovel and get another load? Do I
have enough power to make it to the
crusher? AHS solves the problems
associated with people making those
decisions. If electrically powered haul
trucks are our future reality, we knew
we needed to get familiar with AHS.”
Freeport selected the Bagdad
mine, not only because of the work-
force challenges, but also because it
was a mid-sized mine. “Bagdad has
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
enough trucks to make this deploy-
ment make sense,” Cross said. “We
thought about smaller mines, like Ty-
rone and Climax, but the truck fleets
are not large enough. For a mine like
Morenci, that would be a big leap to
try and go from a manned fleet to au-
tonomous at a complex like that.”
The mine plans to improve its cur-
rent mesh network to support data trans-
fer. “This will be dispatch on steroids,”
Cross said. “Mesh networks are a little
more expensive, but highly reliable, and
we need 100% coverage all the time.”
Bagdad operates one deep pit with
a long uphill haul to a crushing instal-
lation or multiple waste dumps. The
cycle time for the haul trucks varies
from 30 to 60 minutes. “Bagdad is the
right size for the initial deployment, the
technology is mature enough, and we
want to learn about AHS,” Cross said.
Making the Leap
Komatsu and Cat have a great deal of
experience running trucks autonomous-
ly, Cross explained, but Bagdad already
had a Cat platform in place and the up-
grade just made sense. “Bagdad runs a
standard fleet of Cat 793 haul trucks,”
Cross said. “We can readily apply the
technology to our existing fleet.”
Bagdad has already started to retro-
fit the trucks, but it is not running any
trucks autonomously yet. “We rebuild
all of our trucks,” Cross said. “As the
trucks go to the shop for a rebuild, we
install the autonomous-ready packages
and then rebuild them. The first auton-
omous truck will probably be running
by the middle of 2025.”
Cross said they will integrate the
autonomous trucks one at a time with
the manned fleet. The fleet will op-
erate mingled until the transition is
complete. “We will be looking for the
opportunity to make efficiency gains
and learn more as we evaluate the
conversion process,” Cross said.
Obviously, this is a huge change
management process, but the people
part has been a pretty good story, Cross
explained. “We sat down with every-
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Freeport-McMoRan
one and explained all of the different
options that they can pursue. We have
already started socializing some of the
new jobs and what they would look
like. One example would be pit build-
ers. The pit has to be designed so that
the trucks know the roads, and where
the shovels are located constantly.
That’s a job. There are a lot of instru-
ment tech jobs, and we have been so-
liciting interest from folks.”
Bagdad has also asked the opera-
tors what they would like to do once
the mine starts phasing out some of
the haulage operator jobs. “We are
not going autonomous on our support
fleet,” Cross said. “Those operators
that want to continue to drive a truck
can drive water trucks and other small
support equipment, like the Cat 777s,
etc. Or, if they wanted to go to a dif-
ferent site to continue to drive trucks,
Freeport would support that as well.
“We are bringing our people along
with us,” Cross said. “A career path
at Freeport will be available for them
with new jobs coming online.”
Management will need some re-
training as well. “Cat has a lot of
expertise, and we have already sent
some of our people to Australia and
Canada to learn from those opera-
AHS is being installed now, but the first autonomous truck will not roll out until mid-2025. (Photo: Freeport)
AZ-10
tions,” Cross said. “We’re working
with sites that have already deployed
autonomous, and we’re working with
an OEM who has deployed multiple
autonomous fleets. Our Cat dealer,
Empire, has been a great partner in
helping us move forward.”
Measuring Improvement
Both Komatsu and Cat have had a phe-
nomenal decade plus safety record with
autonomous haulage, Cross explained,
with no lost-time accidents associated
with haulage. “AHS uses a lot of safe-
ty-related barriers, and the system’s de-
fault is to essentially shut down before
any potential collision or safety-related
event,” he said. “Whether it’s fatigue
or just the energy associated with the
trucks, one of the more complex things
to manage at our operations is safe
powered haulage. We perceive a nota-
ble improvement in workplace safety
as a result of autonomous deployment.”
When it comes to powered haulage, the
Bagdad mine has a respectable safety
record, and they plan to maintain or
improve that statistic.
Another area where Freeport
could anticipate improvement is with
haul truck maintenance. The autono-
mous trucks will run as designed most
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
of the time. “We are also anticipating
the fleet to run more consistently with
better road conditions,” Cross said.
Bagdad’s truck fleet historically
has run quite efficiently. “With optimi-
zation, we might be able to eliminate
a truck or two over time, but the big-
gest benefit will be the efficiency gain
from the manpower side,” Cross said.
“Productivity and cycle times should
improve. We will have no idling for
operator breaks. We already combine
shift change and refueling. There
would be a degree of benefit on shift
change, not waiting for the driver, but
the trucks still have to be refueled.”
Cross said he will consider the
transition a success when they see
the efficiency gains that they antici-
pate. Success would also be achieved
when Freeport is so confident with the
technology that they would consider
deploying it at other operations. “As
far as how it fits into our future power
management solution, we won’t know
that for a while as it’s on a longer time-
line,” Cross said. “If we can prove that
autonomy is equal to or better than the
efficiency of our manned fleets, that
will be a success on our way to the
power management solution.”
One source of pride for Cross and
Bagdad General Manager Jeff Mon-
teith is that the Bagdad team has re-
alized that this could be a win-win
for everyone. “We’re not making this
transition to eliminate jobs,” Cross
said. “Haulage operations are very
difficult jobs, and the new jobs will
be a change for the better. Everyone is
a winner in this. Through the deploy-
ment of technology, we’re creating
jobs that are better for people. They
will get to learn and apply new skills.
“We’re reducing the input costs of
running our operations, which extends
their lives,” Cross said. “Automation
can be used to serve business and the
workforce. There is a lot of noise about
displacement when it comes to AHS.
Yes, we’re displacing workers, but they
are not leaving the mine site. Many
will move into upskilled positions.”
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Elevation Gold
Elevation Gold Charts a New Course
Efforts to develop a workforce culture while chasing gold veins pays dividends
By Steve Fiscor, Editor-in-Chief
Elevation Gold Mining Corp. operates
the Moss mine in Mohave County, Ar-
izona. The company produced 8,380
ounces (oz) of gold and 53,911 oz of sil-
ver in Q3 2023, and 7,989 ounces (oz)
of gold and 60,706 oz of silver in Q4
2023. Those quarterly figures, which
were an improvement over the previous
two quarters, only tell half the story.
The Moss mine encountered high-
er grade ore which fragmented better,
leading to record crusher throughput,
and some much-needed operational
stability. The mine is currently extract-
ing ore from the West Pit and Mordor
areas, and they recently completed the
3B Leach Pad, on time and under bud-
get. Through Q3, 2023, cash costs are
down $262/oz for the year versus sim-
ilar periods last year, reflecting great
work by the team at Moss mine.
Mining plans are not the only transi-
tions at the Moss mine. New approaches
to management are leading to a cultural
shift in the workplace. “We have been
working hard to improve the workplace
culture and safety at the same time,”
said Elevation Gold CEO Tim Swend-
seid. “We have improved our training
programs, and our safety reporting sys-
tem. We are now offering competitive
compensation and have created a more
inclusive work environment.” These
changes have led to a more loyal work-
force that’s operating more safely.
Moss Mine Transitions to the West
Mining in the East Pit is now com-
plete and most of the mining activity
is focused on the Mordor area and the
West Pit. “We fired the last blast in the
East Pit in early December,” Swend-
seid said. “There is some additional
drilling that we hope to do that would
allow us to deepen the East Pit. That’s
part of a longer-term plan that would
require the relocation of the crusher to
AZ-12
An aerial view of the Moss mine looking east shows the West and East Pits and the crushing
installation in the center. (Photo: Elevation Gold)
access a rich zone where the Ruth vein
intersects the Moss vein. We’re hop-
ing that will be included in the plan
for seven to 12 years out, but we need
to perform some additional drilling to
confirm that ore first.”
The Moss mine is already stacking
ore on the new 3B Leach Pad, which
was completed in early November. De-
signed by Newfield’s and constructed
by Ledcor, it’s a 1 million ft2 pad and it
will add 2.5 years of capacity, Swendse-
id explained. “It will give us production
capacity through the end of 2025,” he
said. “We like to build them in 2-year
increments. We’re already working on
the design for the next pad and plan to
start construction in late 2025.” Build-
ing leach pads is a large capital expendi-
ture, and the company tries to pace itself
to spread out those capital costs as part
of its cash flow management.
Meanwhile, exploration drilling
continues in the Reynolds pit. “We had
some very interesting drill results in
the Reynolds pit recently,” Swendseid
said. “One of the holes turned out to
be the most exciting hole ever drilled
at the Moss mine. Hole AR23-663R
intersected 225.6 meters of mineraliza-
tion grading 0.56 grams per metric ton
(g/mt) of gold and 2.77 g/mt of silver.
The grade was well above our operat-
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
ing cutoff grade of 0.31 g/mt. It looks
like we have found an area with the
potential to dramatically improve eco-
nomics in the western side of the pit.”
The new ore zone is within Eleva-
tion Gold’s permitted area for mining
and leaching. “We performed a small
drilling campaign a couple of months
ago and we are currently in the mid-
dle of another small campaign trying
to connect the dots,” Swendseid said.
“From the assays that have been report-
ed so far, it looks like we have hit the
same ore zone in three drilling fences.”
The miners knew the Moss vein was
there and they suspected there could be
more gold in the area. “The mine’s ex-
ploration geologist at the time decided
to drill a hole toward the south, and low
and behold, he hit this really decent ore
zone,” Swendseid said. “The East Pit
is currently our best ore zone as it has
a much better grade than the West Pit,
and this new mineralized zone may be
as good or better than the East Pit.”
Production in the West Pit is cur-
rently being supplemented with ore
from the Mordor area, which is a little
bit west of the West Pit. “The Mordor
area is an area that was also under ex-
plored,” Swendseid said. “About five
years ago, someone put some per-
cussion holes into it, but it was never
Elevation Gold
After encountering hard ore in the East Pit, mining operations have transitioned to the Mordor Pit west of the West Pit. (Source: Elevation Gold)
drilled well enough to be placed into the
orebody model. After some additional
drilling, we decided to move the pro-
duction blasthole drills there and started
mining the Mordor area. We have since
hit some very good ore or what we call
a ‘very positive reconciliation’ to what
the orebody model predicted.”
The geology in the West Pit had
become very hard to the point where it
was affecting fragmentation and crush-
ing negatively. The rock in the Mordor
area is completely different. It’s easier to
blast and crush and has a better grade.
Today, most of the mining at the
Moss mine is concentrated in the Mor-
The 3B Leach Pad was completed on time and under budget. (Photo: Elevation Gold)
AZ-14
dor area. “We are working off of a
mine plan for an area that remains un-
der-drilled, and we can’t get drill holes
in it fast enough to fully understand
it,” Swendseid said.
Improving the Workplace Culture
Elevation Gold has invested consider-
able effort in improving the workplace
culture at the Moss mine. The company
brought Justine De Boom on board as
vice president of human resources. In
the past, the company had a punitive
attitude toward employees, Swendseid
explained. “If they had a safety issue or
did something that they ought not do,
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
maybe even because of improper train-
ing at the mine itself, they were termi-
nated and the mine suffered from an
extreme amount of turnover,” he said.
De Boom identified the issues and
has focused her efforts on building an
inclusive workplace culture that en-
gages employees. One of the primary
objectives was to improve safety by of-
fering more training and allowing peo-
ple to report safety incidents, especially
near misses. “We needed to learn from
them,” Swendseid said. “The entire cul-
tural improvement effort has resulted in
a workforce that’s much more loyal and
our retention rates have improved dra-
matically. Our turnover rate is still high,
but it is way better than what it was.”
The results can also be seen in the
mine’s total recordable incident fre-
quency rate for 200,000 man-hours.
“We have brought that statistic way
down and we are now confident that
we are reporting everything properly,”
Swendseid said. “At the same time, the
number of near-miss incidents reported
has increased dramatically. We applaud
people who turn in a near miss incident
through our Good Catch Program.”
The program identifies the actions
or inaction that led to the near miss
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Elevation Gold

and asks how it can be prevented in
the future. It also rewards employees
that participate in the program. “We
also now offer production bonuses,
and our workforce has become a more
inclusive group,” Swendseid said.
Elevation Gold also brought
Jim Fowler on board as the general
manager of the Moss mine. “He has
worked in Arizona for the majority of
his career, and he is a solid coach and
mentor with a ton of operating experi-
ence,” Swendseid said.
The continued focus on safety and
employee retention has created a more
stable workforce, which has led to con-
sistent operations and will allow us to
drive costs down in the future, Swend-
seid explained. “With our low-grade
ore, keeping costs at a minimum is a
company-wide requirement,” he said.
The Moss mine employs 200 in-
cluding contractors, and the main
mining contractor is Ledcor. “The de-
mographics that we pull from for the
workforce come from the Bullhead
City, Arizona, and Laughlin, Nevada
area,” Swendseid said. “The base of
employment in that region is hospitality
related, people who work in the casinos,
hotels, and restaurants. So, they are not
mining people per se. We train them and
teach them about mining and operating
safely and give them the opportunity to
secure a long-term career that pays bet-
ter than the hospitality industry.”
Swendseid said it’s rewarding to
see the workforce stabilize. “When
I arrived a couple of years ago, we
were coming out of COVID-19 and it
was hard to keep people at any of the
positions,” Swendseid said. “People
would not show up for interviews and
Starbucks was paying more than we
were. Today, the tables have turned.”
Looking toward the future, Sw-
endseid said his vision is to continue
drilling these geologic structures that
run from the east to the west and iden-
tify enough gold to keep the Moss
mine in business for the next 10 to 15
years. They also need to get through a
permitting phase to expand their oper-
ation. Elevation Gold still has 165 km2
of exploration area at the Moss mine
and they are still finding targets adja-
cent to the active mining areas.

The Good Catch Program

Staff turnover and safety in the workplace are interlinked.
Three years ago, the Moss mine had a poor safety record, and
it was experiencing high staff turnover. “In an effort to focus
on positive behavioral safety programs, we developed the
Good Catch Program,” said Justine De Boom, vice president
of human resources for Elevation Gold. “Before something
becomes a near miss, before it becomes an incident, we get out
there and positively identify this issue that has the potential to
injure somebody or create a hazard in the workplace. And, we
have built that into the production values of the mine site itself.
The punitive mentality toward safety was working
against the Moss mine. “As quickly as we could hire peo-
ple, they were leaving because of this punitive mindset,”
De Boom said. “If somebody did something wrong, they
were terminated. We needed to develop a culture and we
began to change the way we do business. Today, we are
hiring people from the local communities, training them
and molding them into miners, and it has paid off.
De Boom worked with Moss’s managers to develop
training plans. They also implemented regular performance
Elevation’s efforts to improve workplace culture has resulted in a steady
decrease in employee turnover. (Source: Elevation Gold)
With a new program in place, the Moss mine’s total recordable incidence
frequency rate has declined dramatically. (Source: Elevation Gold)
reviews. “I personally attend every performance review,”
De Boom said. “It’s important for me to connect with the
employees whilst we get some great feedback.”
The mine now surveys its employees and asks their opin-
ions. “Before we make a change in the workplace, we send
out a survey,” De Boom said. “It’s important for employees to
be part of the decision-making process. Their opinions mean
something. We do a lot of consultative work with our employ-
ees. It’s human nature for people to be critical of any work-
place. We’re not perfect, but I think when you make them part
of that process, they feel that they are valued as an employee.”
De Boom added “we also focus on connecting with
all employees by conducting quarterly communication
meetings with management to provide an overview of the
mine’s performance and listen to employee feedback about
how we can better do business. Additionally, a key perfor-
mance indicator for the Executive Management team is to
attend the department line out meetings and interact daily
with the safety management of the mine site. Communica-
tion has been the key to their success.”

AZ-16 E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024

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Pinto Valley
Pinto Valley Helps Capstone Meet Its
Sustainability Goals
Ongoing projects protect and support people, the environment and cultural heritage
The Pinto Valley mine has found ways to conserve water in a water-stressed district. (Photo:
Capstone Copper)
Capstone Copper recently published
its 2022 Sustainability Report, Grow-
ing Responsibly. In it, the company,
which operates the Pinto Valley mine,
located in the west end of the historic
Globe-Miami mining district of cen-
tral Arizona, documents several initia-
tives that are contributing collectively
to improving its sustainability. Pinto
Valley contributed through its efforts
to, among others, sustaining biodi-
versity, supporting mental health, and
showing respect for cultural heritage.
A little more than a year ago, Lynd-
say Potts was named general manager
for the Pinto Valley mine. As the mine’s
first female general manager, she brings
a wealth of experience from positions
she held in geotechnical services; mine
management; health, safety and en-
vironment; and community relations.
She and her family relocated to Arizona
from Australia in November 2022.
In the report she emphasized
the importance of local recruitment.
“It’s about community involvement,”
AZ-18
Potts said. “We want the community
to see that we bring revenues, wages
and pride. We’re not just making do-
nations — we are members of these
communities. It’s important for our
growth plans that we earn the support
of our communities. We also need to
show we take their concerns serious-
ly, such as their concerns about water
conservation.”
Potts also discussed one of her
goals, meeting the Copper Mark Crite-
ria for Responsible Production, which
is more challenging for a legacy site
like Pinto Valley. “We are actively
working to bring this site up to Cop-
per Mark standards and challenging
norms about what can be done with
aging infrastructure,” she said. “It has
people excited.”
Pinto Vally recently marked 10
years of continuous operations and
they want to extend that trend with
sustainable production by operating
efficiently and reliably, conserving
water and maintaining low turnover.
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
Energy Efficiency and
Water Conservation
Capstone said energy efficiency is a key
criterion for upgrading equipment and
securing funding for new capital proj-
ects on site. For example, Pinto Valley
has replaced several pieces of equipment
that reached the end of life with newer,
more fuel-efficient models. Some of the
new equipment uses engines that ex-
ceed U.S. EPA Tier 4 regulations and
provide up to 20% fuel improvement in
efficiency over previous models.
The company also encourages sites
to look for efficiency opportunities
with energy-intensive infrastructure.
In 2022, Pinto Valley completed an
efficiency study of its grinding circuit,
which is responsible for two thirds of
the mill’s energy consumption.
All of Capstone’s mines operate in
water-stressed regions with the poten-
tial for water shortages. Arizona has
experienced extreme drought condi-
tions over the last several years, lead-
ing to increased attention to water use.
There are also cumulative impacts on
local water resources resulting from
different users competing for water in
water-stressed areas.
Collaborating for the benefit of all
shared interests, Pinto Valley works
with and responds to communities
and stakeholders who have a shared
interest in the health of the Pinto
Creek watershed. The mine hosts and
facilitates annual meetings with Pin-
to Creek stakeholders to discuss the
mine’s water use and the water bud-
get of the watershed. Pinto Valley also
works with the U.S. Forest Service
and other stakeholders to map and
monitor wells, seeps, and springs in
the watershed, and funds the monitor-
ing of U.S. Geological Survey stream
gauge stations along Pinto Creek.

Pinto Valley also uses alternate
tailings deposition methods to reclaim
more water from its tailings storage
facility (TSF) and it deploys physi-
cal and chemical inhibitors to reduce
evaporation. Upgrades to the center
walls of the tailings thickeners in 2021
resulted in savings of about 3,000 li-
ters per minute due to water recovered
from the thickener overflow.
Capstone has Independent Tailings
Review Boards (ITRBs) comprised of
external third-party technical experts
who have not been involved with the
design or operation of the TSF. The
boards meet periodically to review
and provide recommendations to im-
prove Capstone’s tailings manage-
ment. The company regularly reviews
closure and post-closure costs and
provisions. They engage independent
experts to estimate the TSF closure
and post-closure costs at each site.
Suppressing Dust in a New Way
Managing dust is a full-time preoccupa-
tion for Pinto Valley Operations Super-
intendent Lyn Jugler. His team works
closely with the environmental depart-
ment to ensure air quality permits are
met. They are highly aware of the im-
pact dust can have on nearby towns or
people using the major road that passes
by the mine. It’s also a workplace con-
cern. As Jugler puts it, “Nobody wants
to breathe dust all the time.”
Water trucks operate continuous-
ly to manage dust on the roads in and
around the pit. However, in the heat of
summer, the benefit of watering only
lasts about 15 minutes. That’s why
Pinto Valley was keen to try a new
product made of magnesium chloride
that can be mixed 1:1 with water in the
water truck’s tank. The product binds
fine dust particles together, preventing
them from becoming airborne. This
extends the time frame for rewatering
by hours or even days.
Pinto Valley tested it in the sum-
mer of 2022 on some high-traffic
roads and were very happy with how
it performed. To make the best use
2024 • E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT
Pinto Valley
of an expensive product, they apply cies. The mine has created vegetation
it as a spot treatment on fixed roads, reference plots to monitor the success
but not temporary roads deep in the of species for revegetation potential.
pit that may only be used for a week. The mining operation also makes
Jugler estimates that two thirds of their use of appropriate equipment and
roads are being treated regularly, with operational practices to reduce dust.
benefits for those who drive the wa- Equipment solutions include wet
ter trucks. “It makes the water truck scrubbers on conveyor belts and en-
operators’ life simpler. They’re not closures or covers on dust-prone ar-
constantly refilling, so they can take a eas such as conveyors, stockpiles and
moment to breathe,” Jugler said. concentrate storage. In 2022, Pinto
He finds the improvement in dust Valley replaced seven dust collectors
suppression is very noticeable and air with modern, efficient cartridge filter
quality testing backs this up. For him, units that do not require water, unlike
the evidence is there every morning. the old wet scrubbers.
“When the sun comes up as you’re Air quality monitoring, for both
driving into the mine, the first thing worker safety and environmental pro-
you notice coming down that hill is tection, ensures Pinto Valley meets reg-
that there isn’t a haze,” Jugler said. ulatory standards and quickly responds
to issues. All Capstone sites monitor or
Sustaining Biodiversity conduct sampling for fine particulate
The ecosystem for the Sonoran Des- matter (PM), specifically PM10 and
ert, where Pinto Vally operates, is PM2.5. Pinto Valley conducts annu-
fragile due to extreme weather condi- al stack testing to ensure dust control
tions and human development of the equipment is functioning as expect-
land. Bordered by the Tonto National ed. It also uses visual monitoring for
Forest, it is situated in the Pinto Creek
watershed. The recent completion of
an Environmental Impact Statement
and approval of a Mine Plan of Op-
erations for Pinto Valley’s expansion
project will bring additional monitor-
ing and mitigation measures.
Pinto Valley actively mitigates
risks of potential acid rock drainage
associated with surface water runoff
by encapsulating waste rock and tail-
ings with inert materials. Alternately,
they capture and recycle surface wa-
ter runoff that contacts these materials
in a network of catchments, ponds,
and reservoirs. Groundwater quality
is protected by the hydraulic capture
zone created by the open pit, active
pumping of downgradient water pro-
duction wells, and high evaporation
rates on the surface of waste dumps
and tailings impoundments.
The reclamation activities planned
for Pinto Valley’s mine closure (cur-
rently projected for 2039) will include Pinto Valley uses a 1:1 ratio of magnesium
landform regrading and contouring, chloride to water in its water trucks to suppress
and revegetation with native plant spe- dust. (Photo: Capstone Copper)
AZ-19
Pinto Valley
dust, based on approved procedures
for gauging opacity. The site records
observations and uses them to activate
contingency measures.
Pinto Valley submits an annual
emissions inventory report to the Ar-
izona Department of Environmental
Quality (ADEQ). In addition to re-
porting PM emissions from all sourc-
es, they are also required to report
carbon monoxide, volatile organic
compounds, nitrogen oxides and sul-
phur oxides from stationary sources
(e.g., internal combustion engines,
boilers, heaters) but not from mobile
equipment or vehicles.
The mine’s tank house generates
hazardous air pollutants (HAP) pri-
The mine realized 20 gpm in water savings by
replacing old wet scrubbers with new, water-free
dust collectors. (Photo: Capstone Copper)
AZ-20
marily related to sulphuric acid mist
from the electrowinning process. HAP
emissions dropped 27% in 2022 when
an updated emissions factor issued by
ADEQ was applied.
Cleaning the Air and Saving Water
Crushing and grinding ore can gen-
erate a lot of dust. Since PM is un-
healthy for people and ecosystems, it’s
important to prevent it from escaping.
Pinto Valley’s Mill Maintenance Su-
perintendent Brandon Greer explained
that the original dust collectors (i.e.,
wet scrubbers) in the Pinto Valley mill
worked by ventilating dust laden air
and spraying it with water to capture
dust before releasing it outdoors. “The
old scrubbers were essential for meet-
ing our permits, but they were show-
ing fatigue, and we were always doing
maintenance to keep up,” he said.
Replacing the old wet scrubbers
with new models that require no water
was a clear win-win situation. In 2022, Pinto Valley invested 10 hours/day for six months
to identify, document and recover evidence of
Pinto Valley replaced seven dust collec-
past use for further analysis by archaeologists.
tors with filter cartridges that contain (Photo: Capstone Copper).
12 filters in each unit. After a year of
operation, Greer said he was impressed ago, she became part of a new on-site
with the result. “I feel like you can see clinic at the mine. This clinic was cre-
the difference in emissions, and the ated to perform health checks required
units are much more efficient to oper- by the regulator, as well as injury as-
ate,” Greer said. Performance testing of sessments. Because it’s on site, the
the stacks associated with the new units clinic is convenient for employees and
showed a 10-fold reduction in PM10 is lower in cost.
emissions from these seven sources. An even bigger benefit of the on-
Even more impressive to Greer site clinic has been the presence of a
are the water savings from the switch. compassionate ear for any employee
“Each of the units we replaced ran experiencing mental health stress.
through approximately 20 gallons Pinto Valley offers an employee assis-
per minute (gpm) of water, round the tance plan to access counselling and
clock,” he explained. “That’s a big rehabilitation for mental health and
savings. Any way we can salvage our substance use disorders. Vines is in a
water resource by using it as minimal- position to help employees make the
ly as possible, while still operating ef- most of that program. “It can be frus-
ficiently, just makes sense.” Capstone trating to navigate the medical world,”
plans to replace an additional two wet Vines said. “I can ease that burden.”
scrubbers with high-efficiency car- Capstone said the COVID-19 pan-
tridge filter units at Pinto Valley. demic shed light on a growing mental
health crisis that affects all of its sites
Supporting Mental Health and communities. The counties around
When nurse practitioner Jody Vines Pinto Valley have seen an escalation
joined the Pinto Valley team six years in substance abuse, opioid addiction
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
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and overdoses, with devastating conse-
quences for people and their families.
At a 24-hour operation there is an ad-
ditional stress factor, Vines explained.
“Shift work is not easy on people,” she
said. “It takes them away from their
family on evenings and weekends.”
Even though mental health issues
are widespread and better understood
than they were a few years ago, it’s still
not easy for employees to open up about
their struggles. To address that, Vines’
team partnered with Blue Cross Blue
Shield to launch mental health first aid
classes (the mental health equivalent of
a CPR certificate). In an 8-hour class,
employees develop the skills to notice
and support an individual who may be
experiencing a mental health or sub-
stance use concern or crisis. They also
learn how to initiate uncomfortable con-
versations with their fellow workers.
“Whether someone is struggling
personally, or having trouble at home,
an expression of empathy can make all
the difference,” Vines said. “Just ask: Is
there anything going on that you would
like to talk about? I’m willing to listen.”
Workforce Retention
Pinto Valley had a higher-than-aver-
age turnover rate due to labor short-
ages and changing employee expec-
tations in the Arizona labor market,
a trend it said was most noticeable in
the under-30 category.
Pinto Valley signed a 4-year col-
lective bargaining agreement in Au-
gust 2022, resulting in significant
improvements for employees. These
include more competitive wages and
benefits and improved leave practices.
The new agreement also permits Pinto
Valley to make future wage increases
without re-opening bargaining.
Respecting Cultural Heritage
Pinto Valley’s operations overlap with
parts of the Tonto National Forest.
Several prehistoric peoples lived by
hunting and gathering in this area. The
peoples who succeeded them, includ-
ing the Hohokam and Salado, practiced
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
farming, building and trade, leaving
their marks on the landscape when they
left the area. Their descendants include
members of the Hopi, Pima and Zuni
tribes who live in the area today.
Selwyn Selina belongs to a Hopi
Bear clan and maintains a strong at-
tachment to these ancient cultures.
He works as a Tribal Monitor Crew
Chief for Westland Resources through
a program that is giving a voice to the
various tribes that need to be consult-
ed before disturbing cultural artifacts.
Pinto Valley’s plan to upgrade its TSF
requires extension onto some land
within the Tonto National Forest. The
Tribal Monitors were engaged to help
identify, document and, in some cases,
recover the evidence of past use, for
further analysis by archaeologists.
Working 10 hours a day for almost
six months, Selina’s team discovered
a variety of archaeological features,
such as ancient house blocks, the
foundation of a compound with many
rooms, a roasting oven and even two
tiny beads. The investigation and ex-
humation of archaeological finds is
painstaking and hard on the body, but
Selina finds it very meaningful. “It’s
important that I’m here to see this
with my own eyes, and document in
my own words what was here, to pass
this on to my people,” he said.
He is not troubled by the under-
standing that once they are done, the
land will be cleared. “There’s got to
be change,” he said. “People have al-
ways adapted. I believe that my con-
nection to that area is not altered even
if those things are no longer there. We
still celebrate and do the ceremonies,
knowing what was there.”
Selina takes satisfaction in learning
more about the people who came before.
“What I appreciate the most is visually
understanding what they were doing
here,” he says. “Why did they come
here? The unknown is the fascinating
part.” Selina’s perspective is now shared
widely with Pinto Valley employees and
contractors, and he was asked to record
a video for cultural awareness.
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South32 - Hermosa Project
South32’s Hermosa Project Achieves
Key Operational Milestones
Permitting is on the FAST-41 track and exploration continues to further define the orebody
South32 begins construction activity on an exploration shaft at Hermosa, which will be used to
further define one of the world’s largest undeveloped zinc resources. (Photo: South32)
South32’s Hermosa project announced
a series of project developments that
highlights its commitment to investing
in and partnering with the community
to bolster workforce development and
community health transparency. This
includes the formation of the South32
Hermosa Workforce Development
Taskforce, the hiring of public health
experts to guide the Santa Cruz Coun-
ty community health assessment and
outreach to local public health institu-
tions, and a construction update on the
main exploration shaft.
“We are designing the Hermosa
project with state-of-the-art technolo-
gy to be a safer, more sustainable, and
more advanced mine,” said Hermosa
Project President Pat Risner. “We are
excited to share our progress as we
work to reduce America’s reliance on
foreign countries for critical minerals,
while unlocking new economic op-
portunities for this community.”
FAST-41 Designation
South32 has been active in southern Ar-
izona for more than five years now, Ris-
AZ-24
ner explained. “We are proud of what
we have achieved in this short amount
of time as we continue designing the
Hermosa project to be a mine that’s saf-
er and more sustainable than anything
Arizonans have seen,” he said. “Hermo-
sa will also reduce America’s reliance
on foreign countries for the resources
found at our site and strengthen our do-
mestic supply of manganese and zinc –
both designated critical minerals.”
To operate, Hermosa needs a se-
ries of state and federal permits. In
May 2023, South32 Hermosa was the
first critical minerals project to be des-
ignated as a FAST-41 project.
FAST-41’s “FAST” acronym
stands for “Fixing America’s Surface
Transportation,” the name of the bill
that created the Federal Permitting Im-
provement Steering Council (FPISC),
an independent federal agency respon-
sible for environmental reviews and
permitting for infrastructure projects.
In July 2023, the FPISC published
a proposed comprehensive, integrat-
ed permitting timetable for South32’s
Hermosa project. It includes interme-
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
diate and final completion dates for
all federal environmental reviews and
authorizations for full project devel-
opment, as well as a list of cooperat-
ing agencies. The proposed permitting
timetable projects Hermosa will hap-
pen in three phases.
Because FAST-41 at the outset will
make the rigorous federal environmen-
tal review and permitting process for
this project more transparent, predict-
able, and inclusive for all stakeholders,
South32 is well positioned to bring this
project into operation in a way that
benefits the community, minimizes im-
pact on the environment, and creates
new opportunities across the region in
the years to come, Risner explained.
“We are looking forward to 2024
as a year in which we will complete
our feasibility studies, continue our
construction process and develop
a homegrown workforce with the
next-generation skills needed to oper-
ate the Hermosa project and support
our broader community for genera-
tions to come,” Risner said.
Continuing Project Construction
In May, the Hermosa project began
initial excavation for the main explo-
ration shaft and the ventilation shaft
to provide underground access to the
Taylor deposit.
During December 2023, Hermosa
announced that construction pre-sink
activities of both shafts remain on
track. To date, we have excavated 50
of the planned 115 feet for the main
exploration shaft and excavated 115
feet for a ventilation shaft. While total
depth of the shafts is approximately
2,900 feet, achieving these construc-
tion milestones will allow for infra-
structure needed for safe passage of
people and vehicles underground.
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South32 - Hermosa Project
“This construction demonstrates the
continued progress of the Hermosa pro-
ject toward delivering critical minerals to
the market which would reduce Ameri-
ca’s reliance on foreign countries and
strengthen domestic supply of critical
minerals. This advanced, underground
mining method enables reduced sur-
face impact and the amount of tailings
resulting in a more sustainable mine,”
said Hermosa project Vice President of
Project Delivery Andy Thompson.
Supporting Workforce
Development
The main purpose of the South32
Hermosa Workforce Development
Taskforce is to identify the skills
needed and local facilities available
to help train, develop and expand the
region’s workforce.
“The first step in helping transform
the local economy is partnering with
community members whose expertise
and understanding of our region’s edu-
Call 602.275.2222 or visit HEAVYINDUSTRIAL.BIG-D.COM for more information.
AZ-26
cational needs can help create opportuni-
ties, so that the next generation can stay
in Santa Cruz County,” said South32
Human Resources Director for North
America Skylie Estep. “This partnership
will allow us to develop a clear, specific
pathway for training local residents to
fill the high-skilled, good-paying jobs
Hermosa will bring to the region.”
The taskforce will begin meeting
in 2024. Confirmed members include:
• Angelina Canto, Nogales Unified
School District # 1 Superintendent;
• Victoria Clark, Business Develop-
ment Director, Pima Community
College;
• Skylie Estep, South32 Human Re-
sources Director for North America;
• Manuel Felix, AZ Cyber Initiative;
• Naiz Garibay, South32 Project
Supporter Coordinator;
• Patrick Garretson, South32 Study
Manager;
• Kenny Hayes, Patagonia Public
Schools Superintendent;
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
• Greg Lucero, Santa Cruz County
Workforce Development Steering
Committee;
• Kari Middleton, Pima Community
College;
• Sandra Moraga, South32 Commu-
nities Specialist;
• Stephanie Moreno, South32 Tribal
Affairs Specialist;
• Akmaral Muken, South32 Training
and Learning Principal;
• Irasema Olvera, Arizona @ Work;
• Josh Rubin, Greater Nogales Santa
Cruz County Port Authority;
• David Verdugo, Santa Cruz Valley
Unified School District No. 35
Superintendent; and
• Chris Young, Chief Deputy Santa
Cruz County School Superinten-
dent’s Office.
Setting a New Standard for
Safety and Sustainability
The Hermosa project has hired Ram-
boll, a global consulting firm with de-

cades of experience conducting com-
munity health assessments in southern
Arizona and across the United States,
to guide South32’s Santa Cruz Coun-
ty baseline community health assess-
ment and outreach to local public
health institutions, including the Uni-
versity of Arizona.
A baseline assessment will help
Hermosa limit the exposure of manga-
nese and other minerals. By understand-
ing what already exists in the commu-
nity and environment before operations
begin, South32 can make sure health
and safety controls are in place, bet-
ter understand any changes over time,
and ensure controls remain effective
throughout the life of Hermosa.
“We know our families, friends
and neighbors are counting on us to
get this right,” said Hermosa Proj-
ect Communities Principal Melanie
Lawson. “That’s why we are partner-
ing with third-party public health or-
ganizations to regularly monitor and
2024 • E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT
report findings to ensure transparen-
cy and accountability.”
Two professionals will lead Ram-
boll’s efforts at the Hermosa project:
Rosalind Schoof, Ph.D., Diplomate
of the American Board of Toxicology
(DABT), Fellow ATS, and Alma Feld-
pausch, MS, DABT.
Updated Mineral Resource
Estimate
In July 2023, South32 updated the
mineral resource estimate for the Her-
mosa project, which includes the Tay-
lor zinc-lead-silver deposit, the Clark
battery-grade manganese deposit, and
the Peake deposit.
The Taylor Mineral resource esti-
mate is estimated at 153 million metric
tons (mt), averaging 3.53% zinc, 3.83%
lead and 77 g/mt silver. The upgrade in-
cludes a 41% increase in the measured
mineral resource estimate, providing
a compelling base to underpin future
production. The deposit remains open
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South32 - Hermosa Project
in several directions, offering the po-
tential for further growth. This zinc re-
source in the Taylor deposit would be
one of the world’s largest undeveloped
resources, which is also a federally des-
ignated critical mineral in the USA.
South32 also published information
on the Peake deposit, which is a copper-
lead-zinc-silver prospect, a lateral zone
prospective for copper mineralization,
located south of the Taylor deposit.
The results included the best inter-
cept at Peake to date, with diamond
drill hole HDS-813 returning a down-
hole intersection of 139 m grading
1.88% copper, 0.51% lead, 0.34%
zinc and 52g/mt silver at 2.49% cop-
per equivalent (CuEq), including 58.2
m grading 3.1% copper, 0.6% lead,
0.24% zinc, 74g/mt silver and 0.015%
molybdenum at 3.84% CuEq.
These days a grade above 1%
would be considered rich and South32
said it is planning further exploration
drilling at Peake in 2024.
1615 1/2 University Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87102
Phone: 505-872-2841
AZ-27
Arizona Sonoran Copper
Arizona Sonoran Advances Copper Projects
Advanced leaching technology could unlock stranded copper
Last year was an exciting year for the
Arizona Sonoran Copper Co. (ASCU),
an emerging copper developer based
in Casa Grande, Arizona. In Febru-
ary 2023, the company optioned an
additional 523 acres of private land
contiguous to Parks/Salyer known as
MainSpring, for a total cash consider-
ation of $14 million. Then they hired
Ausenco to lead the team producing
its prefeasibility study (PFS) on the
Cactus project. The company expects
to have that completed in Q1 2024.
ASCU has also demonstrated the
ability to obtain major permits from the
regulators with the support from com-
munity. The company received both a
Mined Land Reclamation Permit and
the Industrial Air Permit in early 2023.
The framework to receive the remaining
permits will be guided by the pending
PFS and a future construction decision.
The project benefits from water rights
to a permitted water source, as well as
a streamlined state and local municipal-
ity permitting process. Working with
a brownfields project on private land
avoids the federal permitting process.
Based on the metallurgical test
work performed so far, ASCU is tar-
geting a step up from the Prelimi-
nary Economic Assessment’s (PEA)
28,000 tons per year of copper to 45-
50,000 tons per year of copper and ex-
tending the mine life well beyond the
18 years previously outlined.
More recently, the company an-
nounced an option for a joint venture
with Nuton, LLC, a subsidiary of Rio
Tinto that has a promising method for
enhancing the leaching process. If Nu-
ton can show that its technology can
improve the net present value (NPV)
of the Cactus project above a certain
threshold, it could buy up to 40% of
the Cactus project for $33 million.
“The company continues to deliv-
er on its key objectives,” said George
AZ-28
ASCU controls the Cactus East, Cactus West, Parks/Salyer and now the MainSpring property.
(Source: ASCU)
Ogilvie, CEO, ASCU. “Ongoing work
programs include our advanced met-
allurgical programs, final engineering,
mine planning and site characterizations
as we progress towards our PFS. Our
drilling also continues, both infill and
exploration.” All this work is preparing
the company for future technical studies
and an eventual decision to move into a
construction and development phase.
The Nuton Option
During mid-December, ASCU en-
tered into an option-to-joint-venture
agreement with Nuton to establish
a strategic alliance for deployment
of Nuton’s leaching technologies at
its Cactus mine and the Parks/Salyer
project, which are collectively known
as the Cactus project.
“We welcome the expertise and fi-
nancial support as we expand testing
of Nuton’s heap leaching technolo-
gies, while concurrently advancing
ASCU’s projects,” Ogilvie said. “Nu-
ton’s column test results have demon-
strated continued improvements in
extraction rates from both the primary
and enriched mineral resources, re-
sulting in potentially more efficient
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
operations. We look forward to ad-
vancing into Phase 2 testing, which
includes an expanded understanding
of the Nuton technologies’ economic
benefits within a fully integrated PFS,
anticipated by the end of 2024.
ASCU granted Nuton the option-
to-joint-venture for $33 million. Nuton
could acquire 35%-40% of the Cactus
project with a further payment based
on 35-40% of the NPV, and using a
multiple of 0.65x. Nuton will pay $10
million to ASCU at signing of the op-
tion agreement; ASCU can draw up to
$11 million in the form of a pre-pay-
ment toward the Option Exercise
Price; and Nuton will make up to $12
million available to ASCU for funding
costs associated with continued Nuton
test work required to produce the Inte-
grated Nuton Case (INC) PFS.
“Successful deployment of Nu-
ton Technologies at Cactus and Park/
Salyer has the potential to materially
enhance the economic and environ-
mental performance of the projects,”
said Adam Burley, CEO of Nuton.
Nuton said its technologies can un-
lock copper from sulphide resources,
copper bearing waste and tailings, and
Arizona Sonoran Copper
The current mineral resource (MRE) estimate for the Cactus project positions it as the third largest
independent copper project in the USA. (Source: ASCU)
achieve higher copper recoveries on
oxide and transitional material, which
could significantly increase copper pro-
duction. One of the key differentiators
of its technology, according to Nuton, is
the potential to deliver leading environ-
mental performance, including more
efficient water usage, lower carbon
emissions, and the ability to reclaim
mine sites by reprocessing mine waste.
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Nuton’s heap leaching technology
would allow ASCU to access current-
ly stranded primary mineral resources
while also incrementally improving
the copper extraction rates from the
enriched material. Nuton believes its
flowsheet could be easily integrated
into the planned Cactus heap leach
and solvent extraction/electrowinning
(SX/EW) flowsheet.
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“The proposed heap leach and SX/
EW flowsheet using Nuton is intend-
ed to build upon the strength of our
standalone base case, using the same
infrastructure,” Ogilvie said. “Nuton
has indicated the potential to signifi-
cantly increase copper cathode output
from our current 45,000 to 50,000
mt/y target which could materially
enhance project economics.” The two
companies have outlined a work pro-
gram for the Nuton Case to commence
in Q1 2024, targeting delivery of the
INC PFS, by December 31, 2024.
For Nuton to acquire its stake in
the Cactus project, it must demon-
strate that the net present value
(NPV) of the Cactus project after
applying the Nuton technologies is
at least 1.39 times the NPV of the
Cactus Project without applying it.
If the MainSpring property, which is
currently the subject of exploration
efforts, becomes material to ASCU
and incorporated into its PFS, then
Nuton would have to show at least
flyersenergy.com

1.20 times the NPV for the Cactus
project to achieve the option.
Lab Results Look Promising
The metallurgical results from the
Nuton Phase 1 column leach program
from the Cactus project indicate that
Nuton’s technologies would enhance
recovery rates.
“We are encouraged by the ex-
traction rates resulting from our pri-
mary and secondary sulphides using
the Nuton technologies,” Ogilvie said.
The Phase 1 scope included column
testing of the Cactus sulphides, prima-
ry and enriched, using the proprietary
Nuton additives within a traditional
heap leach and SX/EW flowsheet.
Testing included a variety of condi-
tions, including operating tempera-
tures and additive schemes. Nuton and
ASCU are currently planning a Phase 2
column leach program. Phase 2 would
be designed to test and/or mitigate op-
portunities and threats identified under
the Phase 1 test program.
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2024 • E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT
Advancing the PFS
The PFS is being led by Ausenco and a
team of consultants comprised of Sam-
uel Engineering, AGP Mining Consul-
tants, Stantec, MineFill Services, Clear
Creek Associates and Call & Nicholas
Inc. The company and its consultants
are scoping the oxide and enriched
material from Cactus and Parks/Sa-
lyer mineral resource estimates for a
45-50,000 mt/y heap leach operation
with an onsite SX/EW plant to produce
LME grade A copper cathode. Current-
ly, ASCU’s copper resource contains
5.17 billion lb of indicated and 2.21bil-
lion lb of inferred resources, which
would be the third largest independent
copper deposit within the USA.
As of September 2023, the process
design criteria and sizing of the SX/
EW plant for the PFS was complete.
The engineers were assessing long-
lead components, equipment specifica-
tions and requirements. Underground
and open pit mining methods, heap
leach and associated infrastructure
Arizona Sonoran Copper
designs were being reviewed and opti-
mized to ensure an economic and prac-
tical approach to mining. Geotechnical
and hydrological work was nearing
completion with final assessments to
be based on ongoing engineering.
ASCU has completed two years of
metallurgical testing to the PFS level at
Parks/Salyer and Cactus. The company
reported that metallurgical column leach
testing and hydrodynamic testing sup-
ports multi lift leach pads when crushed
to a top size of minus 1-in. (25 mm). De-
pending on the deposit, enriched material
recoveries range from 80%-76% and the
oxides recoveries range from 92%-88%.
Prior to the Nuton option an-
nouncement, ASCU released prelimi-
nary extraction rates of 61%-82% for
primary sulphide material from Stage
1 Nuton column testing after complet-
ing 50% of the 300-day cycle under
the testing program. Extraction rates
indicate the potential to achieve an
optimized 80% life of mine extraction
rate for primary sulphides.
(800) 523-9998
sales@pioneerequip.com
www.pioneerequip.com
11/29/22 3:50 PM
AZ-31
University of Arizona

University of Arizona’s New School Addresses

Critical Need for Minerals and Mining Talent
Clean energy demands more minerals and more mining professionals. Meeting this need will require investment
in mining talent and innovation, both of which are happening at the University of Arizona’s new School of Mining
& Mineral Resources.
By Mark Barton, Misael Cabrera, Carmie Garzione, David Hahn, and Kray Luxbacher

As the global energy system transi-

tions into a low-carbon future, the
demand for mineral resources has
never been greater. Technologies
like solar panels, wind turbines, and
electric cars require minerals such as
copper, silver, lithium, cobalt, nickel,
and rare earth elements in increasing
quantities, creating rapidly growing
markets to fuel this development on
a global scale.
Organizations such as the World
Bank Group and International Ener-
gy Agency have identified risks to
this planned transition to clean ener-
gy, and top among them is a short-
age in critical minerals.1,2 Left unad-
dressed, these shortages can make a
clean energy future slower to achieve
and more costly and create disrup-
tions and volatility in global markets
and supply chains.
But another critical challenge must
be overcome on the path to a greener
The University of Arizona supports the advancement of mining by investing in research and
development across the entire mining life cycle. (Photo: UofA)
The Geotechnical Center of Excellence fills knowledge gaps for professionals working in the field.
(Photo: UofA)
future: the global shortage of mining
talent. While the demand for mineral
resources — and the workforce to ex-
tract them — is increasing, fewer stu-
dents are choosing to enter this field.
The impact is being felt worldwide,
with 71% of mining leaders report-
ing in 2022 that the talent shortage is
keeping them from meeting produc-
tion targets and strategic objectives.3
Mining and Minerals Careers,
Redefined
The University of Arizona is meeting
this challenge head-on. The transdis-
ciplinary School of Mining & Min-
eral Resources was created to fill the
workforce gap with emerging talent,
to revolutionize the way mining is be-
ing taught, and to deliver holistic solu-
tions for industry through research
that combines disciplines from across
campus. The school formally brings
together multiple programs, centers
and facilities around a shared vision
of advancing sustainable mining and
mineral exploration. This unique “in-
novation ecosystem” can be found no-
where else in the world.
Anchored by top-ranked pro-
grams in mining engineering and

AZ-32 E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024

University of Arizona
Mining School in Arizona’s “Silicon Valley” Drives
Innovation and Addresses Workforce Gaps
The Grand Canyon State may not be the first thought when
one hears the words, “Silicon Valley,” but for those close to
the mining industry, the association is clear. Arizona offers
a rich ecosystem of ore deposits, hosts more than 400 major
hardrock and aggregate mines, boasts more than 200 min-
ing technology suppliers, and houses top mineral research
institutions. And the region south of Phoenix serves as the
home to the Caterpillar and Komatsu proving grounds, as
well as a city that ranks as a top emerging U.S. tech market.
Based in Tucson, the University of Arizona is the epi-
center of a growing innovation ecosystem dubbed the ‘Silicon
Valley of mining’ by industry experts, educators, and govern-
ment leaders. With more than 2,700 invention disclosures and
130 plus start-ups launched, this Tier 1 research institution is
driving technological advancements across numerous indus-
tries, including mineral resources. Possessing more than a
century of mining education experience, the university recent-
ly launched a school focused on spearheading industry-ad-
vancing research and modernizing educational programs for
miners and non-miners alike, at every stage of learning.
Investing in Research and Technology
In its inaugural year, the School of Mining & Mineral Resourc-
es at the University of Arizona has mobilized dozens of faculty
members, researchers, students, and staff, to collaborate on 25
research projects spanning 25 departments. These initiatives
cover early-stage research topics such as eco-friendly dust sup-
pression compounds, acid mist suppressants to enhance worker
safety, carbon sequestration utilizing mine tailings, and other
pioneering ventures, many on the path of commercialization.
Recent research highlights include a $3.6 million
Regents’ Research Grant to help university scientists as-
sess the metal content from mine tailings throughout the
state in search of critical elements such as lithium; a min-
Article Continued on Page 36
By updating curriculum to reflect the realities of mining and economic
geology in the age of AI and autonomous systems, the School of Mining &
Mineral Resources is addressing the industry’s needs. (Photo: UofA)
AZ-34
economic geology, the university supports the advance-
ment of mining by investing in research and development
across the entire mining life cycle. Through facilities
like its Tailings Center and Center for Environmentally
Sustainable Mining, the university works with industry
to improve operational processes and reduce the envi-
ronmental impacts of mining. The Lowell Institute of
Mineral Resources and the Geotechnical Center of Ex-
cellence engage industry to innovate and fill knowledge
gaps for professionals working in the field. Our Centers
for Mining Safety and Superfund Research advance the
most pressing issues related to improving mine safety and
enhancing health and environmental outcomes. Through
these and other projects, students contribute to solving
real-world problems and develop the kinds of skills that
no ordinary education can deliver.
One of the ways the university is addressing the tal-
ent shortage is by increasing the aperture of who studies
mining. Research done by the University of Arizona4
shows that most students are aware of mining and its
economic importance, however, they don’t know about
the critical role of mining in securing our future. Through
community outreach programs beginning in elementary
education, the School of Mining & Mineral Resources is
helping spread awareness of the importance of sustain-
able mining practices.
Through virtual and in-classroom presentations, stu-
dents engage in hands-on activities illustrating mine de-
sign, mineral extraction, and mine site reclamation. Mod-
ern mines are technologically advanced, driven by robotics
and AI, requiring cross-functional skills across a wide
range of disciplines that can match any interest. By out-
lining the diverse array of educational opportunities and
career pathways that mining presents, the school is helping
young people envision a future in mining by seeing them-
selves in those careers.
Mining and Minerals Education, Reimagined
The School of Mining & Mineral Resources is breaking
down educational silos and meeting the call to modern-
ize curriculum by working with industry partners to de-
velop the skills needed in the workforce of the future,
and we’re doing it today. Industry has asked it to deliver
talent with knowledge of environmental and social is-
sues, with better communication skills, and with more
hands-on experience and business savvy. And the school
is doing just that by updating existing courses, develop-
ing new offerings, and leveraging the unique San Xavier
Mining Laboratory.
For the multitude of mining industry careers that are
not based in engineering or science, the School of Mining
& Mineral Resources offers a minor degree in Sustain-
able Mineral Resources so that accountants, supply chain
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
 Open Loop Energy has
over 30 years of
experience delivering
quality, innovative services
and solutions that forge
impactful partnerships
while supporting our
communities.

The HydroStrut is a
superior suspension
“A Mining Partner” improving performance
and durability
Openloop.net

TH AVE
University of Arizona
Article Continued from Page 34
ing engineering cyber-physical systems partnership with
Antofagasta plc; the formation of the Hyperspectral Research
Consortium; and numerous partnerships between faculty and
global industry leaders to advance mining automation tech-
nologies driven by robotics, AI, and machine learning.
The Hub of a Vibrant Mining Innovation Ecosystem
Recognizing the demand for upskilling existing workers, the
school’s Geotechnical Center of Excellence offers courses
in structural geology, radar and slope monitoring, and water
in mine operations, and has trained more than 1,900 working
professionals from 45 countries. GCE’s industrial partners also
benefit from research projects like the comparison of different
types of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to aid in more effective
monitoring of mining sites. A recent National Institute for Oc-
cupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) grant is supporting a test
of various models of thermal imaging cameras at open pit mines
around the country to see if they can predict rockfalls and slides
before they occur. If successful, this research could potentially
save miners from injury or death caused by slope failures.
Holding a degree is often not a prerequisite for profes-
sional development programs. The school provides under-
ground rescue training for the military and delivers critical
safety courses for industry through the Mining Safety Center
of Excellence. With an emphasis on mining sustainability
AZ-36
from the workforce perspective, SCE is a research, educa-
tion, and training community that innovates mining methods
in pursuit of achieving zero injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
Central to its mission to provide hands-on, experi-
ential learning, the University of Arizona owns the San
Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory, a multi-level
training facility. The only underground mining laboratory
in the U.S. with a working vertical shaft, the site has a
rich history as a teaching, research, and training site. The
mine has four levels of underground workings to a depth
of 250 feet. This training facility has attracted projects
critical to national defense, geosciences, and mine rescue.
Advancing the Future of Mining
Undergraduate programs emphasize modernized curriculum
in tracks for mining engineering, geosciences, and hydrol-
ogy, among other mining-related disciplines. By updating
curriculum to reflect the realities of mining and economic
geology in the age of AI and autonomous systems, the school
is answering the call from industry to produce a highly pre-
pared, transdisciplinary workforce capable of meeting the
growing demand for cross-functional and high-tech skills.
To learn more about the innovative research taking
place through the School of Mining & Mineral Resources
in Tucson, Arizona, mining’s own Silicon Valley, explore
the website at mining.arizona.edu.
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
 University of Arizona

specialists, human resources profes-
sionals, and others can be familiar
with mining topics before their first
day on the job. The university is also
delivering professional development
and graduate-level courses for exist-
ing professionals in topics like ore
deposits mapping, slope performance
monitoring, and integrated mine
planning. For those seeking a Mas-
ter’s in Legal Studies degree from
the College of Law, the Mining Law
and Policy Concentration offers more
than 15 mining-specific courses.
Mining and Minerals Research,
Reinvigorated
In just the first 12 months of its exis-
tence, the School of Mining & Miner-
Geological Engineering at the Uni-
versity of Arizona.
References
1. World Bank Group, Minerals for
Climate Action: The Mineral In-
tensity of the Clean Energy Tran-
sition. 2020. www.worldbank.org.
2. International Energy Agency,
The Role of Critical Minerals in
VALLEY FORGE & BOLT MFG. CO. PHOENIX, AZ
Vfbolts.com •
Clean Energy Transitions, World
Energy Outlook Special Report.
March 2022. www.iea.org.
3. McKinsey Survey of Mining Se-
nior Leaders and Executives, 2022.
4. Barton, I., Banta, J., Hutson, L.
(2022.) Getting students interest-
ed in mining engineering: How
can we reach them? Mining En-
gineering. March 30-34.
Sales@vfbolts.com • (602) 269-5748
Y FO
LE

R
al Resources has engaged more than

VAL

GE
50 faculty, researchers, students and
staff on more than 25 research proj-
ects across 25 departments. These 19 74
early-stage research projects include
eco-friendly dust suppression com-
pounds, acid mist suppressants for Your Bolts Talk,
Are you Listening?
worker safety, carbon sequestration
using mine tailings, and other very
promising projects. Researchers even
created an app for hazard recognition Flexible SPC4 ® Meter Options,
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By focusing on the challenges Wireless Options, Total Data Ownership, and No Fees
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high-value, long-term partner, helping
to secure sustainable mineral resourc-
es for generations to come. To learn
more about how the University of
Arizona is reimagining mining and
minerals education visit mining.arizo-
na.edu and explore the school and the

50
university’s many programs.

Mark Barton is the director of the YEARS

Lowell Institute for Mineral Resourc-

es; Misael Cabrera is the director
of the School of Mining & Mineral ST
ENE
RS TO ME
ET

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2024 • E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT AZ-37

Florence Copper
Construction Begins on Florence Copper’s Wellfield
Taseko finds additional early-stage funding to achieve production
When it reaches full production, Taseko
Mines’ Florence Copper project, locat-
ed near Florence, Arizona, will be one
of the greenest and lowest cost sources
of copper for U.S. domestic consump-
tion. The project will use an in-situ cop-
per recovery method to extract copper
in solution with far less disturbed land.
That also translates into dramatically
lower carbon emissions, and lower wa-
ter and energy consumption compared
to conventional open-pit copper mines.
The operation is expected to produce
85 million lb/y of LME Grade A cop-
per cathode, which is now defined as a
critical material by the Department of
Energy, to the U.S. domestic market.
Florence Copper made advance-
ments on several fronts during 2023,
including the receipt of the final Under-
ground Injection Control (UIC) permit
from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). The EPA received no
appeals or objections and the UIC per-
mit became effective on October 31,
2023. The company also found an ad-
ditional $100 million in funding based
on royalty and debt agreements. With
financing and permitting in place, site
preparation and clearing for the initial
wellfield, plant and infrastructure began
in Q4 2023. The hope is that wellfield
drilling will commence in Q1 2024.
“Successful completion of the
UIC permitting process was a result
of Taseko’s long-term development
As one of the lowest-GHG sources of new US copper production, Florence Copper is expected to
herald a new era of American mining in support of net-zero. It is one of very few construction-ready,
fully permitted copper projects in North America.
AZ-38
approach, and the quality and envi-
ronmental integrity of the project,”
said Stuart McDonald, president and
CEO of Taseko. “Taseko is now in a
unique position, with one of the very
few fully permitted mining projects in
North America. With the final permit
in hand, we have a clear line of vision
to commercial production and are that
much closer to realizing the full value
of Florence Copper.”
Advancing Toward Production
The next steps for Florence Copper
include procurement of materials and
supplies and finalizing agreements
with key contractors, including the
general contractor for the solvent
extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW)
plant and the drilling contractors for
wellfield development. The company
has also been hiring additional man-
agement and site personnel for the
construction and operations teams.
Detailed engineering and design
for the commercial production facility
is substantially completed and pro-
curement activities are well advanced.
Major processing equipment associ-
ated with the SX/EW plant has been
purchased and delivered to the site.
Through the first nine months of 2023,
Taseko invested C$45 million ($33.6
million) in Florence Copper.
The company has also secured
project level financing to fund con-
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
struction activities. During October,
Taseko closed the first $20 million
tranche of its $25 million equipment
loan commitment from Bank of Ameri-
ca for Florence Copper. The company’s
financial adviser, Endeavour Financial,
secured commitments of approximate-
ly $100 million in royalties and debt
for Florence Copper, in addition to the
commitments already received from
Mitsui and Bank of America.
In March 2023, the company filed
an NI 43-101 Technical Report for
Florence Copper with updated capital
and operating costs for the commer-
cial production facility and the report
also refined the operating models
based on the results from the Produc-
tion Test Facility (PTF).
Some of the highlights from the tech-
nical report include a net present value
of $930 million with an internal rate of
return of 47% (after-tax) and a payback
period of 2.6 years. Operating costs are
projected to be $1.11/lb of copper. Over
the course of the $232 million project’s
22-year life, it’s expected to produce a
total of 1.5 billion lb of copper.
Taseko in recent years has com-
pleted extensive technical work that
helped de-risk the project significantly.
The PTF operated successfully over
an 18-month period and provided a
valuable opportunity to test operational
controls and strategies which will be
applied in future commercial opera-
tions. In addition, a more sophisticat-
ed leaching model has been developed
and calibrated to the PTF wellfield per-
formance. This detailed modeling data,
along with updated costing, has been
used to update assumptions for the
ramp up and operation of the commer-
cial wellfield and processing facility.
Additional Funding
In November, Taseko Mines Ltd. an-
nounced two additional financing
 Florence Copper

transactions, totaling $100 million for

Florence Copper. The company said
it has been notified by Taurus Mining
Royalty Fund L.P. that it had obtained
investment committee approval for a
$50 million royalty, and Societe Gen-
erale had received credit approval for
a $50 million senior secured debt fa-
cility. Upon closing and satisfaction of
conditions precedent, proceeds from
these project level financings will be
available to Florence Copper to fund
the construction and development of During commercial operations, Florence Copper will support ~170 high paying direct jobs on site,
its commercial production facility. as well as an additional 75 indirect jobs in Florence and 480 throughout Pinal County, with an
“The Taurus royalty and the pro- estimated economic contribution of $3.4 billion to the State of Arizona over the life of the project.
ject loan facility from Societe Generale the sale of all copper from Florence future to increase its size to $75 million
complement the previously announced Copper for the life of mine. It is pay- if needed, subject to additional credit
commitments from Mitsui and Bank of able upon the satisfaction of custom- approval at that time. The maturity date
America,” McDonald said. “A total of ary conditions precedent for closing. of the Florence debt facility will be five
$175 million from these four well-re- The $50 million facility from So- years from the date of closing, with no
garded industry participants is a strong ciete Generale is subject to completion scheduled principal repayments until
endorsement of Florence Copper’s of definitive documentation and the the maturity date when any outstanding
technical merits, attractive economics, satisfaction of conditions precedent. amounts will be repayable. It will have
and favorable environmental attributes. The facility also contains a $25 million a first lien charge over the assets of
The $50 million Tuarus royalty is uncommitted accordion feature which Florence and an unsecured guarantee
for 1.95% of the gross revenue from can be exercised by the company in the from the company until completion.

2024 • E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT AZ-39

Briefs

ASARCO Emphasizes the Importance of Mining

ASARCO has a major focus on edu-
cating the public on the importance
of mining to their everyday lives and
on developing the next generation of
miners. Recently, ASARCO partici-
pated in the Southern Arizona Con-
struction Career Days in Tucson and
the Mines for Limitless Minds Ca-
reer Fair at the University of Arizo-
na (UofA). The 2-day Construction
Career Days annual event provides
hands-on experiences to more than
3,500 students from 6th through
12th grades.
The company brought its haul
truck simulator to the fair, courte-
sy of the Mission mine, giving kids
the opportunity to explore what it
would be like to drive one of these
giant machines in a mine. Trainers
spoke to students about their expe-
rience at the mine and the job op-
portunities available.
Students gather around a haul truck simulator at a career fair. (Photo: ASARCO)
The UofA career fair offered col-
lege students the chance to explore copper mining industry to civiliza- the site would be complete without
high-paying job opportunities and tion, to educate students and teach- taking time to peruse the company
to interface with local employers ers in earth sciences, and to preserve store for unique, beautiful, and often
among not only ASARCO and oth- Arizona’s mining history. educational gifts.
er mining companies but also with On Wednesday through Sunday
many local businesses that provide each week, the center invites guests Excelsior Provides Update on
highly specialized goods and ser- to take a free self-guided tour of in- Mining Activities
vices to the industry. door and outdoor exhibits that walk Excelsior Mining Corp. is working
ASARCO’s Education Com- visitors through the copper mining the mining camp encompassed by
mittee represents a collaboration of process to the end uses of this metal the Gunnison copper project, the
industry partners that have come to- that is crucial to their everyday lives. past producing Johnson Camp cop-
gether to create compelling curricu- Visitors can then join a bus tour of per mine (JCM) and the Strong and
la for schools and career pathways the ASARCO Mission copper mine Harris exploration projects, all of
for students to understand their local for a firsthand look at the 2.5-mile which are located in Cochise Coun-
and global mining career choices. long by 1.5-mile wide 1,200-foot- ty, Arizona. The Gunnison project is
Mining education is a special priori- deep open pit mine on 20,000 acres a low cost, environmentally friend-
ty in the communities where ASAR- composed of the Mission, Eisen- ly in-situ recovery (ISR) copper
CO operates and is the cornerstone hower, Pima, Mineral Hill, and extraction project that is permitted
of ASARCO’s outreach as demon- South San Xavier properties and the to 125 million lb/y of copper cath-
strated at ASARCO’s Mineral Dis- nearby North San Xavier mine. ode production.
covery Center south of Tucson. The Discovery Center is suitable “There are relatively few large
Since opening its doors in 1997, for all ages and ASARCO supports copper development projects in safe
the ASARCO Mineral Discovery Arizona schools by encouraging jurisdictions around the world that
Center has been implementing its teachers to bring their students to the have our permitting track record
founding vision to educate commu- center on field trips providing them and near-term production potential,”
nities on the vital importance of the with free transportation. No visit to said Stephen Twyerould, president

AZ-40 E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024

 Briefs

and CEO of Excelsior. “[The camp

has] the combined potential for more
than 150 million lb/y of copper.”
Additional well stimulation
modeling has been completed at
Gunnison, which supports the re-
sults of prior modeling, indicating
well stimulation has the potential
to greatly improve flow, connec-
tivity and permeability, thereby im-
proving sweep efficiency and gas
bubble removal. The company has
identified contractors for certain
aspects of the well stimulation tri-
als and long-lead item equipment
has been acquired or ordered.
Excelsior is taking a broader
and more integrated view of the en-
tire mining camp under its control,
including the potential for a large, Wellfield stimulation has the potential to fundamentally change the performance of Excelsior’s ISR
wellfield at its Gunnison project. (Photo: Excelsior)
centralized processing facility tak-
ing advantage of the recent advanc- The Stage 1 program involves If Nuton proceeds to Stage 2, it
es in sulphide leaching technology, Excelsior completing diamond drill- will make a $5 million payment to
like those provided by Nuton LLC, ing, permitting activities, detailed Excelsior for the use of existing infra-
combined with more traditional engineering, and project execution structure at JCM for the Stage 2 work
mining approaches like large open planning. Nuton will complete min- program. Nuton will also be responsi-
pit mining. eralogy, predictive modeling, engi- ble for funding all of Excelsior’s costs
During July 2023, Excelsior neering and other test work. Based associated with Stage 2. The full Stage
entered into an option agreement on the results of the Stage 1 work 2 work program is anticipated to take
with Nuton to evaluate the use of program, Nuton has the option to up to five years. Revenue from oper-
its copper heap leaching technolo- proceed to Stage 2. The Stage 1 ations will first be used to pay back
gies at JCM. Under the agreement, work started in August and will take Stage 2 costs to Nuton and will then
Excelsior remains the operator and 6 to 9 months to complete. be credited to Excelsior’s account.
Nuton funds Excelsior’s costs asso-
ciated with a two-stage work pro-
gram at JCM. Nuton will provide a
$3 million pre-payment to Excelsi-
or for Stage 1 costs and a payment
of $2 million for an exclusive op-
tion to form a joint venture with
Excelsior on JCM after the comple-
tion of Stage 2.
“With Nuton’s support and tech-
nologies, we have the potential to
realize the value of the sulphide re-
sources at JCM in a way that is both
economical and beneficial to the en-
vironment,” Twyerould said. “JCM
has the potential to progress to-
wards cash-flow while we continue
to develop our other assets, includ-
ing progressing Gunnison towards
well-stimulation trials.”

2024 • E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT AZ-41

Briefs

resilient future for the community,

according to Resolution Copper.
The 3-year, multi-million-dollar
agreement is a commitment to fos-
tering economic growth and sup-
porting vital community initiatives.
With a focus on multifaceted de-
velopment, this partnership will
bolster essential projects and pro-
grams that directly benefit the resi-
dents of Superior.
Superior Mayor Mila Besich
expressed her enthusiasm. “This
agreement continues our ongoing
alignment to achieve a diversified
and sustainable economy for a resil-
ient Superior community,” she said.
L-R, Bryan Seppala, principal advisor economic development and social investment, Resolution “The collaboration with Resolution
Copper; Superior Mayor Mila Beisch; Vicky Peacey, general manager, Resolution Copper; and Copper underscores our dedication
Superior Town Manager Todd Pryor. (Photo: Resolution)
to nurturing economic opportunities
Resolution Signs Economic (RED) agreement, cementing a col- and enhancing the quality of life for
Agreement With Superior laborative effort to fortify Superior’s our residents.”
The town of Superior, Arizona, and economic landscape. This historic Vicky Peacey, president and gen-
Resolution Copper have signed a agreement marks a significant step eral manager of Resolution Copper,
Regional Economic Development toward ensuring a prosperous and echoed those sentiments, emphasiz-

AZ-42 E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024

 Briefs

ing the transformative impact of this
collaboration. “We are thrilled to
continue our long-term partnership
with Superior to drive economic de-
velopment and community empow-
erment,” she said. “This partnership
reflects our shared vision for a thriv-
ing Superior, focusing on initia-
tives that support education, work-
force development, and the overall
well-being of the community.”
The agreement’s focal points en-
compass a wide array of initiatives,
including substantial support for the
Superior Multi-Generational Center
and the Superior Enterprise Center/
Workforce Development Center.
These funds will enable community
service programming, capital im-
provements, and robust workforce
development programs.
Moreover, the agreement will
propel Superior’s annual marketing
and tourism program, amplifying ef-
forts to attract visitors and stimulate
economic activity. The infusion of
resources will also advance econom-
ic development capacity, maintain
senior economic advisory services,
and fortify an economic develop-
ment toolkit, further solidifying Su-
perior’s economic foundation.
In a bid to foster educational ad-
vancement, the agreement champi-
ons the new Superior Lego Robotics
program for grades 4-5, fostering
innovation and STEM education
among the youth. Additionally, it ex-
tends support to the Superior Youth
Council, empowering young leaders
to actively engage and contribute to
the town’s growth.
Arizona Gold Begins Leach Test
Work on the Philadelphia Project
Arizona Gold & Silver Inc. started
initial column leach test work on its
Philadelphia gold-silver property,
located in Mohave County, Arizo-
na, during December 2023. Arizona
Gold is a young exploration compa-
ny focused on exploring gold-silver
properties in western Arizona and
Nevada. The flagship asset is the
Philadelphia gold-silver property
where the company is drilling an ep-
ithermal gold-silver system.
“Column leach test work will be
performed on two bulk samples tak-
en from underground workings and
from a bench on the surface,” said
Greg Hahn, vice president-explora-
tion for Arizona Gold. “The tests are
the standard method for determining
the amenability of oxide gold and
silver bearing material to heap leach
methods. This program will estab-
lish on a preliminary basis the opti-
mum crush and recovery character-
istics for potential heap leaching.”
Additional column test work
and agitation leach test work is
planned for 2024 on dedicated drill
core samples and coarse rejects of
reverse circulation (RC) cuttings

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2024 • E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT AZ-43

Briefs
from both the high-grade veins and
the stockwork mineralized zones
throughout the deposit. This will
characterize the leach character-
istics and kinetics along the entire
strike length of the deposit.
During November, the company
published a non-resource technical
report on the Philadelphia proper-
ty. It provides a detailed summary
of the property status and all of the
historical exploration activity prior
to Arizona Gold’s tenure, as well as
a up-to-date summary of the explo-
ration activities undertaken by Ari-
zona Gold, including a summary of
the 141 drill holes completed on the
property to date.
The recommended work plan in-
cludes 25,000 ft of both RC and core
drilling along the strike and dip of the
mineralized target identified by drill-
ing to date, mostly confined to “gaps”
within the existing drilling database
to provide sufficient drilling density
AZ-44
to commission an NI43-101 maiden
resource report at the end of the pro-
posed drilling campaign.
Bradda Receives ‘Highly
Encouraging’ Test Results
Bradda Head Lithium Ltd. an-
nounced what it described as “high-
ly encouraging” metallurgical test
results on samples taken from the
Jumbo exploration target at the
company’s project in the San Do-
mingo District, Arizona. Bradda is
positioning itself as a new breed of
lithium explorer with exposure to
the three types of lithium deposits:
brine, hard rock (pegmatites) and
sedimentary (clays). The main focus
is on the company’s sedimentary as-
sets in Arizona, to develop lithium
assets with a zero carbon footprint.
The lithium explorer said the test
results were better than expected,
albeit preliminary, with contrac-
tor SGS able to produce a “sell-
E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2024
able” Li-oxide concentrate product
through a dense media separation
process (DMS) with a measured
head grade of 3.05% from high
grade sample material, 1.03% from
medium grade and 0.34% from low-
er grade material.
Metallurgical test work has now
paused, pending further samples
from the company’s newer drilling.
“To produce an ‘in spec’ sellable
gravity concentrate reflecting more
than 50% recovery to the concen-
trate from a sample grading 1.03%
Li2O on first pass test work is sim-
ply mouth-watering,” Executive
Chair Ian Stalker said. “DMS is a
standard, low cost, simple process
with a small, relatively non-invasive
footprint. It’s the kind of processing
operation that is quick to design and
install, and yet can deliver very at-
tractive economic returns.
“We are therefore highly encour-
aged, and when the next phase of
 Briefs

drilling at San Domingo is complete
and sufficient sample material is
available, we will revert quickly to
SGS with a more detailed test work
and study program to further the
above objective,” Stalker said.
Intrepid Closes MAN Acquisition
During December 2023, Intrepid
Metals Corp. closed its previous-
ly announced option to acquire a
100% interest in the MAN Property
from Mining and Mineral Opportu-
nity Ltd. (MMO) within its Corral
copper project, in Cochise County,
Arizona. The Corral copper project
area includes 50,000 meters (m) of
historical drilling data, with shal-
low copper and gold mineralization
of copper.
The terms of the agreement give
Intrepid the option to acquire a 100%
interest in the property in return for
certain cash and share payments. In-
trepid has made the initial $200,000
cash payment and issued 3.5 million
shares to MMO. Intrepid will take
over as operator of the property and
will be responsible for future ex-
ploration work and maintaining the
properties in good standing.
“We are very pleased to close
this integral acquisition as it com-
pletes the consolidation of a 3 km
trend of impressive copper and gold
mineralization within our larger
Corral Copper Project area,” said
Ken Brophy, CEO of Intrepid. “We
are excited to begin to unlock the
value within the district as the pre-
vious fragmented land ownership
has acted as a barrier to a district
scale approach to exploration and
development. We now control over
9,500 acres, with 1,800 acres made
up of patented mining claims and
additional surface rights that host
the mineralized trend.”
Located 15 miles east of Tomb-
stone, the Corral copper project is
a district scale advanced explora-
tion and development opportunity.
The district has a mining history
that dates back to the late 1800s,
with several small mines extracting
copper from the area in the early
1900s, producing several thousand
tons with grades up to 9.2% copper
ore. Between 1950 and 2008, var-
ious companies explored parts of
the district, but the effort was un-
coordinated and focused on discrete
land positions due to the fragment-
ed ownership.
Intrepid has been able to secure
data from various sources which
provides a solid foundation in cre-
ating geological interpretations and
identifying new target areas. By
combining modern exploration tech-
niques with historical data and with
a clear focus on responsible devel-
opment, Intrepid said it is confident
the Corral copper project can quick-
ly become an advanced exploration

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2024 • E&MJ/ARIZONA MINING SUPPLEMENT AZ-45

Briefs

stage project and move towards fea-
sibility level studies.
Arizona Metals Acquires Addi-
tional Private Lands
Arizona Metals Corp. completed the
acquisition of a private land parcel
totaling 46.4 acres, located 950 me-
ters northeast of its Kay Mine de-
posit for $2.5 million. The property
was acquired from an arm’s length
California-based public company
and the transaction included the
surface, mineral, and water rights,
among other rights and benefits.
“Including the 71 acres of pat-
ented land that host our Kay Mine
deposit, this acquisition will in-
crease our total holdings of private
and patented land to 224 acres,” Ar-
izona Metals CEO Marc Pais said.
“The property is contiguous with
and adjacent to the 107 acres of pat-
ented land (including water rights
and wells) the company acquired
in January 2021. The additional flat
land we are acquiring increases the
private land suitable for future mine
infrastructure by more than 40% and
is in-line with our vision of a mini-
mally-disruptive operation.
“We believe that our Kay Mine
project has the potential to become
one of Arizona’s newest and high-
est-grade copper-gold-zinc-silver
mines, with the main deposit and
potential for all infrastructure to be
located on private land,” Pais said.
“This would allow for a small foot-
print while also providing high-pay-
ing jobs to the local community of
Black Canyon City.”
The Kay Mine property is locat-
ed on a combination of patented and
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
claims totaling 1,300 acres that are
not subject to any royalties. An his-
toric estimate by Exxon Minerals in
1982 reported a proven and proba-
ble reserve of 6.4 million tons at a
grade of 2.2% copper, 2.8 g/mt gold,
3.03% zinc, and 55 g/mt silver. The
reserve estimate has not been veri-
fied as a current mineral resource.

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Driving Mining
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Scan to learn why

Southern Arizona
is the Silicon Valley
of Mining

In December 2023, Caterpillar demonstrated its first battery-electric prototype underground mining truck, developed in collaboration with Newmont. (Photo: Caterpillar)
One important highlight of the new
MT65 S is the uprated speed. This has
been increased by up to 10% going up
the ramp and 18% going downhill, thanks
to the optimized drivetrain and new soft-
ware, allowing the machine to recom-
mend and hold a certain speed depend-
ing on conditions. Reliability has also
been addressed in the update; several of
the machine’s main components have an
extended life expectancy thanks to more
protected component locations.
The Minetruck MT65 S is part of Epi-
roc’s Smart series of machines, which
makes it prepared for 6th Sense func-
tionality, such as automation and remote
control. The mine truck features Epiroc’s
Rig Control System (RCS), offering data
monitoring possibilities for the best un-
derground operations optimization.
Byrnecut has ordered a fleet of Min-
etruck MT65 S haulers for use at the
Kathleen Valley mine in Western Aus-
tralia, with production slated to begin
in 2024. Epiroc also won its largest-ev-
er equipment order during 2023 for the
expansion of the Kamoa-Kakula copper
mine in the DRC. Kamoa Copper has
ordered, among other things, Minetruck
MT65 S haulers, as well as Scooptram
ST18 S loaders.
Eti Bakir, Türkiye’s largest mining com-
pany and a long-time customer of Epiroc,
also has a fleet of underground machines
on order, including underground trucks.
These will primarily be used at a new cop-
per mine which is currently under devel-
opment near the city of Elazig.
www.e-mj.com
Diesel Electric Prototype
Heads to WA
Looking ahead, Epiroc is working with
Gold Fields Australia to develop and
test a proof of concept for the Minetruck
MT65 E-Drive — a diesel-electric model
which combines a traditional combustion
engine with electric drive system technol-
ogy. The aim is to have a prototype run-
ning at Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine
site in Western Australia in early 2024.
“Epiroc has set ambitious sustain-
ability goals for 2030, including halving
our CO2 emissions, and our innovation
agenda goes hand in hand with our cus-
tomers’ sustainability agenda,” said Sami
Niiranen, President of Epiroc’s Under-
ground division. “We are proud to partner
with Gold Fields in the development of a
future-proof, low emission mine truck in
the large segment that will support them
in reducing their emissions as well as
overall TCO, without compromising on
safety and productivity.”
In December 2022, Epiroc proto-
typed the world’s first underground bat-
tery-electric mine truck (the Minetruck
MT42 SG) with a dump box made of fos-
sil-free steel, in partnership with SSAB.
The result was a 10-mt reduction in CO2
emissions per manufactured dump box.
It became the first mining OEM to
sign a delivery agreement with SSAB for
SSAB Zero in April 2023. The fossil-free
steel will be used in Epiroc’s battery-elec-
tric range of underground mine trucks and
loaders, and the companies announced
an expansion of their partnership in June
UNDERGROUND MINE TRUCKS
2023 to secure fossil-free steel for use in
the production of other equipment too.
ReNAM: Autonomy for
the Future
In September 2023, Epiroc announced that
it’s working with the robotics and AI team at
Luleå University of Technology and tech-
nology company, Algoryx, on the ReNAM
project. This will utilize simulations and ap-
ply state-of-the-art research to enable the
next level of autonomy and safety on Epi-
roc’s underground mining machines. Re-
NAM will develop and validate advanced
sensor technology and autonomous con-
trol technology for mining vehicles, and will
run from 2023 to the end of 2025.
“Through this partnership, we are con-
tributing to a new generation of machines
with improved autonomy capabilities. This
is an exciting addition to the on-going
development of our automation offering,
which helps to further improve safety and
productivity for our customers,” said Åsa
Gabrielsson, VP Research & Develop-
ment at Epiroc’s Underground division.
As a first step, digital twins of min-
ing machines and surroundings will be
modelled in a physics-based simulation
environment. Once the sensor- and AI-
equipped virtual mining machines have
been developed to the point where they
can solve tasks safely and reliably in the
digitally simulated environment, the next
step will be to transfer the control sys-
tems to Epiroc’s mining machines and
have them perform the same tasks in a
real test mine.
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 33
 DRILL RIGS
Rigs Offer Automation, Remote Control,
Integration
Drill rig OEMs race to perfect autonomous and remote control solutions
and technologies, and eye horizontal integration
By Jesse Morton, Technical Writer
The big innovations in surface drilling include key advances in
autonomous and remote control technologies and solutions.
Both are said to improve rig performance and uptime while of-
fering safety and sustainability benefits. Separately, one OEM
announced a partnership for horizontal integration. As digital
solutions proliferate in mining, the demand is growing for those
solutions to be capable of integrating. Certainly, suppliers will
take action to meet that demand. Meanwhile, an OEM reported
that demand remains solid for basic, relatively low-tech rigs, re-
vealing another, less discussed trend in demand that suppliers
are also willing to meet.
Epiroc expanded the Pit Viper series with two new rigs that can come with
autonomous and remote control capabilities. Above, an autonomous Pit Viper 271.
(Photo: Epiroc)
34 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
New Rigs Offer Autonomous Drilling
Epiroc announced the Pit Viper 231 E and the Pit Viper 235
E, electric-driven blasthole drills equipped with the Rig Control
System (RCS) for autonomous and remote control capabilities.
The Pit Viper 231 E can drill 152- to 250-mm dia. holes to 16.1
m deep. The Pit Viper 235 E can drill 171- to 270-mm dia. holes.
An expert at Epiroc said the drills are key additions to the
popular series. The rigs “maintain the legendary productivity
and reliability of the Pit Viper line,” said Yara Hussein, global
product manager, mid-range blasthole solutions. They offer the
“full range of drilling options to meet current and future needs.”
Autonomous and remote control capabilities can help a miner
resolve current needs. “These electric-driven drills can potentially
address labor constraints by offering advanced automation that
enhances safety and productivity from a control room,” she said.
“Epiroc’s proprietary RCS offers advanced on-board and off-
board automation that significantly enhances safety, accuracy, and
productivity,” Hussein said. “RCS allows the operators to instead
become controllers and, along with their management, choose
their desired level of interaction with the harsh drilling conditions.”
Both rigs offer increased uptime and lower costs. “The elim-
ination of traditional fuel consumption gives substantial opera-
tional cost savings,” Hussein said.
“The electric motors Epiroc designs into the electric range
ensures increased life of the powertrain,” she said. “The re-
duced maintenance intrusion and reduced circulation of fuel
means no fuel filters or risks of system contamination, which
reduces the mine’s operational expenses.”
The rigs provide operators with “safe, clean, and more sus-
tainable operations,” she said. “Electrification options like our
hydraulic cable reel coupled with the precision of RCS take out
operator manual intervention and creates the most comfortable
conditions for a driller.” The rigs produce less noise than their
diesel equivalents.
The Pit Viper 231 E and 235 E can help an operation achieve
sustainability goals. “The electric drill range answers the cus-
tomers’ needs for a zero-emission solution to align with increas-
ingly stringent environmental regulations,” Hussein said. “The
Pit Viper 231 E and Pit Viper 235 E showcase a proactive ap-
proach to reducing CO2 emissions, aligning with sustainability
goals, and positioning the operation favorably for investment.”
The announcement caps decades of researching, developing,
and supplying electric drilling solutions. “The first electric drill, Pit
Viper 351 E, was designed in 2002, followed by the development
of Drill Master L E in 2007, the Drill Master 75 E, Pit Viper 271 E
and Pit Viper 275 E in 2009,” Hussein said. “And now the Pit Viper
231 E and Pit Viper 235 E complete the full hole range offering.”
www.e-mj.com

The new Pit Viper 231 E can drill 250-mm dia. holes to 16.1 m deep. (Image: Epiroc)
Separately, Epiroc reported it will deploy a fifth Pit Viper in
April 2024 to join the fleet at IAMGOLD Corp.’s Côté Gold Pro-
ject, an open pit mine in the Sudbury District of Ontario. The
rigs are equipped with Mobius for Drills, which imports drill
plans, collects data, and enables multi-machine control; and
3D-P, Epiroc’s connectivity solution.
Leadership at the mine said the fleet will help the mine be-
come the first fully automated haulage and drilling mine in Can-
ada. “The existing four Pit Viper rigs are progressing towards
full autonomous mode,” said Francis Letarte-Lavoie, operations
manager, Côté Gold.
More recently, Epiroc said that its surface drill rigs are now
verified to be compatible with HVO100 fuel, and customers can
immediately begin using it as an alternative to, or mixed with,
diesel. Use of the hydrotreated vegetable oil gives “a substan-
tial reduction of particulates and other harmful substances, in-
cluding greenhouse gases.”
The development is an important step in helping the sup-
plier and its customers meet sustainability goals, Epiroc said.
“Epiroc has ambitious sustainability targets for 2030, and we
continuously strive to improve our offering by finding more sus-
tainable solutions,” said Martin Johansson, global product port-
folio manager, Epiroc Surface division.
The HVO100 is compatible with the product ranges of Smar-
tROC, FlexiROC, PowerROC, Christensen, Explorac and Boyles.
In October, Epiroc announced the new generation of the
SmartROC C50, which will feature a new smart graphical in-
terface and improved fuel efficiency. “The new generation of
SmartROC C50 is now fitted with an updated RCS, which im-
proves fuel efficiency up to 5%,” Epiroc said. “The smart RCS
system constantly monitors compressor load and keep track of
engine RPM to ensure no fuel is wasted and that environmental
impact is kept to a minimum.”
The new technology offers the precision and consistency that
leads to improved productivity. “The SmartROC C50 delivers im-
proved blast-results,” said Ulf Gyllander, global product manager,
www.e-mj.com
DRILL RIGS
The new Pit Viper 235 E can drill 270-mm dia. holes. (Image: Epiroc)
Epiroc. “It will be beneficial throughout the operation, and the
smart technology assists the operator every step of the way.”
Common Control Platform
Speeds Evolution
Sandvik automation and drill rig experts revealed how iSeries
rotary drill rig models now evolve in unison.
The DR410i, DR412i, DR413i, and DR416i all feature DRi,
a new platform built on the Sandvik Intelligent Control System
Architecture (SICA). The common platform supports autono-
mous, remote control, and machine monitoring systems and
technologies. It allows the supplier to offer the exact same
features, updates and upgrades, as soon as they are avail-
able, on each model.
“Prior to DRi, Sandvik had to develop new features and copy
them over, one model at a time, but now, Sandvik can develop
it once and make it available across all iSeries models,” said
Demetre Harris, product manager, surface automation, rota-
ry drills. “With DRi, all iSeries drills are on the same platform,
meaning one soft-
ware version, mak-
ing control features,
tools and upgrades
easy to deploy, sup-
port, and enhance.”
Customers with
multiple iSeries units
report the common
platform facilitates
maintenance and of-
fers efficiencies that
translate to savings.
“Our customers have Sandvik’s iSeries rotary drill rigs all feature DRi, a
commended Sand- new platform that supports autonomous, remote
control, and machine monitoring systems and
vik on the design of technologies. Above a drill pattern supported by
our drilling solutions DRi. (Image: Sandvik)
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 35
 DRILL RIGS
and the ease to troubleshoot our drilling machines,” said Nel-
laiappan Subbiah, product manager, rotary drills.
“This is all made possible through DRi, and the technology
and capabilities built on the platform,” he said. “The DRi platform
makes troubleshooting easier for maintenance specialists both
at the rig and remotely from the factory through our patented on-
board diagnostic capabilities and our remote connectivity options.”
DRi enables updates and upgrades to be rapidly deployed
across a fleet of iSeries machines. “We can roll out changes
across all the models because they’re all sharing the same plat-
form,” Harris said.
“When new features are added, the customer has the luxu-
ry of accessing all the new benefits across all products,” he said.
The common control system helps reduce the amount of operator
training needed on a new iSeries model. “Overall, DRi has allowed
Sandvik to deploy, support, and train more efficiently, and to get
new features and improvements out of the factory, tested, drilling
in the pit, and satisfying customer needs faster than before.”
Common hardware, such as PLCs, joysticks, sensors and
controls, streamlines and simplifies inventory management.
“This allows large mining organizations to share stock and even
operators across different mining operations with the same or dif-
ferent iSeries drill models if the need ever arises,” Subbiah said.
The common platform and the technologies and capabilities
it supports help operators achieve desired performance met-
rics. The DRi control system has “functional interlocks, alerts
and warnings to help the operator in operating the machine in a
safer manner, ensuring that productivity and utilization targets
are met while eliminating machine abuse,” Harris said. “Mining
operations can perform diagnostics and monitor performance
to catch a problem before it impacts production.”
Machine health and operator performance data can be ana-
lyzed by Sandvik specialists who can advise on optimizing ma-
chine utilization and productivity. “The data can then be fed into
Sandvik Digital Solutions such as MySandvik Onsite and MySand-
vik Productivity to be visualized through dashboards to report the
rig health, work modes, utilization and productivity,” Subbiah said.
The resulting information allows “top performers to be recognized,
improvements to be identified, and actions to be taken that lead to
Sandvik’s new electric-cabled surface down-the-hole (DTH) drill rig is capable
of drilling 229-mm holes and can tram for 7 hours powered by a battery pack.
36 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
increased productiv-
ity, lower costs, and
higher profits.”
The DRi platform
also allows the data
from a rig to be in-
tegrated with that of
solutions by other
OEMs “to help accu-
rately plan for blast-
ing and achieve op-
timal fragmentation,”
he said.
SICA has been
used by Sandvik
mining solutions for
more than 15 years.
Once made in Austria, the mining-class RTD32
Development of DRi rig, above, will be made in Pennsylvania, U.S.
launched in 2020. (Photo: RTDrill)
“The first model to
receive it was the DR410i in 2021,” Harris said. “Every rig mod-
el that received the DRi upgrade has been fully tested and vali-
dated at the factory and in the pit,” he said. “The DRi extension
of SICA has been in place for a little more than a year, and has
streamlined development, support and change management of
our iSeries drilling solutions.”
Currently there are more than 1,000 iSeries machines connect-
ed to the cloud for data analytics. “Each connection boosts the pro-
duction and utilization for large mining houses,” Subbiah said. “The
benefits provided through Sandvik digital solutions because of DRi
have assisted mining operations with lowering blasting costs, im-
proving operational efficiency, and increasing productivity.”
Separately, in late November, Sandvik announced an electric
surface down-the-hole (DTH) drill rig that is capable of drilling 229-
mm holes. With a 180-m cable, the unit can also be powered by
a battery pack for an hour of drilling or up to 7 hours of tramming.
The battery pack can help increase rig uptime, Sandvik said.
“The battery means greater freedom and flexibility and more
efficient use of time, as the rig can drill immediately while the
cable is being set up,” said Lauri Laihanen, vice president,
R&D, Surface Drilling Division.
The 1,000-volt cable tightens itself automatically, and is
wound on a single layer.
The rig is currently scheduled for field testing, Sandvik reported.
In May, 2022, Sandvik introduced a smaller top-hammer
battery-electric concept surface drill rig that is being tested at
construction sites.
Big OEMs Partner on Integration
Caterpillar and Orica reported partnering to explore opportuni-
ties to improve real-time data exchange and to integrate work-
flows. They will initially seek to integrate Orica’s Rhino, BlastIQ,
and FRAGTrack technologies with Cat MineStar Terrain.
The integration could give high-fidelity rock property infor-
mation, enabling improvements to on-bench safety, drilling and
blasting program accuracy and productivity, and higher quality
blast outcomes that generate enhanced mill performance, Ori-
ca said. Going forward, the partnership will seek opportunities
to optimize the entire value chain from mine to mill.
www.e-mj.com

Orica said the development speaks to an industry trend.
“The mining industry requires greater collaboration amongst its
leading technology players to build connected workflows across
different domains to address the current issue of value-leakage
arising from traditional and disconnected silos,” said Rajkumar
Mathiravedu, vice president, Orica Digital Solutions. “Collabo-
rative end-to-end ecosystems are critical to harnessing the full
potential of advances in sensors, data processing and intelli-
gence to enable the development of safer, more sustainable,
and productive methods of resource recovery.”
Popular Rigs Now Made in U.S.
RTDrill said the RTD28 and RTD32 will now be manufactured in
the U.S. “Those two models used to be manufactured in our factory
in Austria,” said Bruno Lordey, territory manager, Eastern U.S. and
Canada. “However, now, their production has been moved to our
factory in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania,” he said. “So today we can
proudly say that all our drill rigs are 100% manufactured in the U.S.”
The larger unit, the RTD32, is routinely sold to mines “thanks
to its compressor holding 406 PSI and the ability to drill holes
up to 203 mm dia. for a maximum depth of 49 m,” Lordey said.
The articulated DTH rig offers high productivity. “The RTD32
would be a great addition to any fleet. Many different options can
The popular RTD55 has minimal sensors, giving it superior uptime and speed
of meters drilled, RTDrill said. (Photo: RTDrill)
Mining Ad Jan.indd 1
www.e-mj.com
DRILL RIGS
be added to it,” he said. “Even for mining exploration drilling or
grade control, we have the capability of adding a reverse circula-
tion kit thanks to our sister company, Technidrill, which makes that
kit along with reverse circulation tools such as drill pipes and subs.”
Earlier this year RTDrill reported it deployed an RTD32 to a
surface operation in Kentucky, U.S., where it was drilling 2.4 m
per minute. The company also published photos of an RTD55
rig prepped for delivery and loaded on a transit truck at the fac-
tory in Pennsylvania.
The RTD55 is the most popular mining rig the supplier sells.
Customers select it for the superior uptime and speed of meters
drilled, RTDrill said.
The model is designed for rotary and DTH multi-pass, has
9.1-m drill pipes in a carousel that can hold up to six. For DTH,
it can drill a 172-mm hole to 60 m. Equipped with a dual-motor
system rotary head, it can drill hole sizes up to 229 mm. The
rotary head can deliver up to 7,300 Nm torque.
The rig comes with either a (Tier-III or -IV) Cat C15 or a
Cummins QSX 15 (up to 433-kW) engine with a low- or
high-pressure (8.6- or 25.5-Bar) compressor that delivers up
to 31.1-m3/min. The two-man, falling-object protection certified,
air-conditioned cab features electric-hydraulic controls.
Other than those controls, the unit is made with relatively
few electronic components and sensors, meaning it can sustain
abuse without stopping, giving it high availability.
The supplier expects “a significant growth in production,”
Lordey said. “We are really excited about it,” he said. “Don’t for-
get to stop and see us in September in Las Vegas at MINExpo
to learn more about our drill rigs and our expertise.”
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JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 37
 OPERATING STRATEGIES
AI-powered Lone Worker Protection
System Detects Falls, Reports Accidents
A Switzerland-based technology group
recently pointed to studies estimating
that in Europe alone, there may be as
many as 10 million lone workers, many
of whom function in high-risk environ-
ments and could benefit from connect-
ed wearable IoT solutions designed to
enhance safety and productivity. It’s a
universal problem that has been exacer-
bated since the global Covid-19 pandem-
ic changed the nature of work – and the
workforce – in many industrial sectors,
resulting in smaller employee rosters and
more reliance on lone workers. A 2022
study of 250 lone worker professionals in
North America indicated that almost one
in five reported having an accident and
encountering difficulty getting help, while
just under half reported feeling generally
unsafe about their work conditions.
As a potential solution, Conextivity
Group highlighted its Wearin’ brand’s
lone worker protection equipment, de-
signed to reliably detect falls and alert a
control center in the event of an accident.
Wearin’ and Fischer Connectors com-
prise the group’s two core businesses
focused on connectivity solutions that
manage power and data flows seamless-
ly from sensors and devices.
Conextivity Group, developer of the Wearin’ lone
worker protection system shown here, said it
provides an end-to-end connectivity solution that’s
reliable, modular and scalable, capable of adapting
to the specific requirements of each client.
38 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
Based on IoT technology and pow-
ered by AI, the Wearin’ product incorpo-
rates two platforms, one physical and the
other digital, communicating with each
other in real time. A device attached to
the worker’s vest, called the Wearin’
Brain, embeds three safety alert and de-
tection systems: one to alert the control
center via an SOS button that can be ac-
tivated manually in the event of an acci-
dent; an inertial sensor that can automat-
ically detect a fall in case the alert cannot
be raised manually; and GPS to pinpoint
the precise location of the worker.
Data and alerts are sent and collected
via the cloud to the Wearin’ dashboard
integrated into a central monitoring sys-
tem, allowing recipients to take appropri-
ate emergency and rescue measures ac-
cording to the alerts they have received.
Alvaro Goncalves, technical director
at Wearin’, explained that in addition to
the SOS button, the fall detection sensor
and the GPS system, a 10-hour battery
allows the Brain to last an entire shift
without additional charging, and an LTE
module provides for secure data trans-
mission to the alarm center.
The fall detection sensor designed by
Wearin’ minimizes the risk of false pos-
itives experienced with other, less ad-
vanced competing products, according to
the company. Aurélie Balsa, embedded
software manager at Wearin’, noted that:
“The critical problem faced by this type of
system is the frequency of false positives
and the impact they have on the worker.
The detection provided by other products
is sometimes so unreliable that users,
annoyed by repeated false alarms, end
up disconnecting the system altogether.
Wearin’s solution comprises hardware,
firmware and embedded algorithms.
Based on data from our accelerometer
and gyroscope, our algorithms reduce
false positives to less than 1%.”
Jonathan Brossard, CEO of Conextiv-
ity Group, commented: “The trend we’re
seeing in this sector is a strong and gen-
uine concern on the part of companies for
the health and safety of their employees.
These companies no longer want to limit
themselves to ticking the boxes on safety
checklists provided by regulatory authori-
ties. They demand real solutions to the re-
al-life issues specific to their operations.”
Drilling Technology Advances
and Partnerships Offer
Improved Performance
Two recent industry announcements offer
companies interested in maximizing ex-
ploration and production drilling program
performance some additional potential
benefits. In November, drilling technolo-
gy specialist Imdex reported that it was
developing an improved production hole
survey tool for underground applications
that measures blast hole deviation us-
ing a north-seeking gyro. The product,
called BOLT, is in the commercial proto-
type phase and has been installed at four
sites with two trials underway.
According to Imdex, design changes
have reduced product weight, making it
easier to deploy overhead, thereby solv-
ing one of the key challenges of working
in an underground environment. “BOLT
addresses one of the biggest problems we
have in blast hole surveying and that is the
holes are drilled overhead,” said Imdex’s
commercial manager - underground sur-
vey applications, Mike Ayris. “These can
often be 5 m high. The only way of pushing
a tool up the hole is from an elevated work
platform.” Imdex has created a method of
deploying the tool from ground level.
“The original design of the BOLT had a
depth limitation of about 20 m, but most of
our clients are drilling between 25 m and
30 m and it is the longer holes that need
to be surveyed because they deviate the
most. A typical drive development from
one level to the next is roughly 15 m but
mining companies are investigating ways
to double this length to 30 m as a way of
increasing efficiencies and reducing costs.
“A lot of drill rigs are designed for 15
m not 30 m, so they are pushed beyond
their capabilities which then causes de-
viation, among other factors. The conse-
quence of blast holes deviating can be a
stope hang up or bridging, where the rock
is fired but doesn’t break or fall, forming
www.e-mj.com
 OPERATING STRATEGIES

a wedge. Once that happens there is no

way of getting the rock out. Companies
will try drilling beside the bridge and use
explosives but it’s highly dangerous and
very ineffective,” said Ayris.
“Bridging is a major problem in under-
ground mining, and blast hole deviation
is one of the causes because if the blast
holes deviate away from each other the
explosive impact at the end of the hole is
reduced. There are a lot of other factors,
but surveying and measuring the devia- Veracio’s TruGyro, shown here, is offered as a precise, north-seeking gyrocompass technology that can find
true north without being impacted by external magnetic interference. It provides standard north-seeking
tion is one thing we can control by getting single shot and multi shot surveys along with continuous and orientation survey modes.
the information before blasting.”
“If you look at the mining process, enables drillers to capture high-quality 3D behalf of Veracio. As Veracio introduces
money is spent exploring from the surface, hole path data. In addition to TruShot, IDS new products to the market, IDS aims to
then getting the tenement lease, creating also distributes core orientation tooling on expand its customer offerings.
a decline to the ore body, doing the devel-
opment drives, and drilling the blast hole,”
he said. “Drilling and firing is the last pro-
cess, so you want to get it right. With BOLT
we are trying to create a system that is on
every underground mining operation so
that blast holes are routinely measured.”
In early December, International Di-
rectional Services (IDS) and Veracio, a
mining technology company formerly
known as Boart Longyear’s geological
data services division, announced a part-
nership to offer Veracio’s suite of drill-
er-operated tooling to IDS’ clients.
The two companies explained that by
combining IDS’s expertise in direction-
al drilling and Veracio’s geological data
collection, the partnership will empower
clients to reduce unnecessary drilling
costs, mitigate operational errors, mini-
mize waste, and foster sustainable min-
ing practices.
Key objectives of the partnership
were described as:
• Enhanced drill hole data analysis: De-
ploying cutting-edge technology to im-
prove the accuracy and quality of drill
hole data analysis.
• Increased productivity: Leveraging Vera-
cio’s fleet of technologies, to ensure that
drilling is precise and efficient leading to
better resource definition, safety and low-
er risks of operational errors, at lower cost.
• Client support and satisfaction: The
partnership aims to deliver data-driven
insights and innovative solutions.
The core of the partnership involves the
use of Veracio’s TruGyro, a north-seeking
gyro tool built to deliver precise data at
depth in tough environments. IDS also
currently serves as the distributor for Vera-
cio’s TruShot, a magnetic survey tool that

www.e-mj.com JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 39

 SUPPLIERS REPORT
Freeport’s Bagdad to Convert Cat Fleet
to Autonomous
A fleet of 33 Cat 793 haul trucks, similar to the above, will be equipped with Cat MineStar Command
for hauling. (Photo: Caterpillar)
Freeport-McMoRan plans to convert
33 Cat 793 haul trucks at the Bagdad
mine in Arizona to an autonomous
haulage system (AHS) using Cat Min-
eStar Command for hauling.
Leadership at Freeport said it is the
first copper mine in the U.S. to imple-
ment a fully autonomous haulage sys-
tem. “We are excited about the numer-
ous benefits it will bring to our Bagdad
operation and employees,” said Kath-
leen Quirk, president. “The three-year
conversion project is expected to im-
prove safety, optimize our fleet, reduce
greenhouse gas emissions through
reduced idle time, and position us to
capitalize on future technological ad-
vancements in electrification.”
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of
Command for hauling, Caterpillar has
more than 620 autonomous trucks op-
erating with 15 customers on three con-
tinents. While operating autonomously,
these trucks have hauled more than 6.3
billion metric tons (mt) of material.
Located approximately 161 km
northwest of Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.,
the Bagdad mine produces 9 million lb
of copper cathode per year.
Komatsu, GM Partner on
Hydrogen-powered Truck
General Motors (GM) and Komatsu will
co-develop a hydrogen fuel cell pow-
40 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
er module for Komatsu’s 930E elec-
tric drive haul truck. The truck will be
powered by more than 2 megawatts
of Hydrotec power cubes, and will be
validated at Komatsu’s Arizona Proving
Grounds.
GM has been conducting fuel cell
research and product development for
more than 50 years, and the project
with Komatsu aligns with both compa-
nies’ core values, GM said.
“At GM, we believe fuel cells can
play an integral role in a zero-emissions
Komatsu and General Motors will co-develop a 930E to run on the latter’s HYDROTEC power cubes.
(Image: Komatsu)
future, helping to electrify heavier-duty
applications, beyond passenger vehi-
cles,” said Charlie Freese, executive
director of GM’s Global Hydrotec busi-
ness. “Mining trucks are among the
largest, most capable vehicles used in
any industry, and we believe hydrogen
fuel cells are best suited to deliver ze-
ro-emissions propulsion to these de-
manding applications.”
The project reflects Komatsu’s
commitment to supporting a more sus-
tainable future, Komatsu said. “This is
essential work that requires cross-in-
dustry collaboration, and we are excit-
ed to be working with GM on this im-
portant solution for a haulage offering
without tailpipe emissions,” said Dan
Funcannon, vice president of North
America engineering and development.
Separately, Komatsu agreed to ac-
quire American Battery Solutions, a
battery maker headquartered in De-
troit, Michigan, U.S. ABS will operate
as a stand-alone business entity within
Komatsu. The acquisition will enable
Komatsu to develop and produce its
own battery-operated mining equip-
ment, Komatsu reported.
ABS develops and manufactures a
wide variety of heavy-duty and industri-
www.e-mj.com

Komatsu agreed to acquire U.S.-based battery maker ABS. Above, Komatsu CEO Hiroyuki Ogawa; left,
and ABS CEO Subhash Dhar. (Photo: Business Wire)
al battery packs, using lithium-ion bat-
teries for commercial vehicles, transit
buses and on- and off-road vehicles.
The company provides both standard
and custom battery systems.
Weir Acquires SentianAI
Weir acquired SentianAI, a Swed-
ish-based developer of AI solutions that
optimize performance in minerals pro-
cessing. SentianAI is based in Malmö
and develops software that uses ad-
vanced AI algorithms that continuously
learn and adapt to the dynamic process-
es within a mine, providing continuous
improvement and optimization over time.
Weir said the development should
enable Weir to expand its capability
to provide enhanced productivity and
sustainability offerings to customers.
“SentianAI’s advanced software solu-
tions complement and will bridge our
Synertrex and Motion Metrics tech-
nologies well,” said CEO Jon Stanton.
“Together, these will enable us to pro-
vide holistic performance monitoring
and optimization for smart, efficient
and sustainable mining.”
Sandvik Sells 1,000th Large
Toro Truck
Sandvik celebrated 1,000 deliveries of
its 51- and 63-mt trucks, the Toro TH551
and TH663. The 1,000th truck, a Toro
TH663i for a mine in Portugal, recent-
ly rolled off the production line in Turku,
Finland, for a delivery ceremony.
www.e-mj.com
Sandvik said the achievement illus-
trates the company’s longtime dedica-
tion to developing and delivering su-
perior products and services. “Sandvik
and our Turku factory have achieved
this milestone through more than a de-
cade of committed work, customer col-
laboration and continuous innovation,”
said Patricio Apablaza, president, Load
and Haul division.
The two models were first introduced
at MINExpo 2012. In 2017, the models
became part of Sandvik’s Intelligent
Above, Sandvik celebrated the delivery of its 1,000th large Toro truck. (Photo: Sandvik)
SUPPLIERS REPORT
Trucks series for autonomous haulage.
A battery-electric Toro TH665B is cur-
rently being tested in Australia.
Jennmar Purchases DSI
Tunneling
Frank Calandra, Inc. announced Jenn-
mar of Kentucky purchased DSI Tun-
neling LLC. DSI specializes in the de-
sign and manufacture of lattice girders,
steel ribs, and liner plate. It will contin-
ue to operate its facility in Louisville,
Kentucky.
DSI will be renamed Jennmar Spe-
cialty Products – Louisville, LLC. The
acquisition will enhance Jennmar Civ-
il’s offering of structural steel arches,
liner plate, lattice girder, and accesso-
ries to the mining, tunneling, and civil
industries.
Jennmar Civil said the acquisition
“brings to us a top-notch facility, in-
creased production capacity, and an
experienced team of engineers, sales,
and operations professionals.”
Minnovare Becomes
Hexagon
Minnovare announced it is now official-
ly Hexagon. The rebranding comes af-
ter Hexagon AB acquired Minnovare in
January 2022.
“The Minnovare brand and logo will
be replaced by the Hexagon corporate
brand,” Minnovare said.
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 41
 PROCESSING SOLUTIONS

Critical Mineral Research Projects Focus on

Quick Li Analysis, Carbonatite Ore Processing
Sensmet, a Finnish company special- the realms of bat-
izing in real time analysis of battery tery metal produc-
metals, recently reported that its con- tion and recycling
tinuous metals monitoring technology processes when in-
has been evaluated in a field trial con- tegrated to Metso
ducted by a major mineral processing Courier HX system.”
equipment supplier. The trial, accord- The trial was con-
ing to the company, compared lithium ducted by Metso at
and sodium measurements by labora- its facilities in Pori,
tory Inductively Coupled Plasma – Op- Finland. Metso said
tical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) it will adopt µDOES
analysis with the Sensmet µDOES con- technology in se-
tinuous analyzer, and demonstrated lected Courier HX
excellent correlation between the two systems for Li and
different methods. Na analysis, and
During the trial, samples were taken the new systems will
from a process in which battery-grade be available globally
lithium hydroxide monohydrate was in 2024.
produced from spodumene concentrate Sensmet said the
treated by high-temperature conversion patented µDOES
in a rotary kiln. The hydrometallurgical technology is based
technology, developed by Metso, pro- on atomic emis-
duces battery-grade lithium hydroxide sion spectroscopy.
monohydrate by soda pressure leach- A micro-discharge
ing. In this application, the analytical (electric spark) is
performance of the µDOES analyzer created directly in-
was evaluated for the continuous opti- side the aqueous
mization of pressure leaching and con- sample, causing a
version leaching. microscopic volume
Sensmet said more than 60 samples of the fluid sur-
were drawn from the process and ana- rounding the spark
lyzed by a µDOES continuous analyzer to be flash-heated Sensmet claims its µDOES analyzer, shown here, can streamline the
measurement process compared with off-line laboratory ICP-OES methods,
and a laboratory ICP-OES. Sodium and to 10,000°C. Molec- providing comparable performance to the traditional approach but also
lithium concentrations were measured ular species in the offering the capability of continuous and fully automated industrial process
in each sample, and the results showed micro-discharge are monitoring. According to the company, µDOES drastically reduces
maintenance requirements due to the absence of components such as RF
an excellent degree of correlation be- dissociated into at- coils, spray chambers or nebulizers needed for ICP-OES.
tween the online instrument and labo- oms, which are ex-
ratory reference analysis. The calculat- cited to their respective higher electron- nology allows operators to consistently
ed R2 (coefficient of determination) for ic states. Upon returning to their ground produce high-quality, continuous 24/7
the two elements were 0.98 for the lith- state, these atoms release their excess measurements, akin to results ob-
ium comparison and 0.95 for sodium. energy by emitting light at their charac- tained in a laboratory. This capability is
“We were impressed by the out- teristic wavelengths. The µDOES mea- accessible directly at the process plant,
comes of the measurement campaign, sures this atomic emission spectrum to avoiding the delays of lab analyses,
conducted in a challenging environ- derive quantitative analysis of the met- and exploiting the benefits of real-time
ment replicating real-life conditions. als contained in the sample. process monitoring.”
Despite the rigor, the µDOES and µDOES is able to continually repeat Also in December 2023, Idaho Na-
ICP-OES delivered congruent re- these measurements with a user-se- tional Laboratory (INL) and US Critical
sults,” explained Metso’s Vice Pres- lectable measurement interval of 5 to Materials Corp. announced a multi-
ident – Automation Product Group, 30 minutes. phase collaborative project to develop
Veli-Matti Järvinen. “This is significant Summarizing, Sensmet CEO Toni a process for carbonatite ore handling,
– we anticipate that the µDOES tech- Laurila commented: “The third-party preparation, and extraction of targeted,
nology will bring substantial value to evaluation shows how µDOES tech- value-added metals present in the ore.

42 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024 www.e-mj.com

 PROCESSING SOLUTIONS

This process, according to a press re- elements for decades, particularly 3 meters (m) wide and can be traced
lease, can be achieved by invoking a the light REEs, including La, Ce, Pr, for more than 200 m along strike. Im-
combination of conventional, newly de- and Nd. Over 50 surface carbonatite portant ore minerals identified include
veloped (within the past decade), and occurrences have been documented ancylite, allanite, monazite, and colum-
emerging materials handling and sepa- and sampled at Sheep Creek, US Crit- bite. Historical grab and chip sampling
ration processes. ical Minerals’ southwest Montana land of carbonatites indicate the potential
The focus of the agreement, said holding that encompasses 223 lode for high-grade mineralization with up to
US Critical Minerals – a Utah, USA- claims representing approximately 18% total rare earth elements, includ-
based private REE exploration and de- 4,500 acres. ing 2.4% combined neodymium and
velopment company – is on developing The Sheep Creek carbonatites, praseodymium, plus credits in niobium
solutions for dealing with and solving according to the company, are up to and other strategic metals.
the environmental issues related to
mining and processing. INL is managed
by Battelle Energy Alliance for the US
Department of Energy.
The two parties intend to form tech-
nical teams to evaluate state-of-the-
art separation technologies. As part
of their evaluation, they will commis-
sion targeted Research, Development,
Demonstration, Testing & Evaluation
(RDDT&E) of separation technologies
useful for achieving economic, envi-
ronmental, and performance efficacy
targets provided by US Critical Mate-
rials Corp.
Technologies developed by the proj-
ect could result in intellectual property
that may lead to new patent filings at
the conclusion of the eight-month term
of the current cooperative research and
development agreement.
The company noted that carbon-
atites – igneous rocks composed of
carbonate minerals such as calcite
and dolomite – have been the prima-
ry source of niobium and rare-earth

According to US Critical Minerals Corp., its Sheep

Creek property in southwest Montana is one of the
highest-grade light rare earth projects known within
the US with average total rare earth element content
of 6.8% across 51 historical samples.

www.e-mj.com JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 43

 EQUIPMENT GALLERY

Robotic System Charges Underground

Blastholes Remotely
The carrier is available with either the
latest diesel engine emission rating or
SmartDrive battery-electric architecture
with zero local emissions. The unit is de-
veloped headings measuring 4 x 4 m up
to 6 x 6 m.
Normet.com

Tele-remote Solution
for UG Fleets
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions intro-
duced AutoMine for Underground Drills,
a tele-remote solution that also gives si-
multaneous control of multiple automat-
ed Sandvik underground drills. The de-
velopment means Sandvik reportedly is
the first OEM to introduce a unified traffic
management system for drills, loaders
and trucks.
The system is available for Sandvik
longhole drills and offers three levels of
tele-remote operations: single drill, drill
fleet and machine fleet. Operators can
Normet announced Charmec Revo, fea- mounted safely onto the rear platform choose between operating from a chair
turing a remote-controlled robotic arm for away from the hot surfaces. A large bulk or console station. The system includes
putting emulsion and initiation systems in tank capacity helps increase uptime and advanced tramming capabilities, allow-
boreholes. With automation capabilities, productivity, Normet said. ing seamless control and coordination of
the unit offers optimal safety and efficien-
cy, Normet said.
Drilled borehole maps from the drill
rigs can be uploaded to the arm so it
can locate the borehole positions on the
face.. A machine vision system guides
the charging hose automatically to the
drilled boreholes. If the map is not avail-
able, the machine vision helps the opera-
tor locate the boreholes.
Once the borehole is found, the
charging hose delivery system installs
the primer and emulsion.
The unit uses collision-free path plan-
ning to determine the safest route for the
arm, Normet said. If anything appears
in the operating area, the arm stops its
movement.
The Charmec Revo can be adapted
to use any initiating system and all bulk
emulsion systems. The primers can be
handled manually or with magazines
provided by explosives suppliers.
The unit has a load capacity of 6 met-
ric tons (mt), meaning up to 4 mt can be

44 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024 www.e-mj.com


drills, loaders and trucks operating in the
same area.
AutoMine incorporates the Access
Protector System, a safety feature de-
signed to prevent personnel from enter-
ing the machine area while the system is
operating in automation mode or remote
mode. It also has an advanced traffic
management system so operators can
“easily control the traffic flow of multi-ma-
chine operations and handle complex op-
erating situations, resulting in greater flex-
ibility and mining output,” Sandvik said.
RockTechnology.Sandvik
Small Bits for
Less-demanding Conditions
Epiroc announced the Epiroc Gray line of
drill bits for mining operations seeking to
boost productivity at the lowest cost per
meter. The development also rebrands
the Essential line of bits.
Manufactured with high-quality steel,
Epiroc Gray bits help increase rock drill-
ing efficiency and are ideal for less de-
manding rock conditions, the supplier
said. The new bits are compatible with
Epiroc’s T-thread drill string. They can be
use on the Epiroc Yellow line rods, and
on other manufacturers’ rods using the
same common thread type.
The bits will be manufactured at four
locations.
Epiroc.com
High-head Dewatering
Pump
Sykes Group launched the XH250 dewa-
tering pump. The unit offers a head ca-
www.e-mj.com
pability of 200 liters/second (l/sec) at 220
m, or 250 l/sec at 200 m.
The pump features extraordinary shaft
stiffness ratios, multiple priming options,
advanced bearing arrangements, and ex-
ceptional sealing solutions, Sykes Group
said. The wear plates can be adjusted to
optimize clearance around the impeller.
The Sykes XH250 is available with
various material options to suit specific
applications. It is available in both die-
sel and electric drive configurations, and
can come mounted on skids, trailers or
pontoons.
SykesGroup.com
Durable Mill Lining Rubber
Metso launched Skega Life, mill lining
rubber with 25% longer wear life over
EQUIPMENT GALLERY
Skega Classic. With improved wear re-
sistance, the rubber is a part of Metso’s
Planet Positive line of sustainability
offerings.
Skega Life is optimal for ball mills
larger than 4.3 m; AG and SAG mills of
5.5 m or smaller.
Metso.com
Global Direct-to-Device
Network
Viasat and Skylo Technologies an-
nounced the launch of “the world’s first
global direct-to-device network.” Com-
bining Skylo’s satellite technology with
Viasat’s licensed spectrum holdings, the
network will support smartphone ser-
vices and Industry 4.0 solutions.
Benefits are available to OEMs and
miners. The network will provide oppor-
tunities for OEMs to embed connectivity
into their smartphones, wearables, vehi-
cles, machinery and other devices. In-
ternet-of-Things solution providers could
use the continuous connectivity and to
scale their solutions globally. Mining op-
erations could gain access to enhanced
connectivity through cellular or satellite
without the need for proprietary satellite
hardware, reducing costs and contribut-
ing to the optimization of productivity and
supply chain, Viasat said.
Initial deployments are planned for
early 2024 in North America, using the
Ligado SkyTerra satellite network, fol-
lowed by a global rollout. Partners and
customers will be able to access the ser-
vices through Viasat or Skylo.
Viasat.com
JANUARY 2024 • E&MJ 45
CONSULTANTS & SERVICES

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46 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024 www.e-mj.com

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 MARKETS
Prices for Most Metals Declined in 2023
By Steve Fiscor, Editor-in-Chief
Apart from gold, copper and iron ore,
most metals suffered a setback price-
wise in 2023. The battery minerals took
it on the chin. According to the E&MJ
Price Index, lithium hydroxide, nickel,
and cobalt declined 81.6%, 45.5%, and
31.5% respectively. Before it gained bat-
tery mineral status, nickel was widely
known for and is still predominantly used
for stainless steel. The platinum group
metals did not fare much better. Palla-
dium prices continued to slide through-
out 2023. Gold, copper, and iron ore,
according to the E&MJ Project Survey,
also command the greatest share of in-
vestment worldwide after coal. Those in-
vestments are expected to continue, and
they appear to be well placed.
Gold had a good run in 2023. Prices
were relatively calm for most of the year
and then surged to record heights in De-
cember. Gold prices hit an all-time high
of $2,078.40/oz on December 28, 2023.
It remained above the $2,000/oz mark as
this edition went to press.
Iron ore finished at $145 per dry met-
ric ton (dmt), which was an increase of
23.4% from the beginning of the year
($117.50/dmt). Unlike the radical swings
in other markets, iron ore prices climbed
steadily throughout the year.
Copper finished where it started, $3.85/
lb vs. $3.81/lb. After peaking at $4.25/lb on
Precious Metals ($/oz)
Gold $2,049.05 Aluminum
Silver $22.96 Copper
Platinum $970.00 Lead
Palladium $1,060.00 Nickel
Rhodium $4,425.00 Tin
Ruthenium $440.00 Zinc
Gold and silver prices provided by KITCO Bullion dealers (www.kitco.com). Platinum group metals prices provided by Johnson Matthey (www.platinum.matthey.com).
Non-ferrous base and minor metal prices provided by London Metal Exchange (www.lme.co.uk). Iron ore prices provided by Platts Iron Ore Index. Currency exchange
rates were provided by www.xe.com.
48 E&MJ • JANUARY 2024
Year-end Comparison (2023 vs 2022)
Year-end 2023 Year-end 2022
Gold ($/oz).....................................$2,049.05.................$1,824.50...........12.30%
Silver ($/oz).........................................$22.96 .....................$23.98............-4.30%
Platinum ($/oz)..................................$970.00 ................$1,075.00............-9.80%
Palladium ($/oz).............................$1,060.00.................$1,795.00..........-40.90%
Rhodium ($/oz)..............................$4,425.00...............$12,250.00..........-63.90%
Ruthenium ($/oz)..............................$440.00 ...................$475.00 ...........-7.40%
Aluminum ($/lb).....................................$1.03 .......................$1.08 ...........-4.40%
Copper ($/lb).........................................$3.85 .......................$3.81 ............ 1.10%
Lead ($/lb).............................................$0.94 .......................$1.04 ...........-9.50%
Nickel ($/lb)...........................................$7.44 .....................$13.66 .........-45.50%
Tin ($/lb).............................................. $11.19 ..................... $11.28 ...........-0.70%
Zinc ($/lb)..............................................$1.16 .......................$1.35 .........-13.80%
Molybdenum ($/lb)..............................$19.85 .....................$30.33 .........-34.60%
Cobalt ($/lb)........................................$12.87 .....................$18.79 .........-31.50%
Lithium Hydroxide ($/lb)........................$7.02 .....................$38.14 .........-81.60%
Fe CFR North China ($/dmt).............$145.00 ................... $117.50 .......... 23.40%
January 23, 2023, copper prices declined fade before that happens. With wars in
and then seemed to be range bound for Ukraine and Gaza, continuing sanctions
most of the year in the high $3/lb range. against Russia, South Africa’s inability
What does 2024 hold for metal pric- to provide power, civil unrest in Panama
es? These days reality is stranger than and Ecuador, tension with China and Tai-
fiction. Three rate cuts from the U.S. wan, and a looming presidential election
Federal Reserve could spell problems in the USA, well... let’s hope for steady
for gold, but the risk of a recession must improvement with limited volatility.
(January 4, 2024)
Base Metals ($/mt) Minor Metals ($/mt) Exchange Rates (U.S.$ Equivalent)
$2,273.50 Molybdenum $43,670 Euro (€) 1.096
$8,463.00 Cobalt $28,307 U.K. (£) 1.269
$2,076.00 Lithium Hydroxide $15,450 Canada ($) 0.749
$16,372.00 Australia ($) 0.671
$24,622.00 Iron Ore ($/dmt) South Africa (Rand) 0.053
$2,562.50 Fe CFR China $145.00 China (¥) 0.140
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