Seven Experts Discuss How the Mining Industry Can Recruit, Train and Retain the Tailings Engineers It So Desperately Needs

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FEATURES Tailings Engineers Wanted… Seven experts discuss how the mining industry can recruit, train and retain the tailings engineers it so desperately needs...... 22

This Year’s Iron Ore Report Looks Much Better Than Many Expected High prices and a tight market could extend the rally well into 2022...... 28

Drilling Trends Demand Tougher Bits Suppliers are building more powerful rigs. Customers want more drillhole footage. The industry is moving toward autonomous drilling. Can new rock tools meet these challenges?...... 34

Slope Monitoring Tech Trends Spread Safety Increasing integration and ease-of-use deﬁne the latest slope stability solutions, making them easier and potentially cheaper to adopt...... 40

LEADING DEVELOPMENTS Freeport Reports Higher Q3 Copper Sales Volumes...... 4 This month, E&MJ provides an in-depth report on the K+S Sells Americas Salt Business to Stone Canyon...... 4 tools being used to evaluate pit wall stability. On the cover, managers discuss the pit walls at the El Soldado Sumitomo Sells Ownership in PT Vale; Considers Options for Sierra Gorda...... 4 mine in Chile. (Photo: Anglo American) Argonaut Gold Approves Magino Project Construction...... 5 Saracen Minerals Will Merge With Northern Star Resources...... 5 DEPARTMENTS Calendar...... 21 AROUND THE WORLD Classified Advertisements...... 62 U.S. & Canada: Runaway Skip Damages Triple 7 Operations in Manitoba...... 6 Equipment Gallery...... 58 From the Editor...... 2 Australia/Oceania: Argyle Diamond Mine Operations Wind Down...... 12 Letter to the Editor...... 17 Latin America: Minera Alamos Will Speed Up Cerro de Oro Development...... 14 Markets...... 64 Asia: Polyus Reports Maiden Reserve Estimate for Sukhoi Log Gold Project...... 16 Operating Strategies...... 46 People...... 10 Africa: Recurring Theme of Optimism at Annual Jo’burg Indaba Symposium ...... 18 Processing Solutions...... 54 Suppliers Report...... 48 This Month in Coal...... 20

Tailings Management....22 Bits & Steel....34 Slope Stability....40

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 1 FROM THE EDITOR

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2030-501_067 LWN_072_HS8300_Mining_EngineerMiningJournal_INT_GB.indd 1 01.10.20 11:04 NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS Freeport Reports Higher Q3 Copper Sales Volumes

K+S Sells Americas Salt Business to Stone Canyon K+S AG signed a contract to sell its Americas salt business bundled together as the Americas Operating Unit to Stone Canyon Industries Holdings LLC (SCIH), Mark Demetree and affiliates. The sales price amounts to $3.2 billion and represents 12.5 times the 2019 EBITDA of $257 million, according to the company. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur in summer 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, including approvals from regulatory authorities. “With the sale of our Americas salt business, we are taking a giant step in reducing debt,” Chairman Dr. Burkhard Lohr said. “We are thus creating a solid financial basis for the sustainable de- Freeport’s quarterly copper and gold sales were higher than expected, but not as high as the same period in 2019. velopment of the company.” The Americas operating unit mainly Freeport-McMoRan reported third-quar- will provide “momentum to continue to comprises K+S Chile, formerly known ter 2020 copper sales of 848 million strengthen our balance sheet, increase as the Chilean company SPL, acquired lb, which were 7% higher than the July returns to shareholders and generate in 2006, as well as Morton Salt (USA) estimate of 790 million lb of copper. long-term values for all stakeholders.” and K+S Windsor Salt (Canada), ac- This was due to higher sales from North Third-quarter 2020 gold sales of quired in 2009. American and South American mines. 234,000 ounces (oz) were 6% higher “With its iconic Morton Salt brand Third-quarter 2020 copper sales were than the July estimate of 220,000 oz and other industry leading products and higher than third-quarter 2019 sales of gold, primarily reflecting higher ore solutions, the combination of the Amer- volumes of 795 million lb of copper, grades in Indonesia. Third-quarter 2020 icas salt business with SCIH’s Kissner primarily reflecting higher copper ore gold sales were lower than third-quarter Group Holdings allows us to expand grades in Indonesia, partly offset by 2019 sales volumes of 243,000 oz of our product offerings to consumers lower sales from North America and gold, primarily reflecting lower mining and along with our existing government and South America as a result of lower min- milling rates associated with the ramp-up commercial customers,” SCIH Co-CEO ing rates associated with the April 2020 of underground mining at PT Freeport In- James Fordyce said. “The Americas salt revised operating plans, according to donesia (PT-FI), partly offset by timing of business adds an integral component to the company. shipments in third-quarter 2019. SCIH’s long-term, growth-oriented busi- “Our seasoned, motivated and value- Third-quarter 2020 molybdenum ness model.” focused global organization delivered sales of 20 million lb were higher than As expected, the high level of inter- strong results during the third quar- the July estimate of 18 million lb, but est in the attractive Americas salt busi- ter and continues to demonstrate the were lower than third-quarter 2019 ness resulted in a generally rapid nego- ‘Freeport Edge,’ President and CEO sales of 22 million lb. tiation process and led to the signing of Richard C. Adkerson said. “Our team is Consolidated sales volumes for the agreement in the current financial protecting the health of our workforce 2020 are expected to be 3.18 billion lb year as anticipated, the company said. and communities where we operate as a of copper, 800,000 oz of gold and 80 first priority, as we serve customers, op- million lb of molybdenum. Metal pro- Sumitomo Sells Ownership in erate efficiently and advance significant duction is expected to improve signifi- PT Vale; Considers Options growth in production.” cantly in 2021 with estimated consoli- for Sierra Gorda He added that strong cash flows, dated sales of 3.85 billion lb of copper Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. growing volumes, effective cost man- and 1.4 million oz of gold, according to (SMM) has agreed to sell off a portion agement and positive market outlook the company. of the shares it held in the Repub-

4 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS lic of Indonesia’s PT Vale Indonesia lion by way of a $500 million bought mated at between $360 million and Tbk (PTVI), along with its holding in deal offering of senior unsecured con- $360 million, including contingency Vale Canada Ltd. (VCL) to the Re- vertible debentures and the exten- and inflation. public of Indonesia’s PT Indonesia sion and expansion of its existing re- The company has recently received Asahan Aluminium (Persero). The com- volving credit facility (RCF) for up to a fixed bid pricing proposal that covers pany entered into the stock purchase $125 million. approximately 50% of the recent initial and sale agreement on June 19, and Argonaut said it anticipates a two- capital estimate of between $360 mil- the sale and transfer was completed on year construction period beginning in lion and $380 million. October 7. January 2021 following the closure The Magino FS demonstrated that VCL and SMM completed the sale plan filing and posting of a financial as- the Magino project is a strategic, scal- and transfer of an aggregate of 20% of surance bond with the province of On- able, long-life asset in the attractive their shareholding in PTVI to the buy- tario. The first gold pour is anticipated mining jurisdiction of Ontario, Canada. er nominated by the Government of the during the first half of 2023. It will be a 10,000-metric-ton-per-day Republic of Indonesia, Perseo. Upon In the Magino Feasibility Study processing facility and average annu- completion of the transaction, VCL Technical Report filed December 2017, al gold production of 150,000 ounces will hold 44.3% shares and SMM will initial capital was estimated at $321 over the first five years with a mine life hold 15% shares in PTVI, or a total of million and has recently been esti- of 17 years. 59.3% shares. In October 2014, PTVI agreed to revise the mining business contract it entered in 1996 with the Indonesian Saracen Minerals Will Merge With Northern Star Resources government, which will expire in De- Northern Star Resources Ltd. and Sara- tive chair in July 2021. Saracen Man- cember 2025. PTVI must obtain per- cen Mineral Holdings Ltd. have agreed aging Director Raleigh Finlayson will be mission to conduct mining acitivities to to a merger. Northern Star will acquire managing director. Stuart Tonkin will continue to operate after 2025. One of 100% of the shares in Saracen. Sara- be chief executive officer and Morgan the requirements is that 40% of the in- cen shareholders will receive 0.3763 Ball will be chief financial officer. Upon vestments into PTVI be with Indonesian Northern Star shares for each Saracen completion, the board of nine will com- capital, and this transaction satisfies share held. Saracen will also pay a prise of five Directors from Northern that requirement. special, fully franked dividend of Star and four directors from Saracen. The amount transferred was approx- A3.8¢ per Saracen share. Upon com- Saracen Non-executive Chair Tony Kier- imately 9.9 billion yen ($95 million), pletion of the transaction, Northern nan will be the lead independent nonex- and the company estimates that the Star will own 64% of the combined ecutive director. overall effect on business results will company, and Saracen will hold the “Northern Star has only ever pur- be minor. remaining 36%. sued growth when it will create value SMM and Sumitomo Corp. said The companies said the merger will for shareholders, and this merger of that they were also reviewing their op- create a top 10 global major gold pro- equals will create an abundance of val- tions regarding the Sierra Gorda mine ducer, with high-margin assets located ue for both Northern Star and Saracen in Chile’s Antofagasta region, includ- exclusively in Tier-1 jurisdictions. Sar- shareholders,” Beament said. “This is ing a potential sale of their owner- acen has three operations within 300 significant value-creating M&A (merger ship interests. Sierra Gorda is jointly kilometers (km) of Kalgoorlie: Caros- and acquisition).” owned by SMM, Sumitomo Corp. and ue Dam, Thunderbox and 50% of the Pretax synergies are expected to be KGHM Polska Miedź SA. A large, open- Super Pit. worth A$1.5 billion to A$2 billion over pit copper mine, Sierra Gorda mines Production is slated to grow from the next 10 years, according to Finlayson. and processes 110,000 metric tons more than 500,000 ounces (oz) in “This is one of the most logical and (mt) per day. During the first half of the current financial year to more than strategic M&A transactions the mining 2020, it produces 71,000 mt of cop- 600,000 oz in the following year. North- industry has seen,” Finlayson said. “The per, which compare to 53,000 mt of ern Star operates three concentrated savings, the synergies and the growth copper in H1 2019. centers: Jundee; Kalgoorlie including opportunities it will generate make the Kanowna Belle, Kundana (the East transaction extremely compelling. Argonaut Gold Approves Kundana Joint Venture), South Kalgoor- The merger will create a combined Magino Project Construction lie and KCGM (joint venture); and the portfolio of high-quality assets con- Argonaut Gold Inc. has approved the Pogo operations in Alaska. centrated in three logical production construction of the company’s 100% Both the Saracen and Northern Star centers exclusively in Tier-1 jurisdic- owned Magino gold project in Ontario, boards have unanimously recommended tions and a presence in the West Aus- Canada. Argonaut also received a fixed the merger. tralian Goldfields, with the transac- bid pricing proposal for a significant Under the agreement, Northern Star tion consolidating KCGM — the iconic portion of the initial capital require- Executive Chair Bill Beament will be “Golden Mile” — under single owner- ment for the project and has secured the chair of the merged group, transi- ship for the first time in its more than debt financing of up to $175 mil- tioning from executive to non-execu- 125-year history.

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 5 REGIONAL NEWS - U.S. & CANADA Runaway Skip Damages Triple 7 Operations in Manitoba

Bullfrog mine area 4 miles west of Beatty, Nevada. The Bullfrog Gold Project is located in the Walker Trend about 120 miles NW of Las Vegas and has access to infrastructure. Barrick Gold produced 2.1 million ounces of gold during the 1990’s from the main Bullfrog open pit, the northern one third of which is controlled by Bullfrog. Upon completion of the transaction, Barrick and Augusta will become significant shareholders in Bullfrog. Additionally, the board of directors and management of the company will be reconstituted upon closing such that Maryse Bélanger will be appointed president, CEO and director of the company along with the appointment of Donald Taylor, Daniel Earle and a Barrick nominee to the company’s board of direc- Hudbay restarts production using ramp haulage. tors. David Beling will remain on the board. The mineral lease and option to pur- Hudbay Minerals Inc. has completed a While fourth quarter production and chase agreement between a subsidiary preliminary inspection at its 777 Mine sales volumes will be impacted, the com- of BFGC and Barrick dated March 23, in Flin Flon, Manitoba. During mid-Octo- pany said it is implementing production 2015, has been terminated and the Bar- ber, the company suspended production mitigation plans and expects the Manitoba rick back-in right has been eliminated. at the mine after a hoist rope detached business unit to achieve its full-year pro- A 2% net smelter return (NSR) royalty from a skip, causing the skip to fall to the duction and unit cost guidance for 2020. granted to Barrick also decreases to a bottom of the shaft. There were no inju- minimum 0.5% NSR royalty on certain ries and all underground personnel were Bullfrog Gold Signs Agreement Barrick lands already subject to royalties. safely evacuated from the mine using the With Barrick, Augusta The transaction is expected to close secondary ramp access. Bullfrog Gold Corp. has entered into defin- during the fourth quarter of 2020. A preliminary video inspection of the itive agreements with Barrick Gold Corp. mine shaft indicated that the damage is subsidiaries and Augusta Investments Ascot Orders Equipment for limited to the headframe and the bottom Inc. where Bullfrog will acquire rights Premier Gold Mine of the shaft in the skip compartment. It to 1,500 acres adjoining the company’s Ascot Resources Ltd. signed an agree- also does not appear that the cage com- Bullfrog Gold Deposit from Barrick. Au- ment for the delivery of a semi-autoge- partments or the ore loading area were gusta and certain individuals identified nous grinding (SAG) mill and a ball mill, damaged, and the structural integrity of by Augusta will concurrently complete a which are the long lead items required for the shaft does not appear to have been C$22 million investment in Bullfrog. the concentrator refurbishment at Premier compromised by the incident, according “We are delighted to announce the gold mine in British Columbia’s Golden Tri- to the company. signing of the definitive agreements and angle. Montreal-based Farnell-Thompson A full inspection of the shaft and skip are encouraged by the positive market re- Applied Technologies (Farnell-Thompson) compartment will require an in-person in- action to the announcement of the bind- will deliver the SAG and ball mills and spection, which Hudbay said is expected ing term sheet in respect of the transac- related equipment. Farnell-Thompson is in early November. tion,” Bullfrog CEO and President David a leader in heavy machinery engineering Underground mining activity has re- Beling said. “Bullfrog will be well-funded design with significant experience in the sumed at 777 with limited production to expedite the exploration and develop- design and delivery of grinding mills, ac- from the mine’s ramp access. If there is ment of the Bullfrog project, and we are cording to the company. no further damage beyond what has been excited to welcome our new cornerstone “The Ascot team has worked diligently identified, Hudbay said the 777 shaft shareholders, Barrick and Augusta.” over the summer to complete all of the could resume full production in Decem- Bullfrog Gold Corp. is a U.S.-based gold engineering work to put us in a position ber at a repair cost that is not expected to and silver exploration company with a com- to place the order for the SAG and ball exceed $5 million. manding land and mineral position in the mills,” Ascot President and CEO Derek

6 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com VAREL MINING & INDUSTRIAL IS NOW TERELION.

Since October 23, 2020, Varel Mining & Industrial is re-named to Terelion. Our products, services and sales offices remain unchanged. New name, new logotype for Varel’s mining and industrial business, that’s all.

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at 2.56 grams per metric ton (mt). Yama- na said there is “excellent potential for significant future exploration success and mineral resource conversion.” Yamana said the geological characteristics of the Wasamac ore body suggest it holds the potential to be an underground mine achieving the same scale, grade, production, and costs as the company’s Jaco- bina mine in Brazil, and it possesses many parallels to the company’s 50% owned Ca- nadian Malartic underground project located in the same Abitibi region in Quebec. Yamana said it plans to commence an exploration and infill drilling campaign and other studies to refine and expand With the help of Farnell-Thompson, Ascot Resources is refurbishing the Premier gold mill (above), near Stewart, B.C. upon the potential of Wasamac and its development alternatives. White said. “This equipment is critical to Agnico Eagle and Maple will jointly fund The Camflo property, located 15 km our construction timeframe and having the an additional $500,000 in exploration of northwest of Val-d’Or, includes the old support and expertise of Farnell-Thomp- VMS targets on the western portion of the Camflo mine, which closed in 1992, and a son and Ascot’s in-house engineering Douay Project; and both will be granted a permitted mill. The property has not been team has helped the company continue 2% NSR on the property that they contrib- explored since the mid-1980s and Yama- along its path toward production.” ute to the joint venture, each with aggre- na believes it has good exploration upside. The order comprises a 22-ft diameter gate buyback provisions of US$40 million. The acquisition provides the company by 8-ft effective grinding length SAG mill Agnico Eagle currently owns 11,764,706 with a high-quality project with a signifi- and 14.5-ft diameter by 19.5-ft effective common shares, representing approximate- cant mineral reserve and mineral resource grinding length ball mill. Both mills will ly 4.4% of the issued and outstanding com- base and excellent potential for further be driven by 2,000 KW, low speed syn- mon shares on a non-diluted basis. Upon expansion, according to the company. The chronous motors at 78% critical speed, completion, Agnico Eagle will own approxi- acquisition adds to the company’s footprint the company said. The mills will be sup- mately 12.84% of the issued and outstand- in the Abitibi region, which Yamana said is ported on 90-in. diameter hydrodynamic ing common shares on a non-diluted basis consistent with its strategy to build on its trunnion bearings, which will be inter- and 19.9% of the issued and outstanding existing presence in established mining ju- changeable. The mill lube systems will be common shares on a partially diluted basis. risdictions. In addition, the acquisition of identical for both mills. the Wasamac and Camflo properties adds Yamana Gold Expands to its pipeline of organic opportunities, sig- Agnico Eagle Invests Footprint With Monarch nificantly enhancing the company’s future in Maple Gold Mines Acquisition growth prospects, the company added. Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. has agreed to pur- Yamana Gold Inc. has agreed to purchase The transaction has been approved chase 25.84 million units of Maple Gold the Wasamac property and the Camflo by the boards of directors of Yamana and Mines Ltd. for $0.239 per unit for total property and mill in Quebec from Monarch Monarch. In addition to Monarch share- consideration of approximately $6.175 Gold Corp. Yamana will acquire the prop- holder approval, the transaction is subject million. Each unit is comprised of one erties through the acquisition of all of the to applicable regulatory, court, and stock common share of Maple and one common outstanding shares of Monarch not owned exchange approvals and certain other clos- share purchase warrant of Maple. Closing by Yamana, including cash and shares, of ing conditions. The companies are working is expected to occur on or about October 9. approximately C$152 million. Monarch toward closing the transaction during 2020 Agnico Eagle and Maple have entered will complete a spinout to its sharehold- and not later than early January 2021. into a binding term that will considers the ers, through a newly formed company of Ownership in SpinCo, a newly creat- formation of a 50/50 joint venture, which its other mineral properties and certain ed exploration company, will hold Mon- will combine Maple’s Douay project and other assets and liabilities of Monarch. arch’s remaining pipeline of development Agnico Eagle’s Joutel project into a consol- The Wasamac gold underground proj- and exploration projects, including the idated joint property package. The Douay ect, located 15 kilometers (km) west of Beaufor mine, Croinor property, McKen- project and Joutel project are adjacent Rouyn-Noranda in the Abitibi region of zie Break property, Swanson property and properties located in the Abitibi region of Quebec, consists of five well developed Beacon mill. Quebec, and the Joutel project hosted Ag- ore shoots within a single, continuous It is expected that Monarch’s senior ex- nico’s past-producing Telbel mine. shear zone with a consistent grade dis- ecutive team will continue in the same roles According to the binding term sheet, tribution and wide mining widths. It has at SpinCo, and that SpinCo will have C$14 Agnico Eagle will fund $18 million in ex- existing proven and probable mineral re- million in cash to support its work programs ploration expenses over a four-year period; serves of 1.8 million ounces (oz) of gold and for general corporate purposes.

8 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com

NEWS - PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Vale appointed Patrick Boitumelo as the new head of Red 5 Ltd. appointed two executives. Andrea Sutton was mining and milling for its North Atlantic operations in appointed to the board as a nonexecutive director. Sutton base metals. Boitumelo, who has more than two decades has more than 25 years of experience with Rio Tinto and of experience in the industry, has been with the company ERA. Between 2013 and 2017, Sutton was chief executive since 2019, when he was hired as head of technology and and managing director of ERA, then a nonexecutive direc- innovation in base metals. Previous to his tenure with tor from 2018 to 2020. Jason Greive was appointed COO. Vale, Boitumelo served as president and COO with Diavik Most recently, he was COO at RTG Mining. Patrick Boitumelo Diamond Mines in Yellowknife. Andrea Sutton Christopher Penna, engineering coordinator, Meliadine, Nevada Copper Corp. appointed Mike Ciricillo as acting Nunavut, is the 2nd Annual 2019 Larry Connell Award for CEO. Ciricillo was previously the head of copper opera- Collaborative Excellence recipient. The award was creat- tions for Glencore, where he oversaw company’s world- ed to recognize employees for the key qualities Connell wide copper assets. Prior to Glencore, he has held a num- exemplified throughout his remarkable career. Recipients ber of senior management roles during a 20-year tenure are selected based on their impact, network and sphere of with Phelps Dodge and Freeport McMoRan, including as influence, both inside and outside Agnico Eagle, and for president of Tenke Fungurume Mining and general man- supporting the success of the company regionally or glob- Mike Ciricillo ager of Miami Arizona Operations. Ciricillo will assume Christopher Penna ally and in meeting the criteria outlined for the award. In the role of acting CEO from Evan Spencer. recognition of his achievement, a donation of $5,000 CDN will be made by Agnico Eagle on behalf of Penna to Embrace Life Council, a Freeport-McMoRan announced that Steve Higgins, its non-profit suicide prevention organization based in Iqaluit, Nunavut. senior vice president and chief administrative officer, has been elected chairman of the International Copper Columbia Steel Casting Co. Inc. announced the return of Association (ICA) and chairman of the London Metal Ex- long-time employee Mike Moehnke as sales and market- change’s (LME) Copper Committee. Higgins has 40 years ing director. Moehnke started his Columbia Steel career in the metals industry, including nearly 30 years with as product engineer, quickly worked his way up to engi- Freeport. He currently serves as chairman of The Copper neering manager and then spent his last nine years as Steve Higgins Club Board of Directors. Beginning in 2019, he assumed the district manager. He then spent seven years as vice expanded management responsibilities for administra- president of engineering and sales at VR Steel. tion within FCX and has played a significant role in supporting the company’s Mike Moehnke response to COVID-19. Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology appointed Ville Keinänen as new business line manager, surface drills, Hycroft Mining Holding Corp. appointed Mike Eiselein to USA. He has been at Sandvik since 2007, where he has the position of vice president, general manager, of the Hy- been responsible for service, aftermarket, territory and croft mine. At Newmont Mining Corp., Eiselein led the pro- general management. cess and metallurgical departments at the Cripple Creek & Victor mine and was also director of full potential main- Eriez Executive Vice President and tenance and reliability for Newmont’s Nevada operations. Chief Marketing OfficerCharlie In- Ville Keinänen Effective upon Eiselein’s appointment, Larry Giegerich will gram will retire at the end of 2020. Ingram joined Eriez in Mike Eiselein step down from his role as vice president, general manager. 1994 as national sales manager, rising to vice president of sales and marketing in 2004. Bunker Hill Mining appointed James Stonehouse as vice president of exploration. Previously, he was the vice pres- After 16 years with the Stedman Ma- ident of exploration at Americas Gold and Silver Corp. The Charlie Ingram chine Co., Chris Nawalaniec becomes company also appointed Cassandra Joseph to its board president. Nawalaniec, formally executive vice president, of directors. Also, John Ryan has retired from the board takes over from Dennis Gilmour after 42 years of lead- after having served as a director since 2016 and previ- ership. Nawalaniec began October 2004 as the national ously as CEO. Joseph is currently senior vice president, sales manager in the Unit Sales Department then subse- general counsel and corporate secretary for Nevada Cop- quently promoted to vice president of sales and marketing. Chris Nawalaniec Cassandra Joseph per, having previously been associate general counsel for Tahoe Resources until it was acquired by Pan American The ACG and its board of management announced the Silver Corp. in 2019. passing of ACG founding Director Richard Jewell. Jewell was responsible in 1984 for establishing the Geomechan- Bardoc Gold Ltd. announced two se- ics Group within the UWA Department of Civil Engineering nior appointments to its management and then subsequently, in 1992, the ACG of which he was team. Andrew Francis, who previous- director until 2000. He worked predominantly in the area ly oversaw the prefeasibility study of mine tailings and paste and thickened tailings. Jewell on the Bardoc Project, has been ap- Richard Jewell continued his involvement with the ACG until 2018 as co- pointed to the expanded role of COO. chair of the ACG’s International Conference series Paste He previously worked in technical and and Thickened Tailings. He was co-editor of the three editions of the ACG Andrew Francis Mark Roberts management roles within Northern handbooks of Paste & Thickened Tailings – A Guide. Star Resources and has also held senior and management roles with companies such as The founder and former CEO of Murray Energy Corp. Robert E. “Bob” Mur- Barrick, Byrnecut, Entech, MMG and Gold Fields. Mark ray died on Sunday, October 25, less than a week after Roberts will also join the Bardoc team as project manag- announcing his retirement from American Consolidated er. Roberts was previously a senior process engineer with Natural Resources (ACNR), the entity that was formed GR Engineering Services Ltd. following Murray Energy’s emergence from bankruptcy in mid-September. He was chairman of the board for di- McEwen Mining Inc. appointed Anna Ladd-Kruger as rectors for ACNR. Murray began his more than 60-year CFO. Most recently, she was the CFO and vice president career as a coal miner at North American Coal Corp., ul- of corporate development at Excellon Resources Inc. She timately serving as president and CEO before founding Anna Ladd-Kruger was also the CFO of Trevali Mining Corp. Robert E. “Bob” Murray Murray Energy Corp.

10 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com C

CMY

K REGIONAL NEWS - AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA Argyle Diamond Mine Operations Wind Down

conducted a detailed assessment of the infrastructure and established a recom- missioning plan that should see the facility ready to accept iron ore haulage trucks in December, according to the company. Fenix said it is working closely with the Midwest Ports Authority to execute the port services and port lease agreements, now that it has secured a port storage and trucking unloading solution at the Geraldton Port. “We believe that we have secured a strategic asset that should facilitate the timely development of the Iron Ridge project by gaining access to bulk export facility,” Fenix Managing Director Rob Brierley said. “We look forward to fostering our An LHD exits the Argyle mine portal, which can trace its roots back 37 years. strong relationship with Sinosteel further.” SMC owns the Weld Range Iron Ore After 37 years of operations and having mine and the production of some of the project, which is adjacent to Fenix’s Iron exhausted its economic reserves, the finest diamonds the world has ever seen.” Ridge Project. In addition to the port in- iconic Argyle mine in the remote east The Argyle ore body, a single pipe frastructure acquisition, SMC and Fenix Kimberley region of Western Australia has known as AK1, was discovered in October have reached agreement to cooperate celebrated its final day of mining. Argyle 1979. Alluvial operations began in 1983, on commercial terms to ensure the Iron employees, traditional owners and local open-pit mining began in 1985, and the Ridge project has the necessary area to stakeholders attended an event at the mine became a fully underground oper- fit all of its infrastructure during the eco- mine, signaling the formal transition from ation in 2013. Over this period of time, nomic life of the Iron Ridge Project. an operational mine to the commence- the mine has produced more than 865 ment of closure. The closure process is million carats of rough diamonds, becom- Processing Modifications expected to five years to decommission ing the world’s largest producer of colored Pay Dividends for Hellyer and dismantle the mine and undertake re- diamonds and virtually the sole source of NQ Minerals reported that processing habilitation, followed by a further period a very small but consistent source of rare circuit modifications at its Hellyer op- of monitoring. Argyle will employ a small- pink diamonds. erations are continuing according to er workforce post the final mining and dia- “This is an historic day for the Argyle plan, and production rates have been mond production activities, continuing to mine and the east Kimberley region and increased further to 165 metric tons per contribute to the local economy. a great source of pride for this unique hour (mt/h) as of the end of September. “Fifty years ago, there were very few Australian success story,” Argyle Mine “We are continuing to see much improved people who believed there were diamonds General Manager Andrew Wilson said. “A production and revenue performances in Australia — even fewer could have new chapter will now begin as we start the from NQ’s flagship Hellyer polymetallic foreseen how the Argyle story would un- process of respectfully closing the Argyle operations in Tasmania, Australia,” said fold,” Rio Tinto Chief Executive of Copper mine and rehabilitating the land, to be NQ Minerals Executive Chairman David and Diamonds Arnaud Soirat said. “To handed back to its traditional custodians.” Lenigas. “The efforts being exerted by arrive at this final chapter has required vi- our dedicated management and staff are sion, courage and determination to over- Fenix Purchases Port producing very significant leaps forward come significant challenges to enter new Infrastructure with respect to the way Hellyer performs. territory in diamond exploration, mining Australian iron ore junior Fenix Resources Our Hellyer focus for this coming quarter and marketing. is buying the iron ore storage shed, and the is targeted toward furthering our plant “Today, Argyle’s influence stretches truck unloading and conveyor systems lo- output initiatives.” into many spheres and over many conti- cated at the Geraldton Port in Western Aus- The company is finalizing designs and nents and I am very proud to acknowledge tralia from Sinosteel Midwest Corp. (SMC) operational procedures to further increase all those people who have contributed to for $1 million. The purchase is on an as-is, production to 180 mt/h, which would the discovery and development of the where-is basis, with Fenix having already equate to roughly 1.5 million mt/y.

12 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com MARCH 14-17, 2021

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Strategies for Improving Operations. Presentations Include: • Operating Approaches • Safety & Training • Reducing Costs • Maintenance Strategies • Technology & Information Management

haulageandloading.com REGIONAL NEWS - LATIN AMERICA Minera Alamos Will Speed Up Cerro de Oro Development

Minera Alamos Inc. announced it is fast- claims as well as significant areas of sur- according to the company. It has initi- tracking development activities at the Cer- rounding land that are under consider- ated a new program of metallurgical ro de Oro gold project in Zacatecas, Mex- ation for both resource expansion activi- studies to provide additional details ico. It has completed its internal evalua- ties and the construction of heap- leach prior to the completion of final engineer- tion of historical information and is in the gold recovery facilities. ing designs. process of finalizing an inaugural resource Plans are under way for a hydrogeolog- Although the majority of the metallur- estimate for the project in the coming ical survey of the concession to prioritize gical work completed to date has focused weeks. An updated geological model for locations for process water access. on the oxide mineralization in the Cerro the project is being prepared, which will “In just a few short months since the de Oro deposit, the results from a limited act as the basis for a drill program focused Cerro de Oro acquisition, we have rapid- number of mixed oxide/sulphide transi- on zones of potential resource expansion ly advanced the project on a number of tion samples did not appear significantly and to confirm the suitability of proposed parallel fronts,” CEO Darren Koningen different than what was observed with the locations for heap leach pads and ponds. said. “All indications to date support our oxide material, the company said. Metallurgical testwork demonstrated belief that the deposit is an ideal proj- The company said upcoming metal- the amenability of oxide mineralization to ect for the design and development of lurgical program planned for the project gold recovery via cyanidation and that po- another low-capital intensity heap-leach aims to confirm the results from previous tential also exists for recovery from transi- operation to expand the company’s future studies and to further optimize the pa- tion/sulphide mineralization. growth potential.” rameters to be utilized for construction of The company said basic engineering The majority of the metallurgical a heap-leach gold facility at the project. for the permitting of a heap-leach gold testwork completed on samples from This will include coarse bottle leach recovery facility is under way with a tar- the Cerro de Oro project was perform- optimization studies to evaluate crush get to submit permit applications for the ed during 2017 to 2019. Data from size/gold recovery relationships; leach project in early 2021. this preliminary work is being uti- studies to specifically examine areas of A new detailed topographic survey lized as a starting basis for engineering mineralization associated with reduced has been completed that covers the core designs that are currently under way, host rock permeability and elevated copper contents; sulphide mineralization leach studies; hardness/abrasivity studies for major rock lithologies; and rock density determinations for different lithologies within the deposit. Agnico Eagle Mines, Newmont Team Up for Colombian Gold Exploration Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (AEM) has formed an exploration joint venture (JV in Colombia with Newmont Corp. The 50/50 JV, which will be operated by Ag- nico Eagle, will explore the Anza project and seek other prospective gold targets of district-scale potential in Colombia. “The Anza project is well located within the Mid-Cauca belt in Colombia, which hosts several world-class gold deposits,” Agnico Eagle Senior Vice President of Ex- ploration Guy Gosselin said. “Historical work on the project indicates the potential for various styles of mineralization, including porphyry, epithermal and VMS.” Gosselin added that the company has been looking in the area for a while and The Cerro de Oro project could soon become the newest heap-leach gold mine in Zacatecas, Mexico. this “low-cost entry” is consistent with the

14 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com REGIONAL NEWS - LATIN AMERICA

operators and maintainers, we are solving Fresnillo expects to process an average them,” said Eduardo Morín, superinten- of 16,000 mt per month of mineralized dent of the SPMFC of the Andina Divi- material from the joint venture through its sion. “We knew the transformation was processing facility to mid-2021, at which possible and it required some modifica- time the Juanicipio beneficiation plant is tions to address problems.” scheduled for commissioning. Development continues on site and MAG Silver Announces First the final preparation of the first produc- Production From Juanicipio tion stope was concluded during the third Development material from the Juani- quarter. Also during the quarter, progress cipio project, a joint venture between was achieved on the construction of the Fresnillo plc and MAG Silver Corp., com- Juanicipio processing plant. menced processing at the Fresnillo beneficiation plant during the quarter end- Four Points Will Become ed September 30. During the quarter, Soma Gold Subsidiary 42,476 metric tons (mt) were processed, Soma Gold Corp. has entered into an The Anza project is located within Colombia’s Mid-Cauca gold belt. with total production of 394,000 silver agreement with two Mineral FF SAS and ounces (oz), 610 gold oz, 138 mt of lead Rulvix Holding Inc. to purchase 25,992 company’s exploration strategy and exist- and 174 mt of zinc. common shares in Four Points Mining ing investment in Royal Road Minerals. This first development material was SAS. As a result of the agreement, Four The Anza project is a gold exploration processed through the nearby Fresnillo Points will become a 100% owned sub- project, comprising exploration contracts processing plant with the lead and zinc sidiary of Soma. Four Points is the own- and applications totaling approximately concentrates treated at market terms un- er and operator of the El Limon mine in 200 km2 located in the Mid-Cauca belt der off-take agreements with Met-Mex Antioquia, Colombia. Soma currently in Colombia. The project is 50 kilometers Peñoles in Mexico. The revenue from holds approximately 88.1% of the is- (km) west of Medellin and 60 km south this production, net of processing and sued and outstanding common shares from Zijin Mining’s Buritica operation. treatment costs, will be used by the joint of Four Points. Newmont previously announced an explo- venture to offset cash requirements of the “Now that Soma will own 100% of ration agreement with Orosur Mining with initial project capital. Four Points, Soma can integrate oper- respect to the Anza project in 2018. “This first production from Juanicipio ations at El Limon and El Bagre owned Agnico Eagle will solely fund the JV is a major milestone for the company,” by Soma’s other wholly-owned subsidiary, until expenditures equal Newmont’s pre- MAG Silver President and CEO George Operadora Mineras SAS,” Soma Execu- vious investment in the Anza project, Paspalas said. “The successful process- tive Chairman Geoff Hampson said. “The approximately $2.9 million, which is ing of development material not only two properties and mills are on contigu- expected to be achieved in the next 12 provides cash flow to offset capex, but ous properties, and management feels months. Thereafter, the parties will con- further de-risks the project as it heads that there is a good chance that the min- tinue funding on a 50/50 basis. toward commercial production. eralized trend crosses from one property “We are looking forward to the first to the other.” Andina Sees Significant production stope coming online in Q4 Integrating the two companies will Results From Processing 2020, and our potential to continue to allow Soma to obtain synergies from Modifications produce cash whilst we complete the pro- operating in Colombia as one wholly- Improvements in operational routines, cess plant construction.” owned subsidiary, he added. maintenance, reportability and coordi- nated teamwork have resulted in significant improvements in the results of the Molybdenum and Copper Filtration Plant (SPMFC) of Codelco’s Andina Division, according to the company. Last July, the area began a comprehensive review of its processes, in order to identify and solve the problems that affected its performance. The availability of conventional filter- ing was increased considerably as well as the effective treatment, generating a production increase of 60%, reaching 18,352 metric tons (mt) of fine copper. “The problems were highlighted and in an integral way between supervisors, Socially-distanced, Andina millworkers celebrate the improvements at their filtration plant.

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 15 REGIONAL NEWS - ASIA Polyus Reports Maiden Reserve Estimate for Sukhoi Log Gold Project

Oceanagold Lays Off First Round of Employees at Didipio OceanaGold Corp. has implemented the permanent layoff of 496 OceanaGold (Philippines) Inc. (OGPI) employees. The employees are predominantly from local communities in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino. Along with the termination of direct employees, approximately 400 people working with contractors are also impacted. The company said it may be required to implement a second round of permanent layoffs in mid-November and has provided notices to affected employees. “Today is a sad day for the company and for the many hundreds of workers and their families whose livelihoods have been impacted by the local government blockade of the public road pending the FTAA renewal, which has constrained our ability to continue operations over the past 15 months,” OceanaGold Pres- ident and CEO Michael Holmes said. In-fill drilling continues to further define the massive Sukhoi Log gold deposit. “The company has actively participated in community-led dialogue supported by Russian gold miner PJSC Polyus report- The estimated mineral resources for the majority of the village and municipal ed a maiden ore reserve estimate for Sukhoi Log stand at 1.11 billion mt, governments, along with the majority of its Sukhoi Log project at 540 million with an average grade of 1.9 g/mt Au local residents in Didipio.” metric ton (mt) with an average grade and containing 67 million oz of gold Despite these efforts, OceanaGold of 2.3 grams per mt of gold and con- as of May 31. An exploration drilling said a small group of local leaders have taining 40 million ounces (oz) of gold program throughout 2019 enabled an refused to consider access arrange- as of May 31. This estimate ranks Suk- increase of the estimated indicated ments that would have preserved jobs. hoi Log as the largest gold deposit both mineral resource by 18 million oz to 46 “The FTAA renewal remains with the among greenfield assets and operating million oz of gold. Office of the President for decision,” gold mines, according to the company. Polyus continues in-fill drilling cam- the company said. “We continue to en- This 2020 Sukhoi Log ore reserve paigns. This drilling is designed to im- gage with the national government who estimate is based on the 2019 miner- prove the confidence of inferred miner- express their support and endorsement al resource model as well as a number of al resources and will allow the com- of the renewal.” studies and additional mine planning ac- pany to better define the gold mineral- The company said it would work tivities undertaken by AMC Consultants. ization within the future pit area, where quickly to rehire workers and restart op- “The publication of the maiden Ore Polyus said it expects to carry out min- erations should the FTA be renewed or Reserve estimate represents a signifi- ing activities during the first years of blockade lifted. cant milestone for Polyus’ long-term de- Sukhoi Log’s operations. The company velopment strategy, and confirms Suk- is also proceeding with further geotech- India Plans Maiden Foray hoi Log’s position as one of the world’s nical drilling. Into Potash Mining highest-caliber gold deposits,” Polyus “We continue to focus on the next By Ajoy K. Das CEO Pavel Grachev said. stages of the project’s development,” India has started laying down a road- The addition of 40 million oz of gold, Grachev said. “We expect to provide map to make a maiden foray into potash secures Polyus’ top-2 position among the next update on Sukhoi Log later in mining, marking a small step in reduc- the world’s largest gold mining compa- 2020, with the announcement of the ing its 100% import dependency on nies by attributable reserves. prefeasibility study results.” this critical fertilizer mineral.

16 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com REGIONAL NEWS - ASIA

Strangely, the desert state of Rajas- Preserving Federal Mineral Access NEWS - LETTER TO THE EDITOR than has estimated potash reserves of By Daniel Jorjani 2.4 billion ton or about 90% of total I’ve noticed a tendency over the years I’ve minerals, increase exploration and min- domestic estimated reserves but the served at the Department of the Interior. ing activities, and streamline leasing and country has no mining project for ex- Former mining towns — which can trace permitting processes to expedite, among traction of the fertilizer mineral and is much of their wealth and land ownership other things, the exploration, production completely dependent on imports of the to the 1872 Mining Law making certain and processing of critical minerals. input for domestic production of potas- federal lands available for mining — balk- Of course, citizens are right to pay sic fertilizers. ing at nearby mine operations and adopt- attention to the natural environment and However, this is slated to change ing a “not in my back yard” posture to halt to the effects mining can have on the with a Memorandum of Understanding those activities through lawsuits, implicitly landscape, vegetation, wildlife and rec- (MoU) between Rajasthan State Mineral but necessarily, working to shift those op- reation. The government rightfully pros- and Mining Ltd. (RSMML) and govern- erations to someone else’s neighborhood. ecutes abuses of the laws that govern ment-owned Mineral Exploration Corp. This tactic is familiar: proponents of mining and protect our environment from Ltd. (MECL) to undertake a feasibility changing a law do not succeed in accom- unnecessary harm. But in this case, the report of mining potash at the Satipura plishing their goal through the representa- aversion to local mining is not supported block with estimated reserves of 133 tive democracy process and — having failed by the facts. million tons. to persuade legislators to change the law — The United States has a multitude of While the state government has not the advocates turn to the judicial branch to federal environmental laws that provide yet made a final decision, the option to try to gut the offending law. In context of transparency and protection for Ameri- put the block up for auction after com- the Mining Law, the town attempts to radi- cans. These include the Clean Air Act, the pletion of the feasibility report followed cally revise a 150-year-old grant of rights by Clean Water Act and the National Envi- by the technoeconomic viability report, reversing the department’s straightforward ronmental Policy Act, to name just a few. was on the table, according to a govern- application of that law. These laws help federal, state, and local ment official. There is nothing illegitimate about regulators address environmental con- Satipura was a deep-seated block asking courts to settle legal disputes, and cerns and minimize impacts of concern. with extractable potash at depths statutes have no doubt been subjected It’s not a coincidence that there have ranging 450-700 meters and miner- to flawed interpretations that judicial re- been no Superfund sites associated with al content of around 4%-5%. But the view can highlight and resolve. But in this mining operations under the Mining Law low mineral content could be offset in case, the proponents of reinterpretation since the Bureau of Land Management terms of viability through simultane- are not simply petitioning the courts to began regulating them in 1980. ous extraction of other embedded settle a legal dispute, they are attempting Congress can and has considered re- minerals like industrial salt and poly- to subvert the Mining Law’s longstand- forms to the 1872 Mining Law, but this vinyl chloride. ing grant of rights to use open lands to administration is acting within the scope The significance of the country’s for- develop minerals. And what happens if of its authority under that law to safely ay into potash mining can be gauged such arguments win the day and mining and effectively advance the production of against it importing its entire require- operations cease to exist on our federal minerals domestically, as a good steward ment for potassic fertilizer production lands here in the United States? Mining of federal resources and a good neighbor of 4 million tons of potash annually. But doesn’t stop, of course, it simply moves enforcing strong regulatory controls. India’s imports in the global trade of the somewhere else. That’s bad for the en- I am therefore pleased that the Depart- mineral is around 7% compared to Chi- vironment. Unlike many other countries, ment of the Interior Solicitor’s office is able na accounting for 20% of total global the United States has strong environmen- to further the administration’s goals with share. China sets the benchmark inter- tal laws enforced at multiple levels of gov- its August 17 issuance of a legal opinion national price, which Indian importers ernment. Moving mineral development (M-37057) that builds on prior analyses of have to pay, thereby increasing the do- abroad also leads to the loss of associated the Mining Law and clarifies the legal prin- mestic price of the fertilizer. American jobs, where employees are pro- ciples that support the department’s long- A major source of Indian potash im- tected by robust labor laws. standing application of that law. The op- ports is from ICL Group, Israel, the sixth We know that mining and its associat- portunity for citizens to access and use our largest potash producer in the world ed employment will move abroad because country’s public lands to develop minerals with a supply contract for 410,000 mt we simply cannot live without mineral has contributed to America’s progress and signed in May 2020 for shipment be- production. Minerals produced under the historical innovation. I am hopeful that our tween June-December 2020. Mining Law include, among many others, work at the Solicitor’s Office will reaffirm In the same month, India also con- copper, silver, gold, lead, zinc, molybde- and advance the department’s commit- cluded a supply contract with world’s num and uranium. The United States is ment to protecting and managing the na- largest producer, Urakali for inward already import-reliant for 31 out of 35 tion’s natural resources for the benefit of shipment of undisclosed tonnage at critical minerals. the American people. around $230 per ton CFR, and about President Donald Trump and his ad- $10 per ton higher than import con- ministration are working to encourage the Daniel Jorjani is solicitor of the U.S. tracts concluded by China. identification of new sources of critical Department of the Interior.

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 17 REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA Recurring Theme of Optimism at Annual Jo’burg Indaba Symposium

By Gavin du Venage Eskom CEO André de Ruyter outlined The South African mining industry is re- a strategy he said will have blackouts turning to form as COVID-19 retreats and largely eliminated by late next year. Es- policy changes open the sector up again. kom has begun the midlife refurbishment The annual Jo’burg Indaba sympo- of its ageing fleet, most of which should sium, held in Johannesburg, revealed have been done years ago. a steadily growing optimism that the He reiterated what Mokoena said earlier, long-neglected sector was in recovery. that coal would remain part of South Afri- The Jo’burg Indaba — not related to ca’s energy mix for many years to come. the rival Mining in Africa Indaba held in “The goal is for a just transition to low Cape Town — brought together industry carbon future,” he said. “The emphasis leaders for two days of video discussion is on ‘just,’ as we can’t simply transition in October. The overall theme was an in- away from coal and leave those communi- creasing optimism that government and Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani tells the Jo’burg ties dependent on it in the lurch.” Indaba he remains optimistic about South Africa’s mining Tenders had already been issued for miners were bringing the local industry future. (Photo: Anglo American) back to form. 250 million metric tons (mt) of coal over “One of the unique features of this Thabo Mokoena, director general of the next 20 years. Mining companies event is that it is focused and intimate,” the Department of Mineral Resources were also invited in new mines, with Es- convener Bernard Swanepoel said. A for- and Energy, built on this theme, noting kom as their major client. mer miner himself — he once held the that electricity outages had been a se- In the meantime, Eskom will also con- CEO position at Harmony Gold — Swane- vere hindrance to the industry. “When struct a series of conveyer belts to con- poel promised an event full of “blunt the supply of electricity is unreliable, in- nect mines with the coal power plants. talk” from industry leaders, with no side vestment in extraction becomes a chal- Most of the existing fleet have already ex- events or “PR spin.” lenge,” Mokoena said. hausted their nearby resources, and now Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani The government recently deregulat- rely on mines up to 40 kilometers away. kicked off the event by laying out the ed self-generation of under 1 megawatt Eskom has been relying on trucks, urgent need for policy change, a theme (MW), which meant private providers which clog up the roads. The trucking fleet he acknowledged has existed for the past could now generate their own electricity to has also been linked to shady contracts, decade at least. The industry had been that level, without requiring any permits. and the utility has begun to undo years of calling for a reset for some time without Additionally, around 11,000 MW were corruption under previous managers. effect, but “this time, it feels different.” being procured from a range of sources, Since de Ruyter’s appointment, crim- “We spent much of the past 10 years including wind, gas and solar. Crucially, inal charges have been filed against a trying desperately to navigate ourselves coal would remain part of South Africa’s dozen former board members. “And out of an uncertain and unworkable pol- energy mix for some time to come. fair warning, we will continue to take ac- icy environment,” he said. As a result, The government was especially eager tion against those who seek to take ad- production remained at the same levels to develop “clean coal” technology. vantage of Eskom through corruption,” as the early 2000s, investment stagnat- “It can’t be completely clean, but can he added. ed, and South Africa consistently ranked be improved through technology,” Mokoe- in the lower half for attractiveness to na said. “We don’t want to neutralize our Go North mining companies. coal resource.” The Northern Cape province situated on However, the government had begun His department was also working on the the upper west of the country, enjoyed to talk to the miners and was winding speeding up of issuing exploration and oth- special attention during the Indaba. back on policy obstacles, such as its pre- er permits. “We will prioritize shovel-ready Historically, the region is known for dia- vious insistence that black shareholders investments with permitting issuing.” monds, iron ore and more recently, zinc. had to be a permanent feature of mining Yet, recent exploration showed it had the companies. The state had also begun to Energy Issues potential for much more. reverse the catastrophic decline in cru- Energy remains a burning topic for the local “The Northern Cape is a dripping roast cial sectors, such as national rail operator mining industry. Local utilities are heavily for miners,” said Errol Smart, CEO of Ori- Transnet, and electricity supplier Eskom. reliant on coal that in turn underpins coal on Minerals, a junior explorer operating in “I think we have more reason to be- mining and mines themselves have strug- the area. So far, 23 minerals of interest lieve in the success of the mining indus- gled to overcome constant power outages, a had been identified, including iron ore, try, than not,” Cutifani said. result of the troubles besetting Eskom. platinum and nickel.

18 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA

The area hasn’t been explored since the 1980s. “It’s an extremely promising environment, which hasn’t been touched by modern exploration technology,” Smart said. So promising is the Northern Cape that the state body Council for Geosci- ence has made the region its priority, said CEO Mosa Mabuza. ‘We’ve dedicated the lion’s share of our resources to the Northern Cape,” he said. “We’re finding interesting anomalies of nickel, chrome and cobalt. And huge traces of lithium.” A final word came from the doyen of South African mining, Sir Mick Davis. He In early September, Endeavour awards the Boungou mining contract to SFTP Mining, a West African mining contractor. was central to the creation of titans of global mining such as BHP Billiton (now occurred near the mine, including an at- Karma mine. SFTP immediately began to just BHP), Xstrata and a former executive tack on a convoy carrying employees that mobilize mining equipment and person- at Eskom. killed 39 people. nel and, to accelerate the restart, SFTP Davis noted that mining companies In addition, Endeavour confirmed po- purchased a portion of the on-site fleet learned from their mistake of over-investing tential annual synergies of $35 million to from the previous contractor. The mobi- during the previous commodities supercy- $40 million during its SEMAFO integra- lization of the remaining equipment is cle. Many companies over capitalized and tion process. Endeavour acquired all of expected to be completed in the coming when the boom ended, found themselves the issued and outstanding securities of weeks. The Boungou mine and SFTP have with projects that had no customers. SEMAFO back in July. prioritized local recruitment for the oper- Now, companies prioritized returning The identified synergies are in the ar- ations, with training currently in prog- capital to shareholders and were skittish eas of procurement and supply chain op- ress. The mine will employ approximately about investing in exploration and new timization, corporate and in-country G&A 1,100 people, including subcontractors. projects. This, he said, would eventually savings, centralization of technical ser- During the fourth quarter of 2020, come back to bite them. vices and functions across the group. It mining activities are expected to focus “Every single day that they take some- is estimated that 60% of these synergies on the West pits, while preparing the East thing out of the ground, that value disap- will be progressively unlocked by year end pit for grade-control drilling in 2021. pears forever, and unless you do something 2020 and the remaining next year, ac- Mining, drilling, and blasting activities to replace that value, you are going to end cording to the company. are expected to continue to ramp up in up withering and dying,” Davis said. “We are pleased to have restarted the coming weeks to reach the contracted He pointed to Rand Mines, once one mining operations at Boungou, which amount of approximately 2 million metric of the largest gold producers in South Af- marks a significant milestone in the in- tons to 2.3 million mt per month. rica, as an example. The company with- tegration process,” Endeavour President The Boungou mine is now expected to ered and died because of the absence of and CEO Sébastien de Montessus said. achieve the top half of its 2020 produc- investment in rebuilding and recreating “The newly acquired assets are now well tion guidance of 130,000-150,000 oz at value. Executives were always under pres- embedded into our West African operat- an AISC of $680-725/oz due to the addi- sure to pay dividends. ing model, which is centered on an agile tion of high-grade mill feed from freshly “But the bigger challenge is that min- and streamlined management approach, mined ore. ing companies have always been accused based on empowered decision making at Exploration activities are expected to of excessive investment and destroying the mine level with shared regional sup- resume in the fourth quarter of 2020, tar- capital, and it is true that that is what has port functions. geting near-mill targets. happened, over many years,” he said. The Boungou plant has been pro- As part of the restart plan, Endeavour, cessing stockpiles since early 2020. in close partnership with the Burkinabe Endeavour Restarts Following the acquisition, Endeavour government, has implemented a compre- Boungou Mine has implemented a range of infrastruc- hensive security plan, which includes a Endeavour Mining successfully restarted ture improvements and new security dedicated unit assigned to work with En- mining operations at its Boungou mine in and operating procedures for the mining deavour to ensure the overall security of Burkina Faso, following the mobilization restart program. the mine and the region. of the West African mining contractor and As announced in early September, Security improvements at Boungou completion of infrastructure and operat- Endeavour awarded the mining contract conducted by Endeavour include up- ing improvements. The mine was shut to SFTP Mining BF SARL (SFTP), a West graded site infrastructure, detailed site down by former owner, SEMAFO, in No- African mining contractor, who also pro- vember 2019 after several fatal incidents vides mining services at Endeavour’s (Continued on p. 21)

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 19 NEWS - THIS MONTH IN COAL Thiess Secures $79M Caval Ridge Extension

well as Datang International Power Gen- eration Co., Huadian Power International, and Zhejiang Electric Power Co. Ltd. CIL Plans to Achieve 1B Ton Production Target By Ajoy K. Das India’s state-owned Coal India Ltd. (CIL) has firmed up major investments between the current fiscal year and 2023-2024 across 500 projects to achieve a production target of 1 billion metric tons per year (mtpy). During 2019-2020, CIL notched coal production of 602 million mt. Providing a breakdown of the mega in- Thiess will continue to operate and maintain three 600-mt excavator fleets at the Caval Ridge mine (above) to move vestments over the next four fiscal years, additional overburden. (Photo: BMA) the Ministry of Coal said $4.5 billion would Mining contractor Thiess recently signed services. The move comes amid ongoing be riding on construction of coal handling a 12-month contract extension with BHP tensions in the relationship between Chi- infrastructure across its mines, $3.4 bil- Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) to operate its na and Australia and reportedly affects lion on mine infrastructure and $4 billion Caval Ridge mine in Queensland, Austra- both thermal and coking coal. on project development, assuming current lia. The contract, valued at A$110 million The trade minister, Simon Birming- exchange rate of INR 73 to a US dollar. ($79 million), calls for Thiess to continue ham, said the government was aware of Additional investments would include to operate and maintain three 600-met- the reports and was discussing the issue a spend of $4.4 billion on diversification ric-ton (mt) excavator fleets to move ad- with Australia’s resources industry, which and clean technologies like coal-to-meth- ditional overburden for the Caval Ridge. had “previously faced occasional disrup- anol projects, solar power, $259 million “This contract extension builds on tions to trade flows with China.” on exploration of virgin coal blocks, and our relationship with BMA and reinforces The Minerals Council of Australia said $205 million on social infrastructure. our commitment to work with our clients it was also aware of the reports but played According to the minister of coal, the to safely position their operations for down any extended impacts, insisting the miner would invest an estimated $1.94 optimal efficiency, productivity and cost outlook for Australian coal remained pos- billion in two phases to construct 49 “first performance,” said CIMIC Group CEO itive in the medium term. mile” connectivity across its coal mines. Juan Santamaria. S&P Global Platts cited several un- This would be for transportation of coal CIMIC owns Thiess and is currently named sources as saying Chinese state- from pitheads to dispatch points and this considering a sale of 50% of the mining owned utilities and steel mills had received would ensure higher efficiencies in coal contractor. the verbal notice to cease the imports. handling enabling computer aided load- BMA is Australia’s largest coal produc- China has taken a range of actions ing replacing the existing dependency on er and supplier of seaborne metallurgical against Australian exporters this year, road transport involving manual loading. coal. BMA is owned 50:50 by BHP and including imposing prohibitive tariffs on Investments on construction of its own Mitsubishi Development. Caval Ridge barley, suspending imports from five red railway infrastructure and logistical han- achieved a record annual production of meat processing plants and launching dling equipment would involve addition- 4.35 million metric tons (mt) in fiscal two trade investigations into wine. al investment of $178 million and $92 year 2020, compared to 3.97 million mt Government figures show Australia million in procuring its own freight wagon in fiscal year 2019. exported $7.3 billion of coal to China in thereby reducing dependency on state The Thiess contract extension for the first six months of this year, up 8% transporter Indian Railways in allocating overburden removal will commence in compared with the same period last year. wagons at pitheads. December. The value of Australian exports of iron CIL has identified a total of 15 green- ore and concentrates to China rose 16% field coal blocks for development through China Orders Stoppage of to $43 billion. mine developer operators (MDOs) to re- Imports of Australian Coal According to S&P Global Platts, the duce imports of dry fuel into the compa- China’s customs authorities have told sev- entities told to cease importing Australian ny. Total investments in developing these eral Chinese state-owned steelmakers and coal included Huaneng Power Interna- blocks has been estimated at $4.7 billion power plants to stop importing Australian tional, which describes itself as one of the of which its own contribution to the in- coal, according to two industry newswire largest listed power producers in China, as vestment would be around $2.3 billion.

20 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com NEWS - CONTINUED

(Regional News-Africa - from p. 19) inantly Congolese management team in Theta Gold Mines Expedites line with our policy of employing and ad- Approval of EA security plans, and an improved ap- vancing host country nationals.” The South African Department of Min- proach to the movement of employees, Bristow said brownfields exploration eral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has supplies and material. Endeavour also was extending Kibali’s life by replacing informed Theta Gold Mines Ltd. of its completed the construction of an air- reserves depleted by mining. Barrick’s ex- support for the application to amend strip to fly staff from Ouagadougou and ploration teams are also hunting for the Mining Right 83 (MR83) to also permit Fada to site. next Kibali elsewhere in the Congo. open-pit mining. MR83 is an approved On-site employee housing has also During the past quarter, battery tech- and executed mining right and has an been expanded to accommodate all local nology was successfully integrated into approved environmental authorization and expatriate employees within the site the Kibali power grid to augment the (EA) for underground mining activities, security perimeter during their rotation. mine’s three hydropower stations and as well as approval for processing of ore Endeavour has contracted a local com- offset the cyclical load of the winder. In and deposition of residues onto an exist- pany to improve the maintenance of the line with Barrick’s global move to cleaner ing tailings dam. roads, particularly during the rainy season. energy sources, the new technology will In a letter on October 26, the DMRE further reduce the mine’s carbon footprint confirmed the application for EA to per- Kibali is Expected to Deliver and use of thermal power. mit open-pit mining on MR83 is being on 2020 Guidance Following a meeting with President reviewed and the record of decision Barrick Gold Corporation’s Kibali mine is Félix Tshisekedi, Bristow said they agreed should be finalized on or before the end on track to deliver at the upper end of that Kibali created a thriving local econo- of November. its 2020 guidance, President and Chief my to what was previously one of the most The DMRE acknowledged and said it Executive Mark Bristow said. deprived regions in the Congo. appreciatd the progress Theta Gold has Kibali was the first underground gold “The continuing paved extension to made in relation to its mining investment, mine in the Democratic Republic of the Durba road will provide construction which has potential benefits to the South the Congo and one of the largest in the work for local contractors for the next African economy and the local municipal world. It is a global leader in automation three years,” he said. “Community sup- area in particular. The DMRE noted that and continues to improve efficiency and port continues to be reinforced through the mining sector has been identified productivity through ongoing technolog- other initiatives such as the Renzi agri- as one of the most important catalyst to ical innovation. In the third quarter, it business project and the planned palm stimulate economic growth in the country set a new ore delivery record from un- oil project.” post COVID-19. derground, exceeding nameplate for the The company is also committed to “We are pleased to receive the first time since the shaft was commis- upgrading the Kokiza Training Center for DMRE’s confirmation of support toward sioned in 2018. engineers scheduled to start later this our EA application for MR83 and its “Automation is often associated with year, he said. commitment for a decision by the end reduced employment, but we use it as an Additionally, utility buildings initially of November,” Theta Gold Chairman opportunity to further upskill our workers built as isolation wards during the Ebo- Bill Guy said. “Through the EA pro- and to reduce our need for expatriate spe- la outbreak and subsequently used as a cess, Theta Gold has implemented a cialists,” Bristow said. “It is worth noting quarantine center for COVID-19 cases positive and wholistic environmental that Kibali — one of Barrick’s elite corps will now be transitioned to a tropical dis- strategy that has gained traction with of Tier One mines — is led by a predom- ease center to serve local communities. local communities.”

NEWS - CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MARCH 1-5, 2021: SME Annual Conference & EXPO, (Virtual). Contact: MAY 4-6, 2021: US Coal Show/Longwall Edition, Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- Web: www.smeannualconference.com. vania, USA. Contact: Web: www.longwallusa.com.

MARCH 7-10, 2021: The annual meeting of the Prospectors & Devel- MAY 11-13, 2021: 14th International Gold, Silver and Copper Symposium, opers Association of Canada, (Virtual). Contact: Web: www.pdac.ca/ Lima, Peru. Contact: Web: simposium-del-oro.pe. convention/attendee-info/pdac-2021-convention-goes-virtual. MARCH 14-17, 2021: Haulage & Loading 2021, Hilton El Conquistador Re- JUNE 1-3, 2021: Euro Mine Expo, Kraft Center, Skelleftea, Sweden. sort, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Contact: Web: www.haulageandloading.com. Contact: Web: www.eurominexpo.com. APRIL 19-23, 2021: Expomin, Espacio Riesco, Santiago, Chile. Contact: JUNE 7-11, 2021: Elko Mining, Elko, Nevada, USA. Contact: Web: Web: www.expomin.cl. www.ExploreElko.com. MAY 4-6, 2021: Canadian Institute for Mining (CIM), Montreal, Quebec, SEPTEMBER 13-15, 2021: MINExpo INTERNATIONAL, Las Vegas, Nevada, Canada. Contact: Web: convention.cim.org. USA. Contact: Web: www.minexpo.com.

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 21 TAILINGS MANAGEMENT Tailings Engineers Wanted… Seven experts discuss how the mining industry can recruit, train and retain the tailings engineers it so desperately needs By Carly Leonida, European Editor

ate in-house engineer. The EOR/DOR is “expected to have a broad overview of all aspects of a tailings dam through its life stages from concept to closure.” Second, is a responsible tailings facility engineer (RTFE), a new role that will be held by a member of the operator team. An independent tailings review board (ITRB) and/or a senior independent technical reviewer are also needed to oversee design, construction and monitoring as dictated by the tailings facility consequence classification rating. The latter role must be “an independent professional with in-depth knowledge and at least 15 years’ experience in the field.” The standard also requires that TSF operators appoint an accountable executive within their management team. Although the appointee does not need to Qualified and experienced tailings engineers are vital for the safe design, construction and management of tailings be an engineer, it is reasonable to expect storage facilities. (Photo: Golder) that person to have understanding and It’s fair to say that the Brumadinho tail- It has been known for some time that experience in the field. ings dam collapse in January 2019 was qualified and experienced tailings engi- The stipulation for and emphasis on the straw that broke the mining industry’s neers are vital for the safe design, con- the importance of these roles can only back. Although shocking, in reality, it was struction and management of tailings be a good thing and, overall, the indus- the latest in a long line of tailings dam fail- storage facilities (TSFs). However, widely try has welcomed the standard with open ures that have occurred over the past 20 varying regulation of tailings practices arms. It is fully expected that uptake will years, and prior. Many of which, upon in- across the globe meant that, until recent- not be limited to ICMM’s member com- vestigation, were attributed to human error. ly, there was no way to ensure the provi- panies (operating about 1,200 or 30% In its Bulletin 121, published in sion of proper expertise at every site. of TSFs globally) for whom compliance 2001, the ICOLD [International Commis- Brumadinho changed this. The event will become mandatory in stages over sion on Large Dams] reviewed the case and its coverage in the media forced reg- the next five years. histories of 221 tailings dam failures and ulators, industry bodies and mining com- However, what if we don’t have enough found that, in most cases, “a general panies into swift action. The most notable engineers to fulfill those future require- lack of understanding of the features that move was the establishment of the Global ments? What if we barely have enough to control safe operation of tailings dams, Tailings Review led by the International fulfill our current tailings management with failures being caused by issues that Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM), the needs to the level required? should be managed by site personnel.” UN Environment Program and Principles The independent review panel that for Responsible Investment. Keeping Pace With Demand oversaw the investigation into the Mount The resulting Global Industry Stan- Marc Arpin, global manager of SNC- Polley dam breach in 2014 also stated in dard on Tailings Management (GISTM) Lavalin’s Sustainable Mining Group, is their report that “tailings dams are unfor- published in August 2020 was a mile- based in Montreal, Canada. A geologist giving systems, in terms of the number stone for the mining industry. by training, Arpin has worked 34 years in of things that need to go right. Their reli- The standard specifies the require- the mining industry, and he spoke about ability is contingent on consistently flaw- ment for four separate engineering posi- the increase in demand the company has less execution... in operational diligence tions: first, an engineer of record (EOR) seen recently for tailings related services. in monitoring... and in risk management or designer of record (DOR); roles held “Following Brumadinho, we imme- at every level. All of these activities are either by a senior practitioner at an inde- diately saw a change in awareness with subject to human error.” pendent engineering firm or an appropri- an increase in demand for professional

22 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com TAILINGS MANAGEMENT services related to the sound design and with greater frequency and at more sites, the technical causes of the Brumadinho management of TSFs,” he said. “There while needing to be independent from the failure and sits on a number of ITRBs for are some specialized services related to design engineer. The cumulative impact mines, including Escondida. TSFs, for example, EOR services, where is stretching an already constrained sup- “The widespread retrenchments and we noted an almost overnight increase in ply pool for appropriately skilled and ex- decline in mining industry recruitment demand. We’ve also seen a sharp rise in perienced tailings engineers.” since about 2010, the increasing un- demand for dam break analyses and seis- popularity of the industry, and recent mic stability analyses. Attracting Talent well-publicized and catastrophic tailings “The launch of the GISTM will have Chapman’s colleague, Andy Haynes, dam failures, have discouraged graduates a significant impact on how we approach leads Golder’s Mining Business in Can- from pursuing a career in mining, much tailings management, and the need for ada. He is a practicing tailings engineer less tailings management,” he said. TSF-related expertise is clearly on the up- and principal at the firm. “The intent of the GISTM will not be swing to respond to this.” “The industry is not motivating stu- realized without the availability and re- Carl Burkhalter, a geotechnical engi- dents to pursue mining, nor tailings, at cruitment of tailings expertise and interest. neer and partner at NewFields, who has the rate needed to meet the future de- Worse still, the ongoing unacceptable rate been practicing in mining for nearly 30 mand for suitably experienced skilled and impacts of tailings dam failures will not years, reported similar: “These recent professionals,” Haynes said. “Personally, abate and may even increase. This would failures have really woken up the mining I feel that responsible mining is critical to be catastrophic for the mining industry, and community, especially investors, to the support the efforts to reduce the contribu- for its role in the supply chain for the goods issues and the risks [associated with tail- tions to climate change, and to adapting people demand and aspire to globally.” ings management],” he said. “I’m glad the to a changing climate. Mining is, there- Arpin agreed: “In general, reputation standard got issued. I think it’s going to be fore, a critical environmental industry. I is something the mining industry needs a really positive thing for the industry.” believe this climate responsibility mes- to address because it is not attracting Prior to 2020, the mining industry sage needs to be reinforced so that a high- enough people. There is a lot to captivate was already facing significant compe- er proportion of students can feel that a both young and older employees in min- tition for skilled people in tailings con- career in mining is a valuable contribution ing, including more innovative technology sulting, both from mine owners and to being part of global climate solutions.” than one may think. Mining and mining from other sectors. However, with the Part of the challenge involves changing services companies could do a lot more to release of the GISTM, there has been a the way the mining industry, and especial- entice people into a mining-based career.” systematic increase in the number of ex- ly tailings management, are perceived by SNC-Lavalin has ties with numerous perienced people required from manage- young graduates. The engineering of facil- universities and research institutes and ment, design and site engineering roles ities that contain residues is, frankly, not has found those to be a successful means to operators on the ground. glamorous. However, it is a challenging of scouting and recruiting talent. David Brett, senior technical director and exciting field that offers the promise “We have among our staff many for- for Mine Waste and Water Management at of a long and rewarding career path; many mer postgraduates who were recommend- GHD, explained: “As an example, the posi- experts in this field have been practicing ed to us by professors and researchers, tion of EOR is now formally required by the for 40+ years with no plans yet to retire. and we also like to hire interns because GISTM. If there are an estimated 7,000 One such person is Professor David it’s a good way to expose future engineers operating tailings dams in the world and Williams, director of the Geotechnical to our tailings activities and to test their one senior engineer can effectively be EOR Engineering Centre at The University of interest and skills early in their career,” for four or five dams, we need 2,000 peo- Queensland and manager of the Large Arpin explained. “If they like the experi- ple just for that role. Then we also need Open Pit Project. Williams was a mem- ence, we may eventually hire them as per- the design teams, construction teams and ber of the expert panel that investigated manent employees, and may also support dam operations people… This becomes tens of thousands of skilled people.” Peter Chapman is a practicing tailings engineer based in Perth, Australia. He is a principal at Golder, an EOR at multiple sites and leads the company’s Global Tail- ings Technical Community. “Mining companies are seeking increasingly qualified tailings engineers for roles such as the RTFE,” he said. “Com- petence requirements have been formal- ized that define both the required skills and experience for EOR and RTFE roles, which constrains the available talent pool. Dam safety reviews and indepen- David Brett has been training tailings engineers and operators for over a decade, including overseeing a two-day dent review boards are also now required operator training course hosted by GHD and Water Training Australia. (Photo: GHD)

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 23 TAILINGS MANAGEMENT them during their postgraduate studies by “We need to encourage more stu- for the subject they will, eventually, re- keeping them as casual employees, and dents to pursue a career in tailings by tire. The industry needs to put provisions through our academic support program.” making this career path known at the in place now not just to attract and train Professional organizations like the So- undergraduate and graduate level,” he new graduates, but to ensure qualified ciety for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration said. “I believe there are a lot of stu- engineers already working in the field re- in the U.S. are doing much to raise the pro- dents who would find tailings engineer- ceive proper support and are retained. file of tailings engineering through the ded- ing fascinating if they knew about the “It’s a mining-wide problem,” Bur- ication of conference streams to this topic, option. At CSU, we introduce the con- khalter said. “There are a lot of people as is ICOLD and the Australian National cepts of tailings and mine waste in our retiring and not that many people coming Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD). undergraduate geotechnical engineering in at the midlevels. We’ve really got to do “I personally have presented to univer- courses and emphasize the broad range a good job of keeping engineers engaged sity students and they seem to be inter- of job possibilities that exist in tailings.” and in the business. It’s important to ested and, as chair of the ANCOLD Tail- In addition to his academic responsi- make sure the people we do have aren’t ings Dam Subcommittee, we always try bilities, Bareither also serves as chair of getting overworked. to encourage students to annual confer- the Tailings and Mine Waste Conference “The other thing is, having expertise ences,” Brett said. “Creating awareness committee in Colorado, which will be held both on the owner/operator and the con- of our ability as tailings practitioners to virtually this November. The committee is sulting side. Mining companies have got influence these significant structures with offering to support students with free reg- to nurture their staff too and make sure mine operators to develop best outcomes istration to the event. they’re compensated and kept happy.” for the project, environment and commu- “The virtual Tailings and Mine Waste Arpin agreed: “Good succession plan- nity through the full lifecycle of design, Conference this year presents an in- ning is critical in ensuring that we will not construction, operations and rehabilita- valuable opportunity to engage students have a generational gap. The good thing tion makes for a really rewarding career.” around the world, who typically may not about senior dam designers is that many of While many universities and colleges have the option to attend the conference. them continue working with us, although have shuttered their mining programs in I see this as a win-win-win scenario for not at the same level of intensity, for many recent years, others are now expanding students, academic programs and the years after they have retired. But it’s not their scope to incorporate a greater focus mining industry,” he said. easy to attract people to this line of work on tailings management. and keep them there for 30 or 40 years, so Dr. Christopher Bareither is associ- Succession Planning that’s another challenge we face.” ate professor of Civil and Environmental New graduates are of course a part of the Engineering at Colorado State University solution. However, given the significant What Makes a Good (CSU). He is a driving force in develop- experience required in some engineering Tailings Engineer? ing the university’s teaching in this area, roles and the complexity of TSF struc- The highly specialized and multifaceted and said, from an academic perspective, tures, it could be sometime before re- nature of tailings engineering roles mean events from the past 18 months and the cruits are ready to practice unsupervised. that most are, for want of a better term, resulting regulations have brought more While many senior practitioners con- developed “in-house.” They learn the awareness that tailings engineers exist tinue working long after their expected re- trade by working hands-on under the su- and that they are very important. tirement age thanks to their enthusiasm pervision of senior dam designers and operators as part of a team, and field work is an integral part of this. Most engineers come from a variety of educational backgrounds, predominantly civil, geotechnical and environmental engineering programs. While these do not guarantee that they have the skills required they are, currently, the closest disciplines to tailings management. Tailings practitioners require knowledge of soil mechanics, water and the environment, combined with mining fundamentals. Specific relevant skills include geotechnical site investigation and laboratory testing techniques, numerical modelling, construction, and instrumentation, which can be obtained through formal education or on-the-job training. ‘From a dam safety perspective, operators need to understand the designs they have, how the tailings management in- “Tailings engineers should have an teracts with the design, potential failure modes, what conditions can set up potential for instability and what can trig- appropriate degree or masters in geotech- ger a failure,’ says David Brett, senior technical director for mine waste and water management at GHD. (Photo: GHD) nical engineering, or engineering geology,

24 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com TAILINGS MANAGEMENT ideally with some specialization in dam ciplinary consultancies may have an “In academia, we need to provide engineering and tailings management,” advantage, as the ability to provide ex- courses that are tailored to the skills a tail- explained Williams. “They should also posure to other facets of engineering is ings engineer needs,” explained Bareither. seek certificated courses in tailings man- more readily accessible. “At CSU, we have been and continue to agement. Tailings operators should have “At Golder, we’ve found that our abili- transition our graduate program in geotech- an appropriate trade qualification, and ty to collaborate between disciplines, and nical and geoenvironmental engineering to- undertake regular training in TSF opera- draw on the skill sets of colleagues in ad- wards a focus on tailings and mine waste. tion. Tailings design engineers or EORs, jacent disciplines of process engineering, “We created a case-study based course plus third-party reviewers of tailings facil- hydrogeology, risk, climate change and entitled Mining Geotechnics, which cov- ities, and ITRB members can also play a community engagement, has benefited ers the broad range of topics engineers role in training and awareness.” not only our tailings engineers, but our encounter in mine waste. Each week, we Arpin added to this: “Designing TSFs clients, and will remain a focus of ours cover a different topic (e.g., tailings, geo- requires a multidisciplinary team. The core going forward,” Chapman said. chemistry, in situ testing, tailings storage skills required are civil or geotechnical en- Expertise will also be required in data facility planning and design, etc.) whereby gineering, geology, earth sciences, hydrolo- management and use of remote survey- I provide a background/overview discussion gy, hydraulics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, ing technologies such as drones. in the first lecture and then a practitioner but other disciplines might be needed also. provides a case study-based discussion for For example, mechanical piping, structural Academic Learning on the second lecture. This course is very well process and electrical engineering. the Rise received at the graduate and undergrad- “In some cases, you may need nine Until relatively recently, there was little in uate levels and has motivated many stu- or 10 different disciplines in a team. But the way of formal university training on dents to pursue a career path in tailings.” above all, the person who designs these tailings management, although Williams Alongside Mining Geotechnics, all of facilities needs to be passionate about has been teaching mine waste manage- CSU’s graduate courses include aspects it. Sometimes engineers must work in ment to undergraduate and postgraduate of tailings engineering; for example: remote locations under harsh climates students at The University of Queensland containment systems for waste disposal; and in various geographical settings. You for more than 20 years. This course is be- slope stability, seepage, and earth dams; have to be resilient and have an adapting replaced by a tailings-specific course and advanced soil mechanics. able personality.” on tailings design from next year. “In addition, I will be developing a new Burkhalter agreed, adding: “I think ex- Other courses are also emerging… course in spring 2021 centered on the perience with earthworks and mill opera- In Canada, the University of British topic of tailings engineering,” Bareither tions is key, too, especially for RTFEs. On Columbia’s (UBC) Norman B. Keevil said. “Our goal is to create a graduate pro- the operator side, new graduates need to Institute of Mining Engineering now of- gram that will educate and train students get out on site and watch the guys that run fers a graduate certificate program in who desire a career in tailings.” the tailings dam. The key thing is learning Global Mine Waste Management, under In July 2020, CSU, the Colorado how to deposit tailings sub-aerially. the watchful eye of academic director, School of Mines, and the University of Ar- “As design engineers, we always send Professor Dirk Van Zyl. izona announced they were joining forces our young engineers out to build TSFs as In June 2020, the University of West- to establish the Tailings Center of Excel- standard. They need to watch how the lin- ern Australia (UWA) announced the cre- lence. The center is tasked with developer is put in, how the cover is put on the ation of Future Tails — an educational ing best practices for sustainable mine liner… because every dam is different.” program jointly funded by Rio Tinto and waste management and providing the ed- Going forward, there will likely be more BHP. Over five years, the companies will ucation to uphold them. CSU is also col- emphasis on developing well-rounded tail- invest $4 million in training, research, laborating with Georgia Tech, UC Berke- ings engineers with traditional skills plus a education and practice to support tailings ley and the University of Illinois on the heightened awareness and understanding and waste management facilities. Tailings and Industrial Waste Engineering of related disciplines and stakeholders. Led by program director, Professor Center — nicknamed TAILENG — to re- “It will require the ability to integrate Andy Fourie, Future Tails will provide search safer waste storage systems and teams and balance stakeholder priorities, education, training, and professional offer technical training. with recognition that social and environ- development to senior executives, senior Bareither is involved with both organi- mental factors will be primary drivers,” technical personnel, junior engineers zations. “Short courses are being planned Haynes said. “Knowledge of dewatering and operational staff, both in Australia for both TAILENG and the Tailings Center and material handling, climate change and internationally. of Excellence starting in 2021,” he ex- and sustainability will increasingly be- Program participants will be awarded plained. “These will be developed from come cornerstones of a tailings engineer’s micro-credentials from UWA and there core expertise of the academicians involved skill set. Practitioners will need to be able will be opportunities to follow a postgrad- and key practitioners that have invaluable to effectively communicate plans and de- uate pathway, which will include a mas- experience and a passion for education. signs with a broader set of stakeholders ters in tailings management. “TAILENG short courses will be more including surrounding communities.” In the U.S., CSU has also recognized technical in nature and aimed at folks with Training approaches will need to the need for greater emphasis on tailings a background in engineering (e.g., civil be adapted accordingly, and multidis- and is adapting its offering appropriately. and environmental, geological, geotechni-

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 25 TAILINGS MANAGEMENT

Online Training Resources “The development of the course was in Thanks to COVID-19, many organizations, response to industry feedback request- both professional and academic, have taking a practical, interactive learning ex- en their training courses online this year. perience addressing key issues in effec- The six-week Professional Certificate in tive tailings management. It has been a Tailings Management launched in Septem- pleasure working with Professor David ber 2020 by the Australasian Institute of Williams and other tailings experts on the Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) has seen development of this course. The strong great success. The course is planned to be uptake we’ve seen in our inaugural intake run twice yearly, and the first enrollment and the request for a second course is ev- was closed at 110 global participants. idence of the need for world-class profes- The syllabus enables participants to sional development in this area.” gain competency and expand their knowledge on the geotechnical, geochemical, Getting Out on Site There is also a number of highly regard- Tailings sampling: a vital skill for prospective engineers governance, closure and socioeconomic and operators. (Photo: Golder) considerations of tailings management. ed, long-standing training offerings for It involves six weekly 90-minute live and TSF operators, such as that offered by cal) who may not have training specific to interactive webinars, each with assess- Brett of GHD. tailings. On the other hand, Tailings Cen- ments, requiring a total time commitment Brett has been training tailings enter short courses will target a broader audi- of six hours per week. gineers and operators for more than a ence, for example, mill operators, contrac- Williams largely provides the content, decade. He explained that most people tors, regulators and business executives. delivery and assessment for the course, working in tailings design stumble into We really want to leverage the best of what along with five other tailings experts (includ- the field by accident; most hold qualifica- the two groups can offer to complement ing Golder’s Peter Chapman). He sees on- tions in civil or geotechnical engineering, one another and avoid redundancy.” line resources playing a growing role in the often with experience in water dams. Will collaborative efforts like these be training of tailings engineers going forward. “On the operations side, most man- key in addressing the skills shortage go- “Online tailings management courses, agement personnel would have mining or ing forward? E&MJ asked. which can be developed within months by metallurgical engineering qualifications, “Absolutely!” Bareither replied. “To engaging tailings experts for content and which has a little bit of tailings training, but address the skills shortage of tailings en- delivery, should be expanded and made most do not have much,” he said. “The new gineers, we need collaboration. There are available globally,” Williams said. “These guidelines are requiring more civil engi- excellent programs on tailings and mine should have a rigorous assessment compo- neering skills. My main focus is training the waste management offered at UBC, Uni- nent, leading to professional certification. operators who are generally trades people versity of Alberta, UWA and The Univer- Such courses may be amenable to incorpo- (electricians, fitters operating pumps and sity of Queensland. Our goal is to create, ration into university postgraduate course- pipelines). These are the people day-to-day collaborate and complement these exist- work programs, such as graduate certifi- on a dam who can be responsible for tailing programs. cates, diplomas and masters. However, it ings discharge and water management.” “The faculty at these other universities takes a number of years to establish such Brett oversees a two-day training are incredible and have outstanding pro- university programs, and this route is not course hosted by GHD and Water Training grams. However, there is an absence of any always the one favored by professionals.” Australia. The certificate, issued under established program in the U.S. Thus, we Williams has found that online deliv- the Australian Vocational Education and absolutely see effective collaboration as ery is most effective when it is live, in- Training (VET) System, delivers theoreti- the only means of improving the pipeline teractive and engaging, in preference to cal and practical sessions with inspection of motivated students entering the work- passive online resources. training for front line operators and man- force as tailings engineers and enhancing “Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, agers. More than 1,000 TSF operators the skills of practicing engineers.” it [online teaching] must replace face-to- have achieved the qualification thus far. Like Williams, Bareither believes that face delivery. However, on-site instruction “Tailings is not rocket science, but when it comes to professional training, in the context of the particular tailings fa- each site is unique,” he said. “From a more responsibility needs to be shared cility is crucial,” he explained. “This can dam safety perspective, operators need between academicians and practitioners. involve formal on-site training and can to understand the designs they have, how “Academicians have experience in also take advantage of site inspections the tailings management interacts with course development and can effectively by tailings design engineers or EORs, the design, potential failure modes, what teach fundamentals,” he said. “However, third-party reviewers of tailings facilities, conditions can set up potential for insta- practitioners are essential for all profes- and ITRB members.” bility and what can trigger a failure. sional training as they have the first-hand AusIMM already has a long waiting list “They need to be able to contribute to experience to offer. Thus, collaboration for the second intake of the course, which risk assessments, listen to their technical will be the best approach to developing will commence in February 2021. advisors and to question what they are and sustaining an effective professional Phoebe Tan, senior manager for strat- doing. For my on-site operations training, development program in tailings.” egy and international at AusIMM, said: engineers just need to be interested and

26 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com TAILINGS MANAGEMENT involved. They must always wear a ‘black “The most important training we offer Vancouver,” said Burkhalter. “If you work hat’ when inspecting the dams, look for our engineers is coaching and supervi- for a big mining company as an EOR, things that don’t seem quite right, and sion from seasoned TSF designers,” said RTFE or accountable executive, you’ve question and report potential issues.” Arpin. “We’re lucky enough to have mul- probably got back up behind you should tiple members of staff each with more anything go wrong. But there are a lot of In-house Opportunities than 40 years of professional practice. small consulting companies for whom the Many independent engineering firms also That’s really a blessing for our young price of insurance is constantly being in- offer in-house training programs, whether engineers who can benefit from their creased, and it gets out of control. formal or informal, for their staff. Ongoing knowledge and expertise. “It’s not just the engineering firm learning opportunities are an important “We also offer young tailings engi- that should hold all the risk; the operator part of career progression and are critical neers the opportunity to be involved in and regulators and the state should have in staff retention. projects from inception to construction. some responsibility in that, too.” GHD has always offered some level of Every engineer wants to see his or her de- Given the shortage and growing need training for its engineers in-house through sign being eventually implemented; it’s a for tailings engineers, fast tracking of talent mentoring, encouraging the presentation legitimate aspiration. can also play an effective role in retention. of papers at conferences and lunchtime “On top of that, we provide support “To keep people happy, they need rec- presentations, but Brett said the compa- to attend training provided by the indus- ognition, and salary is not the only way to do ny is looking to expand that. try and universities, training on different that,” said Arpin. “Something we [SNC-La- “We’re currently planning and de- software, and we support participation valin] have been doing is fast-tracking the veloping a more formal internal training in conferences, workshops, seminars development and promotion of our best course to upskill graduates and existing and knowledge sharing opportunities as talents. So, as young engineers make their staff with civil and geotechnical qualifi- much as we can.” way up the organization, they are given cations who are keen to move into tailings Burkhalter reported similar at New- new responsibilities if we see that they are in order to expand our resources and meet Fields: “We do a lot of in-house training capable. They have direct contact with cli- future demand,” he explained. and mentorships,” he said. “If an engi- ents, and they are exposed to increasingly Golder has developed a multitiered neer doesn’t naturally gravitate toward challenging projects even at a young age if training program, underpinned by its somebody senior, then we assign a person they demonstrate their capacity. internal practice guidelines and an in- who can take them under their wing. “We should not wait to promote good house Tailings 101 course. “We also are looking into expanding talent if we want to avoid the generation- “We are currently expanding our inter- our training around instrumentation and al gap we talked about. I really believe nal training to incorporate the additional remote sensing technologies. And we put that as an employee, as a young engineer, skill sets that we believe tailings engineers a lot of focus on retention, because once when you feel that you have your man- will require going forward,” said Haynes. our engineers are trained up, we don’t ager’s trust and that trust is pulling your “We aim to provide our engineers with a want them to leave.” career up, it’s really addictive. consistent program addressing the fun- “But also, it’s very important that we damentals, core competencies, supple- Staying for the Long Haul create a respectful, motivating and inspi- mented by specific courses on topics as How can retention be promoted? rational working environment where ev- their knowledge expands. Every employee “Good pay and good working condi- erybody feels that she or he is an integral at Golder has a career development plan, tions,” Burkhalter said. “Pay is not every- part of the team. We may have the best and for our tailings engineers, we use this thing, but it’s still an important element. jobs, the best salary, the best projects, as an opportunity to create a learning road “For a lot of young engineers, the but if we don’t have a good working atmo- map for becoming the well-rounded pro- work-life balance is more important and sphere, we will lose people.” fessionals the industry demands.” it’s hard to achieve that at a mine camp in In his spare time, Arpin is a keen In addition to this formal training, the the middle of South America, say. Good marathon runner. It’s an apt analogy for company has established an internal tech- companies have setups that include ex- a career in tailings engineering because, nical community for tailings — currently tra-curricular activities and decent rota- if you have the skills, the ambition and a led by Chapman — that connects and sup- tion schedules… things like that.” passion for the subject, it can offer a very ports its 700+ tailings practitioners. As an industry, it needs to work out how rewarding and long-term career path. “This global community exchanges to better share liability surrounding TSF “One of our most senior engineers has ideas, new research and experiences, design, construction and management be- been with the company for 41 years — and allows for the ongoing development cause, despite best efforts and hopefully a his whole career,” Arpin said. “We have of staff and the practice in general,” significant reduction in the number of fail- another who recently retired after 45 Chapman said. “We’ve found that this, ures going forward, accidents will still oc- years in tailings management. I think the combined with formal mentoring, sup- cur. Currently, a lot of the liability for these final word on this… it’s about passion. ports the transfer of knowledge between events lies with the EOR or DOR and that “The mining industry is a great place to seasoned professionals and those just can be off-putting for engineers consider- work. And it’s a really technological, state- starting out in their career.” ing a career in the field. of-the-art industry, despite what people Mentoring opportunities are also im- “That was a key topic at the 2019 may think. It’s clear to me that it’s a very portant at SNC-Lavalin. Tailings and Mine Waste conference in interesting career path for young people.”

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 27 IRON ORE OUTLOOK This Year’s Iron Ore Report Looks Much Better Than Many Expected High prices and a tight market could extend the rally well into 2022 By Anton Löf and Olof Löf

During 2019, the fundamentals of the steel market weakened considerably. The OECD (Steel Market Developments Q2 2020) cited weakening global economic activity, uncertain prospects for steel demand growth, the upturn in new capacity investments and excess capacity as some of the reasons. Despite this, according to the World Steel Association (WSA), world crude steel production grew to 1.869 billion metric tons (mt) in 2019, a new global all-time high. This is an increase of 3% over 2018, and the fourth consecutive Iron ore production for 2018 (million mt). Source: RMG Consulting 2020 year of growth. There were, however, significant dif- steelmaking capacity at the end of 2019 The Chinese government reported that ferences across regions. Chinese crude is 2.363 billion mt. This represents an closure of capacity, especially older and steel production increased by 76 million increase of around 1.5% from the end less efficient plants, are going according mt in 2019, an increase of 8.3%, com- of 2018. Most of the capacity additions to plan. Targets for reduced capacity and pared to an increase by 5.6% in 2018. were located in Asia, where an addition- increased closures are also being revised At 996 million mt, China continues to be, al 30 million mt of capacity came on upward, with the Hebei province leading by far, the largest producer, accounting stream. Also, companies in the Middle the way. for 53% of total crude steel produced. In- East (2.8 million mt), Africa (2.4 million The global steel demand recovery dia, the second-largest producer with an mt), the CIS (1.5 million mt) and Europe from early 2016 supported rising prices. output of 111 million mt of crude steel (700,000 mt) added new capacity. A peak was reached in early 2018 from in 2019, only accounts for 6% of global The gap between capacity and produc- which prices have retracted. At the end of steel production. There are six countries tion did, however, continue to narrow over 2019, flat steel prices, according to the with national production of more than 70 2019. Production increased more than OECD, was 13% lower than at the start of million mt of crude steel in 2019 (See ta- capacity. Using the OECD figures for ca- the year and rebar prices were down 9%. ble 1). These countries together account- pacity and the end of the year, WSA pro- Prices for the key steelmaking raw ma- ed for 77% of global production. duction figures, gives the global capacity terials (iron ore, coking coal and scrap) According to the OECD, global steel- utilization of 79% in 2019, up from 78% have followed divergent trajectories in making capacity increased slightly in in 2018. This is, in fact, the highest uti- 2019. While iron ore prices increased by 2019, the first time since 2014 that net lization rate during the last 20 years, and 32% during the year, coking coal prices capacity has increased. The current global at its low, in 2009, it was only 61%. decreased by 15% and steel scrap prices There are, however, several projects fell by 17%. Rank 2019 Mt % of total that will potentially add to the steelmak- China 1 0,996.3 53.0% ing capacity over the years 2020-2022. Iron Ore Production India 2 0,111.2 06.0% According to the OECD (Latest Develop- Global output of iron ore decreased by a Japan 3 0,099.3 05.3% ments in Steelmaking Capacity 2020), modest 0.3% to 2.346 billion mt in 2019. USA 4 0,087.8 04.7% some 58 million mt of steelmaking ca- The decrease is almost exclusively related Russia 5 0,071.9 03.8% pacity is under construction. While an ad- to the fall in production in Brazil related to South Korea 6 0,071.4 03.8% ditional 20 million mt is in the planning both the late dam disasters and COVID-19 stage for a possible startup sometime pri- restrictions. Brazil saw its production de- Top 6 1,437.9 77.0% or to 2022. crease by 58 million mt in 2019 compared Total 1,868.8 100% China added some 24 million mt in to the year before, down 13%. Most other Source: RMG Consulting 2020. capacity during 2019, but since 2015, larger producing countries saw increases in Table 1 — Top steel-producing countries. capacity has fallen by 63 million mt. production, however modest.

28 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com IRON ORE OUTLOOK

Australia remains the leader, produc- China alone accounts for 69% of total Iron Ore Prices ing 40% of all iron ore worldwide. Brazil imports. During 2019, the country’s im- In 2018, iron ore prices were relatively accounts for 17% of global production. ports of iron ore increased 0.4%. While stable. The price for ore 62% Fe CFR During 2019, Australia added some 11 minor, this is an increase compared to China, continued on the same level into million mt to its output, an increase of last year’s decrease. During 2019, China late January 2019. The year-end 2018 1.2% to 919 million mt. also increased its iron ore production, but iron ore price was $69/mt and January In Asia, most producing countries ex- import dependency is still some 82%, 2019 ended around $76/mt. However, perienced growing production. India, for the same as last year’s figure. All other on January 25, 2019, the Brumadinho example, increased iron ore production by regions experienced decreases in imports tailings dam operated by Vale collapsed, 14% and reached 233 million mt. Also, during 2019. killing at least 259 people. On the first Iran increased production, up 11% to 61 Seaborne iron ore trade in 2019 de- day of February, the price increased by million mt as well as China. Chinese iron creased by 1.6% to 1.471 billion mt. The 14%, the highest change day-on-day re- ore production grew 3.3 million mt to main reason being the drop in exports of corded during 2019. The disaster initial- 241.3 million mt in 2019. almost 50 million mt by Brazil and Vale. ly pulled an estimated 90 million mt of In Europe, including the CIS, produc- capacity off the market. Gradually, Vale tion increased by 2.4% in 2019, up to Iron Ore Pellets reopened its operations and closed-down 231 million mt. African production was Global production of pellets in 2019 in- capacity was reduced to 60 million mt. stable at 92 million mt. Output by the two creased to 501 million mt, up 3% com- This was, however, enough to effectively major African producing countries, South pared to 2018. Exports of pellets fell in push up the price of iron ore. From Febru- Africa and Mauritania, both declined, the 2019 and reached 134 million mt, down ary 2019, the price took off and reached former by 5.1% and the latter by 2%. 5.1%. The largest iron ore pellet export- a peak in early July at around $123/mt. ers are in order: Brazil, Sweden, Canada, The period with prices above $120/mt Iron Ore Trade the Ukraine and Russia. was, however, short. Through August, the Global iron ore exports decreased by 1.7% The share of pellets in total iron ore price dropped by 24%. During the latter in 2019. This is the second year in a row production has declined since the late part of 2019, the price stabilized and that exports are decreasing. World total 1990s when it ranged between 26%-27%. moved between $80-$95/mt. The price iron ore exports have increased roughly During the last couple of years, the share at year end was $92/mt, an increase from 43% during the last 10 years and amount- of production has been relatively stable the start of the year of 32%. The average ed to 1.531 billion mt in 2019 compared at around 20%, and in 2019, it reached price over 2019 was $93/mt, an increase to 1.558 billion mt in 2018. Australia is 21%. However, the Mariana dam failure from 2018 ($69/mt) of 33%. by far the largest exporter of iron ore with and the subsequent closure of the Samarco The iron ore market has continued a market share of 55%, an increase of production units have underlined the sen- to be tight into 2020. According to the one percentage point from last year. Ex- sitivity of pellet demand to world market Department of Industry, Science, Ener- ports from Australia continued to increase conditions and prices. In 2015, total pro- gy and Resources in Australia, iron ore during 2019, reaching 836 million mt, up duction of pellets coming from Brazil was inventories are at near five-year lows. 0.2%. The second largest exporter, Brazil 63 million mt. In 2019, production was Supply disruptions in late 2019, such as has a market share of 22%, a decrease more or less cut in half and only reached cyclones in the Pilbara region of West- of three percentage points compared to 32 million mt. According to plan, Vale will ern Australia and flooding in the south last year. Brazilian exports fell by 13% in restart production at the end of 2020, so and east of Brazil, pushed prices higher. 2019 and reached 340 million mt, as dis- there is potential for an increase in world With the introduction of COVID-19 con- cussed earlier, on account of closures re- production of pellets in the short term. tainment measures, further capacity has lated to the dam disasters and COVID-19. South Africa exported 67 million mt of iron ore in 2019, which makes it the third largest exporter, Canada with 52 million mt is fourth and Ukraine at 39 million mt is fifth. Together, the five most important iron ore exporting countries accounted for 87% of total exports in 2019, down from 88% in 2018. Among the larger producing countries, India’s exports increased the most, by 69% in 2019 reaching 31 million mt. At the same time, imports came down by 87%. India, which seemed to be on its way to become a net importer of iron ore, has turned around and produced iron ore is now enough to satisfy both an increase in exports and an increase in steel production. Iron ore trade in 2018 (million mt). Source: RMG Consulting 2020

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 29 IRON ORE OUTLOOK been curtailed at individual mine sites. ever, with the high prices seen recently, dam disaster in November 2015, is set The robust and consistent demand from the industry will likely see an increase to come on stream again in December China and disruptions of the supply of in exploration expenditure earmarked for 2020. The plan is to start operations at iron ore, mainly from Brazil, have forced iron ore. Further, some African projects 8 million mt/y and increase production to iron ore prices to adjust to a tight sea- have attracted renewed interest and some 24 million mt/y during a ramp-up period borne market and stay high even though mines that were closed down have con- that could extend over 10 years. the general economic climate remains sidered reopening. In Australia, iron ore projects account uncertain. The iron ore prices, 62% Fe In Brazil, during December 2019, for more than AUD 40 billion ($28.6 bil- CFR China in mid-October 2020, was Vale completed the physical works and lion) of potential investment expenditure. around $122/mt, up 34% since the startup of the CLN S11D project, the in- There are currently some four committed start of the year. The average price un- frastructure project to support the S11D projects as well as 12 projects labeled as til mid-October 2020 is $101/mt, an mine and the Northern System. Until in the feasibility stage and another 13 increase in average price of 8.5% com- 2022, the project will be in a ramp-up that have been publicly announced. How- pared to the average price of 2019. phase. This means the S11D mine that ever, there has been little progress in iron The price premium for high-quali- was completed in late 2016 now has ore development projects over the past ty iron ore increased sharply during late reached full production capacity. The years. One of the few projects complet- 2018 as Chinese demand increased and company also plans to increase produced during 2019 was the refurbishment of high-quality ore supply from Brazil tight- tion another 10 million mt/y within the the Koolan Island iron ore mine, owned ened. Subsequently, markets adjusted to Northern System. As of the end of the by Mount Gibson, with a capacity of 4 use greater quantities of lower grade ore, first half of 2020, the project is 25% million mt/y. There are a couple of large- with the price premium easing during completed and is expected to be final- scale projects under way. The Iron Bridge 2019. The price spread between iron ore ized by the second half of 2022. Vale Magnetite Project, co-owned by Fortescue grades increased again around April 2020 targets capacity of 400 million mt/y by Metals Group (FMG), Formosa Steel and amid a surge in demand for higher-grade increasing production across operations Baosteel, is progressing. The project is ore, but has since abated somewhat. through debottlenecking and the restart estimated to cost $2.6 billion and have a of temporary closed operations. Further capacity of 22 million mt/y of high-grade Project Pipeline into the future, Vale envisions a capacity iron ore. The estimated start of operations In 2019, global production of iron ore of 450 million mt/y. Also in Brazil, An- is 2022. Another FMG project, Eliwana fell by 6 million mt. However, most of glo American’s Minas-Rio mine in late is set to commence production in De- the important iron ore producing coun- December 2019 received necessary per- cember 2020 and have a capacity of 30 tries increased their production, with the mits to finalize the exclusion of Vale and the drop in Brazil- stage 3 expansion Regions and major producing countries 2017 2018 2019 ian production of 58 million mt. These that will take the Sweden 0,027.2 0,027.5 0,029.1 increases were not the result of new green mine to full ca- Subtotal Europe (excluding CIS) 0,034.0 0,034.0 0,036.1 field capacity coming on stream, but rath- pacity. The mine er incremental growth in existing opera- is expected to de- CIS 0,188.7 0,191.8 0,195.2 Subtotal Europe 0,222.7 0,225.8 0,231.3 tions. Iron ore capacity has been relative- liver 26.5 million ly stable during the last three years with mt/y. The Germano Canada 0,050.3 0,052.8 0,058.5 most of the capacity additions located in mine, operated by USA 0,047.9 0,049.5 0,048.0 the two largest iron ore producing/export- Samarco, closed Brazil 0,435.5 0,448.0 0,389.6 ing countries: Australia and Brazil. How- since the Mariana Venezuela 0,006.6 0,004.0 0,002.6 Subtotal Americas 0,582.4 0,599.9 0,539.6

1st Half 1st Half % Mauritania 0,011.8 0,010.7 0,010.5 Company 2019 2020 Increase South Africa 0,074.8 0,074.3 0,070.5 Rio Tinto 134.7 138.5 -02.8% Subtotal Africa 0,095.7 0,092.0 0,092.2 Vale 137.4 127.2 0-7.4% India 0,201.8 0,204.7 0,232.8 BHP 118.7 126.7 -06.7% Subtotal Asia (excluding China) 0,308.0 0,285.7 0,320.0 FMG 091.5 086.9 0-5.0% Anglo American 030.9 030.5 0-1.3% China* 0,253.1 0,238.0 0,241.3 Subtotal Asia 0,561.1 0,523.7 0,561.3 Arcelor 028.7 027.9 0-2.8% Metalloinvest 019.7 020.2 -02.5% Australia 0,885.4 0,907.8 0,918.7 NMDC 019.1 016.9 -11.5% Subtotal Oceania 0,889.4 0,911.3 0,922.0 Metinvest 014.5 015.2 -04.8% World Total 2,351.3 2,352.7 2,346.4 CSN 019.0 013.4 -29.5% *Chinese production adjusted to represent tonnage in which iron LKAB 012.7 013.4 -05.5% content is roughly equal to average content in the rest of the world. Cleveland Cliffs 009.7 007.0 -27.8% Chinese ore production (unadjusted): 1,229.4 0,763.4 0,844.4 Total 637.0 624.0 0-2.0% Source: RMG Consulting 2020

Vale’s H1 2020 production suffers from COVID-19. Australia produces nearly twice the amount of iron ore as the Americas.

30 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com IRON ORE OUTLOOK million mt/y. Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri project is planned to start production in late 2021 and have a capacity of 43 million mt/y. Further, the company is investing in West Angelas and the Robe Valley, with first ore expected in 2021. Investments are under way in the Greater Tom Price operations. All of Rio Tinto’s investments are related to sustain current production capacities. Finally, BHP’s South Flank mine is planned to replace existing production from the Yandi mine, with production starting in 2021 at a capacity of 80 million mt/y. In Ukraine, Ferrexpo is adding 6 million mt/y of additional processing capacity, which will raise the raw ore capacity to 36 million mt/y and will further realize full Iron prices should remain above $100/mt for the near term. capacity of pelletizers (12 million mt/y) in 2021. For the longer term, the company capacity of 1-5 million mt/y into produc- 2020, however, startup of production has is presently studying potential for the in- tion as quickly as possible while complet- been delayed until sometime in 2021. crease of raw ore production capacity of ing feasibility studies for an operation of There are also examples of idling of 50% and to increase pellet plant capacity at least 20 million mt/y. All the projects capacity due to high operating costs, for incrementally by 3 million mt/y. in Guinea are located in the mountainous example, U.S. Steel’s Keetac operations. In Africa, projects are slowly being region in the north of the country and de- While there are quite a few projects in revitalized. In Guinea, Simandou, one mand the construction of a new railway, a the pipeline, the main additions to proof the world’s largest undeveloped pro- quite complicated infrastructural project. duction in the near term will probably jects, is slowly moving forward after sev- In the Republic of the Congo, the come from Brazil and Vale as well as Aus- eral disputes and Rio Tinto failing to sell Zanaga project, a joint venture between tralia with FMG, BHP and Rio, all adding its remaining shares in block 3 and 4 to Zanaga Iron Ore and Glencore, is continu- capacities. Most of the other projects are Chinalco. Rio Tinto stated that the coming. The projected mine will produce 12 either small or further out in time. All in pany continues to work with joint-venture million mt/y in the first stage and raising all, the market seems likely to enter anoth- partners, Chinalco and the government of output to 30 million mt/y in a second er period of overcapacity. This could push Guinea, to explore ways to optimize, de- stage. An early production project with or stall some of the early-phase projects in velop and fund the world-class Simandou a capacity of 1 million mt/y is also un- the pipeline. Still, the project pipeline as iron ore deposit and the trans-Guinean in- der consideration, however, no timelines it looks like in mid-2020, could indeed be frastructure needed to support the mine. were presented. Also, in the Republic of the foundation for an oversupplied market However, no timelines were discussed. the Congo, the Sapro group exported its during the next couple of years. “Simandou will happen, with or without first tonnages in Q1 2019 a shipment Rio Tinto’s involvement” Rio Tinto’s CEO of 23,000 mt of iron ore. The company, Corporate Concentration J-S Jacques said. During late 2019, Si- which plans to produce 12 million mt/y Corporate concentration in the iron ore in- mandou blocks 1 and 2 was auctioned. for export, mainly to China, seems to have dustry has remained fairly constant over The winning bid came from the SMB-Win- failed to ship any more material. The total the last couple of years. In 2019, the ning consortium, formed by the Singapor- export of the Republic of the Congo did 10 largest companies controlled 58% of ean shipowner Winning Shipping, the not amount to more than 19,000 mt, ac- global production, a decrease from 2018 Chinese aluminum producer Shandong cording to Chinese import statistics. (60%), but in line with the 2017 (58%) Weiqiao, the Yantai Port group, as well as The Scully mine in Canada, previously and the 2016 (58%) numbers. The de- the Guinean transport and logistics com- owned and closed down by Cleveland Cliffs crease is mostly related to the fall in pro- pany United Mining Supply. The winning in 2014, was restarted by its new owner duction for Vale. The company decreased bid was for $15 billion. Other bidders in- Tacora Resources Inc. The company an- its production by 83 million mt in 2019, cluded FMG in an attempt to go outside nounced its first delivery in August 2019 compared to 2018, down 21%. However, Australia. Also close by, on the border to and seems to be on its way to achieve Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, the second Liberia, are the Zogota and Nimba proj- nameplate capacity of 6-6.5 million mt/y. and third most important iron ore produc- ects. On September 5, 2019, High Pow- The Sydvaranger mine in northern Norway, ing companies, reduced their production er Exploration, led by Robert Friedland, another example of a closed down mine by 3.4% and 0.7%, respectively. This was founder of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., acquired getting new attention, received authoriza- partly compensated by large increases the world-class Nimba iron ore deposit in tion from authorities in mid-2019 for the from FMG and Anglo American. the Republic of Guinea. The company is resumption of operations. The mine tar- The 2005-2008 trend of decreasing planning to bring a starter mine with the geted iron ore concentrate shipments in concentration, due to swift production

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 31 IRON ORE OUTLOOK

high level during the first half of 2020, Production % of Production Rank additional marginal independent produc- Company Country 2019 (Mt) World 2018 (Mt) 2018 ers might be able to enter the market and 01 Vale Brazil 0,302.4 012.9% 0,385.0 01 push corporate concentration down. How- 02 Rio Tinto U.K. 0,281.2 012.0% 0,291.0 02 ever, Vale is on track to restart closed- 03 BHP Australia 0,272.0 011.6% 0,274.0 03 down operations. Should the company be 04 Fortescue Australia 0,182.8 007.8% 0,166.0 04 able to reach its old production figures of 05 Hancock* Australia 0,079.1 003.4% 0,076.0 05 2018, a reversal of the decline in 2019 06 Anglo American U.K. 0,065.5 002.8% 0,047.0 07 could happen. Considering that Vale is 07 Arcelor U.K. 0,057.1 002.4% 0,059.0 06 planning for a 400-million-mt/y capacity, 08 NMDC+Odisha India 0,045.3 001.9% 0,043.0 08 a future scenario with a higher corporate 09 Metalloinvest Russia 0,040.2 001.7% 0,040.0 09 concentration is highly likely. Most prob- 10 CSN Brazil 0,032.1 001.4% 0,028.0 10 ably though, for 2020, corporate concen- Total Top 10 Companies 1,357.8 057.9% 1,409.0 tration will only change marginally. How Total World 2,346.4 100.0% 2,352.7 much will mostly depend on Vales’ ability *Roy Hill mine production is estimated to restore production. The company has In 2019, the combined iron ore output from the top three miners represented 37% of global capacity. communicated a production guidance of between 310-330 million mt for 2020 increases by many small- and medi- Hancock Prospecting, the privately with a higher probability of production um-sized producers was reversed in 2009 owned emerging Australian iron ore giant, ending up in the lower end of this inter- when the major producers got their large controlled by Gina Rinehart, has grown val. This would mean a relatively stable expansion programs up and running. rapidly during the last couple of years. production compared to 2019 and, con- Since then, industry concentration has The company owns the Hope Downs mine sequently, relatively stable corporate con- increased slowly but steadily, apart from in Western Australia together with Rio centration for 2020 compared to 2019. 2019. While the “Big 3” iron ore mining Tinto, the Roy Hill mine and in December companies (Vale, Rio Tinto and BHP) ear- 2018, the company acquired Australian Market Outlook lier have increased their control over total miner Atlas Iron to further boost its iron Global economic growth in 2019 reached world iron ore production, it now seems ore production. Production, which began 2.8% according to the IMF October World like they have lost out somewhat to the in 2016 at the Roy Hill mine, has cat- Economic Outlook. The IMF forecasts other large producers. In 2018, the Big 3 apulted Hancock into the fifth position a decline of 4.4% in 2020 followed by combined control reached 40%. In 2019, among the world’s largest iron ore miners. a 5.2% growth in 2021. While this is a this had decreased to 37%. The measurement of corporate control more negative forecast compared to the Vale, the Brazilian-based major mining at the production stage underestimates April outlook, it is actually 0.8 percentag- company, despite a drastic fall in output the real concentration of the iron ore sec- es better than anticipated in June 2020. during 2019, remains the world’s largest tor, especially by the three largest com- The latest revision reflects better-than-an- iron ore producer, with 302 million mt of panies. Large portions of total output do ticipated second-quarter developments iron ore produced in 2019, down from not enter the market, but are produced and indications of a stronger than expect- 385 million mt in 2018. All of Vale’s at captive mines or mines that have a ed recovery in the third quarter. If the pro- mines are in Brazil and its market share protected or restricted market. The cor- jections come true, the global economy in decreased from 16% in 2018 to 13% in porate concentration, if measured by 2021 will have seen a modest growth of 2019. Vale’s market share peaked already the share of the major companies in the 0.6% over 2019. The uncertainties, IMF in 2007 at 19%. Rio Tinto has been the global seaborne trade, is considerably pointed out, are unusually large in this second-largest producer since 2016, higher. Vale alone controls 21% of the stage because of the pandemic. With a po- when it overtook BHP and regained its total world market for seaborne iron ore tential second wave of COVID-19 and re- traditional second rank. Rio Tinto pro- trade, and the three largest companies, lated forced closedowns and impairments duced 281 million mt in 2019, down in 2019, controlled 58%, a decrease to the global economy, much could hap- from 291 million mt the year before. Rio from 64% in 2018. Among the top 10 pen between now and the end of the year. Tinto has a market share of 12%, a slight producers, the six largest sell almost all During 2019, world crude steel produc- decrease compared to 2018. Most of Rio their iron ore on the open market, the tion increased by 3%. For the first eight Tinto’s mines are located in the Pilbara other four all produce steel from a large months of 2020, global steel production region in Australia. In addition, the com- proportion of their iron ore production. declined 4.2% compared to the same pe- pany controls the Iron Ore Co. of Canada These top six accounted for more than riod last year. China alone accounted for with mines in Labrador. The market share 80% of the market in 2019. roughly 58% of the crude steel production of BHP stayed at 12% and production China increased its domestic produc- globally during the first months of 2020. reached 272 million mt in 2019. Except tion during 2019 of raw iron ore. In 2020 The country’s production of crude steel for the Samarco joint venture in Brazil to- though, production has been stable and grew by 3.7% during the period. However, gether with Vale (50/50), which has not increased a modest 2.6% from January Chinese production will most likely taper been producing since 2015, all of BHP’s to August, compared to the same period off during the winter months with govern- mines are in Western Australia. last year. As the price has remained at a mental restrictions on emissions. Total

32 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com IRON ORE OUTLOOK growth over the year is hence likely to be figures produced 624 million mt. This prices will fall back. However, consider- lower than so far this year. represents a decline of 2% compared to ing the current situation, iron ore pric- The WSA’s Short Range Outlook June the same period last year. Vale shows the es, 62% Fe CFR China, below $100/mt 2020 for world steel use anticipates a de- largest decline in absolute numbers with during 2020 seems unlikely. crease in world steel demand by 6.4% in 10 million mt, down 7.4%. CSN, another With a modest growth in steel for 2020, followed by an increase of 3.8% in Brazilian miner, cut production by 30% in 2021 compared to 2019 and an in- 2021. China, on which so much depends, the first half of 2020 compared to 2019. creased scrap ratio, demand for iron ore is forecast to increase its steel demand by As a result, Brazilian exports for the period will be subdued. Combined with the fact 1% in 2020 and no growth in 2021. January-August 2020 decreased by 8.6% that iron ore production capacity will Something that should negatively compared to the same period in 2019. most likely increase faster than iron ore impact the growth potential for steel de- Chinese imports during the period Janu- demand, as discussed, the spot iron ore mand is China’s move toward a lower GDP ary-August 2020 increased by 11%, com- 62% Fe price will be under pressure. An growth with a society where consumption pared to the same period of 2019. Chinese iron ore price somewhere around $80/mt rather than investments is the driving imports were 760 million mt for the first is more realistic considering the bleak force of economic activities. Further, 8 months of 2020, equal to 1.140 billion circumstances for 2021. However, the globally, the scrap share of the steel bur- mt on an annualized rate. Chinese produc- iron ore market is balanced. Should steel den is increasing as more and more steel tion of raw iron ore for the first 8 months demand and steel production surprise to becomes available for recycling. Analyz- of 2020 increased compared to the same the upside and some of the planned new ing the numbers from China, this trend is period last year with 2.6%. As a result, the mine capacity fail to materialize the sur- increasing rapidly. No doubt this will limit market has continued to be tight during plus could turn into a deficit fairly quickly the demand growth for virgin units of iron 2020, and prices have stayed high. and the price trajectory of 2020 could be ore into the future. There is little indication of increased repeated yet again in 2021. For the period January to August 2020, supply for the end of 2020 and the main the combined global pig iron and DRI risk to the iron ore price is thus falling Anton Löf and Olof Löf are with RMG Con- production decreased compared with the demand, mainly from China. Considering sulting, an independent consultancy firm same period last year, by 3.1%. Further, the latest development in the seaborne based in Stockholm, Sweden. www.rmg- for the first six months of 2020, 12 ma- market, it is likely that a slight fall in de- consulting.org. For further details, contact jor companies, which reported quarterly mand will take place and consequently, Anton Löf at [email protected].

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www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 33 BITS & STEEL Drilling Trends Demand Tougher Bits Suppliers are building more powerful rigs. Customers want more drillhole footage. The industry is moving toward autonomous drilling. Can new rock tools meet these challenges? By Russell A. Carter, Contributing Editor

Exploration drilling can cost more than $200 per meter, depending on a number of factors not the least of which is the expertise of the drill crew. However, disruptions in the mining workforce due to pandemic-related layoffs, furloughs or operational suspensions also bring the possibility that experienced drillers may never return to their jobs, either from failure to find suitable work or by simply walking away to find employment in another sector. Denis Larocque, president and CEO of Major Drilling Group — the company that drilled the record-breaking long hole mentioned above — recently told S&P Global Market Intelligence that when pandemic-related problems recede and global exploration drilling rebounds, a key issue will be labor. “Rigs are really not the problem,” he said, but crew training could be a concern as some job skills take years to develop. Over time, experienced drill operators learn to listen and assess what is happening down the hole in order to make adjustments for achieving Reflecting an emerging trend among rock tool suppliers, Epiroc designs its new COP M series DTH bits and hammers to be 25% more compact and 30% lighter than previous versions. optimal penetration rates while preserving machine health and steering clear of The mining industry is renowned for the any mining tool — and they’re designed avoidable drill-string problems. size of its operations and machines — for the task, cast from tough steel alloys Jimmy Barrieau, global EHS director rope shovels that load 120-ton bits of and capped with some of the hardest ma- at Boart Longyear, said, “These chal- dirt and rock into haul trucks bigger than terials available. But, however hard the lenges are not new to the drilling indus- houses, bulldozers that can push moun- job presently is for bits and drill rods, try, but the pandemic has intensified tains of material in a single pass, and it’s likely to get even tougher. New drill the problems. crushers that break boulders into soft- rigs offer higher rotational torque and “Several indicators and trends have ball-sized chunks. So, it’s ironic that the pulldown force that can increase stress identified the need to improve and make productivity of these giant machines often on drill string components. Financial more efficient field and driller level train- depends on the performance of relatively strains could tempt some drilling con- ing. Our safety statistics have shown that small components, For example, when tractors and mine operators to get longer new hires and employees with less than it comes to exploration, development or life from consumables such as bits by one year of service have a disproportion- production drilling with mining-class rigs, running them until they’re worn beyond ately higher injury rate than more expe- all of the machine’s power, weight and in- the point of minimum efficiency. And rienced employees. That creates chal- telligence is focused on a tool that, even customers are asking contractors to drill lenges to delivering high quality, safe and in its largest configurations, is no bigger longer holes. A drilling contractor recent- productive drilling services to clients. than a waste basket: the drill bit. ly completed a 3,467-m-long, flat-angle “Our focus has been on developing an With the possible exception of diamond drill hole at Osisko Mining’s approach that will better transition em- ground-engaging parts such as shovel Discovery 1 project earlier this year — ployees into their role or job function and and loader bucket teeth, percussion and claimed to be the longest hole of its type provide direction and insight on what’s re- rotary drill bits have the toughest job of ever drilled in Canada. quired to transition to the next level. Our

34 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com BITS & STEEL

Competency Training Program has been move and replace heavy tricone blasting ence in the field, a decision about when developed to do just that. bits in the field. The concept was in re- to replace a drill bit generally boils down “There are several data points that sponse to a developer challenge issued to an assessment of performance (how provide a strong business case for inte- by Chilean copper producer Antofagasta quickly is it cutting the rock?) versus age grating a comprehensive competency pro- for eliminating manual changeouts of the (how much more service can we get out gram — safety, productivity, efficiency, hard-to-handle, 80-kg bits and thus re- of this bit?) Leading industry suppliers reduce attrition or employee turnover,” duce the risk of injury to workers. such as Epiroc, Sandvik, Varel (which he continued. “How we train plays a UFR Managing Director Jeff Sterling recently changed its name to Terelion), critical role in all those points. Providing explained: “[We build] robotic machines Boart Longyear, Brunner & Lay, Rock- additional organization and structure, in for various mine site tasks that can be more and Robit are in the business of combination with our existing virtual and operated remotely, with assisted automa- developing products aimed at making eLearning solutions, will greatly enhance tion and fully autonomously. The unit that that decision easier and less frequent for our training efforts with usable tools that would be suitable for this application is their customers. work well for our business.” our E20C, based on a Caterpillar 2-ton He further explained that “the equip- excavator, upon which we integrate robot- What’s New ment challenge is to automate and cre- ics. The unit is diesel powered with hy- Although 2019 was an up-and-down ate a drill site with ‘no hands on steel.’ draulic controls and a quick hitch. The year for mining, producers and industry Are we there yet? No, but the effort and robotic features include a GUI interface, suppliers will likely look back upon it engineering are catching up with the de- radio joystick control, emergency stop, a fondly in comparison with 2020, when mands of industry. We are using Mag-Grip safety system with safety controller, mode the effects of a global pandemic turned Rod Lifters to assist crews when moving indication lights, vision sensors, position what had been solid economic terra fir- drill tubing, casing and tubes. This is sensors, remote video camera unit, radio ma into quicksand for many companies one small tool that can improve the er- communications and GPS positioning. and their employees. Always technically gonomics of drill site manual handling. “The E20C will be fitted with a tool innovative, rock tool providers have had Our LF160 and Freedom Loader rig pack- attachment for breaking and handling to become both logistically and digitally age is an example of moving in the right the tricones. The purpose designed at- innovative as well in order to comply with direction. We are testing prototypes that tachment for this application will allow regulations and adapt to business-related fully automate an underground drill rig, the remote or autonomous handling of limitations imposed by public health pol- with aspirations to have field trials com- the bit, with no people needed to be icies around the world. pleted in 2021. This technology would, to near operations.” The new reality for suppliers encom- an extent, remove the human element in The concept, according to the compa- passes everything from altered supply drilling and extracting a core sample.” ny, is currently being evaluated by Antofa- chains to delayed field-testing of future Other new products, such as Imdex’s gasta, and other mining companies also products, along with reduced business Xtracta system, help make core drilling have expressed interest in it. travel and increased reliance on virtu- safer for crews. With Xtracta, the driller At first glance, crew deficiencies might al site visits, AR-enhanced diagnostic can inspect and/or change the bit/ream- be seen as a problem mainly for drilling consultations and video-based training. er each time the core is pulled, without contractors and smaller mining compa- However, suppliers still have the securi- need to pull the rods to change bits. Ac- nies that don’t have the deep pockets ty of a robust product pipeline that was cording to the company, risk of injury is needed to install and maintain semi- or active in 2019, generated a few product significantly reduced as the requirement fully autonomous systems throughout introductions earlier this year and has to pull rods is no longer influenced by their rig fleets. But that doesn’t appear to some soon-to-be-announced solutions downhole conditions or typical bit wear. be the case. According to Epiroc, for ex- waiting in the wings for a 2021 appear- Meanwhile, rock-tool suppliers are ample, most of the drills they’re now de- ance. Here’s an update on the most re- fully cognizant that safety, reliability livering are immediately capable of auton- cent developments. and longevity will be increasingly criti- omous operations if the customer desires, Epiroc announced several bit-family cal factors in market acceptance of their and overall, more than 600 of its ma- introductions over the past year or so. The products, and they have been focusing chines currently at work around the world company’s unveiling of their new Epsilon2 on making bits that are lighter, more are similarly equipped, with not just major premium tricone bit was highlighted by compact and long-lasting — with longer producers, but drilling contractors as well the claim that this new product will al- service life gaining even more importance showing rising interest in the technology. low users to possibly double the drilling as the industry moves toward semiauton- Apart from order-book considerations, the distance they obtain from a bit before omous or fully autonomous, unattended trend is welcomed by drill OEMs for an- reaching the disposal point. The new bit’s drilling operations. One indication of the other reason. With a wider variety of ap- patented features, said Epiroc, will great- direction in which the industry is heading plications to draw from, they can better ly improve productivity through extended is a recent announcement by Brisbane, refine their productivity models using the bit life and a faster rate of penetration. Australia-based Universal Field Robots increased volume of data collected from The company said Epsilon2 air-bearing that it answered a call for help from the autonomous-rig instrumentation. bits had been tested thoroughly in the industry by designing an animated 3D However, whether based on comput- field, with results indicating an average model of an autonomous system to re- er-assisted modeling or years of experi- of more than 60% longer distance drilled

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 35 BITS & STEEL before bit discard compared with the pre- thereby increasing the rate of penetration ton design that is claimed to increase vious Epsilon generation. (ROP) and extending the life of the bit’s penetration rate and service life com- “[Bearing degradation] was long a cutting structure. pared with conventional buttons. Ver- common cause of bit failure, forcing The Epsilon2 line includes sizes rang- sions with conventional round buttons customers to accept a slower ROP and ing in diameter from 6-3/4 to 16 in. (171 also are available. a shorter service life than necessary. Ei- to 406 mm), and with specific insert con- Epiroc said it developed the new but- ther the bearings would corrode due to figurations for soft, medium, hard and ton shape to overcome the traditional moisture from water injection for dust very hard rock types. compromise of bit design that dictates suppression or overheat by friction,” said Epiroc also expanded its Powerbit line larger carbide buttons provide more bit Bahadir Ergener, product line manager, to include versions for underground drill- wear life but reduce the penetration (PLM) Rotary. Two patented features in- ing. Powerbit Underground bits outper- rate. Trubbnos buttons, according to the cluded in the Epsilon2 bits are designed formed standard bits in comprehensive company, offer several benefits. They to solve the problem. One feature called testing, registering an average 37% more increase radial contact area with the Tornado provides a more effective way to drill meters before discard, according hole wall, providing the bit with more provide cooling air to the bearing. The to Johan Thenór, product line manager, carbide volume to wear down before other, called Torrent AWS, removes 95% tophammer products at Epiroc. The first reaching minimum allowable bit size. or more of the moisture from the cooling Powerbit Underground bits to enter the The increased contact area also allows air and therefore reduces parts corrosion. market are 45-mm-diameter versions, to the hole wall to push harder against the The two features, according to Epiroc, be followed by 48 mm, 51 mm and addi- button, helping the button to withstand combine to increase bearing air flow by tional sizes over time. the bending moment created by the im- 60% and reduce cone erosion by 59%, The Powerbit Underground line, ac- pact forces. And, they decrease frontal doubling bearing life. cording to Epiroc, is its answer to mar- contact area with the hole bottom, re- Epiroc also noted that the Epsilon2 ket demand for a bit that matches the ducing rock penetration resistance and bits include NOPS, a patented feature li- high drilling speeds possible with new, increasing the drilling speed. censed from Baker Hughes that optimizes stronger rigs and rock drills. The bit’s Epiroc also unveiled its new COP the direction of the nozzles used for water design features optimized flushing ca- M-series DTH hammer lineup in 2019, injection. This helps to remove cuttings pacity, tougher steel alloy and the inno- comprising a family of bits that the com- and clean the rock face more efficiently, vative Trubbnos trapezoid-shaped but- pany claims are faster, lighter, more ser-

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36 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com BITS & STEEL vice friendly and longer lasting. The new range of DTH bits feature a unique solid shank that further enhances penetration rate and durability. According to the company, COP M-series hammers can be quickly and easily adjusted to different compressor air pressures and air volumes by simply exchang- ing a few parts. “The adjustable feature of the COP M-series hammers comes in handy when mining companies run different size rigs and operate mines at different altitudes. Our customers can stock fewer hammer variants, allowing reduced stocks and less capital employed,” said Sandvik’s line of PowerCarbide products now includes seven grades that offer unique combinations of strength, Fredrik Gransell, product line manager, hardness, toughness and wear resistance, the company says. DTH Equipment. He noted that all of the COP M-series hammers — which are 40 years, enabling a considerably faster Alpha 360 tool system and Speedy bits, available in 6-, 7- and 8-in. sizes — show cycle and resulting in a shorter, light- as well as an opportunity to remind the significant improvements in penetration er and faster hammer. According to the industry that it will introduce new prod- rate and service life, but the M7 ver- company, the new hammers are 25% ucts in 2021. sion has been particularly successful more compact and 30% lighter than Sandvik markets the PowerCarbide as it “bridges a known productivity gap previous models, making them safer and family as a platform that provides users between 6- and 8-in. hammers.” easier to handle. a range of options for customizing bit Epiroc pointed out that a new, pat- Sandvik’s Innovation in Mining virtu- characteristics to meet specific drilling ented air cycle design on the COP M-seal event, held in late September, served conditions. Need a bit that will perform ries models replaces one that has been as a showcase for the company’s newest well in abrasive rock? PowerCarbide Gra- dominant on the market for more than products, such as its PowerCarbide line, dient grades could provide a 20%-30%

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 37 BITS & STEEL improvement, suggested Robert Grandin, customers the longest possible interval mm sizes. The first customer to use the product manager, Tophammer Tools, Un- between bit changes. new bits was Agnico Eagle’s Kittilä mine derground Applications, while self-hard- Sandvik also said the innovative de- in Finland, said Kimmo Kangas, Robit’s ening PowerCarbide grades could offer sign of its new RP550 shock absorber will sales manager. significantly improved results in a variety enable it to be maintenance free, while “Traditionally, bits have had hard met- of ground conditions. featuring an entirely new safety coupling al buttons, but on the new Robit Diamond Xueying Hai, product manager, DTH that locks the thread connection and Button Series bits the buttons have an Bits, said testing had confirmed that Pow- makes operation significantly safer. industrial diamond coating, which lasts erCarbide bits could double previous bit In the digital realm, the company’s many times longer than a regular bit and life. She also pointed to a combination of My Rock Tools Track and My Rock Tools does not need to be sharpened,” said Ro- corporate capabilities that, taken togeth- Drill join its Rock Tools Digital Services bit R&D engineer and materials specialist er, offer an attractive choice for drilling offerings. Historically, key customer data Niko Ojala. customers. Sandvik has in-house R&D re- such as cost per meter, number of used The diamond coating “has several lay- sources for carbide development, and can tools and rock tool performance has been ers, which ensures adherence and enables easily coordinate that with its hammer and captured manually. Track makes this en- the diamond bit to withstand the shocks bit design efforts to produce highly effec- tire process digital, allowing for quick and and heat fluctuations of tophammer drill- tive products. In addition, it claims to be easy data input and constant up to date ing,” Ojala explained. The company had the only major supplier to offer more than monitoring of drilling operations. This ca- previously used the diamond coating with just a standard line of carbide choices. pability, according to Sandvik, facilitates success on bits used in the oil and gas Hai also noted that Sandvik can provide real-time analytics and problem solving, sector, and test results showed the new service advantages such as rebuild kits on-site or off. bits can stand up to drilling in hard rock that give hammers second or third lives. “Track helps us improve our service as well. The company’s PowerCar- offering globally and is a powerful tool in “When drilling hard granite, you may bide-equipped Speedy bits are claimed all aspects of our contract support — pro- have to remove a traditional hard metal to provide 10% faster drilling speed com- ductivity enhancements and logistics, for button bit after 80 meters, for example, pared to standard bits with ballistic but- example,” explained Rickard Andreasson, while with the diamond button bit you tons — saving users up to an hour per day commercial manager, Rock Tools Division. can drill nearly 1 kilometer. And as the per rig. Sandvik said the bits’ patented, He also noted that Track could re- diamond buttons do not, in practice, wear elevated front breaks rock at two levels duce the frequency of travel for on-site out, their penetrating ability does not de- and improves the flushing flow, while studies or consultations, an import- teriorate like regular hard metal buttons. large sludge grooves enable quick remov- ant consideration in a pandemic-con- Drilling speed therefore remains the same al of large cuttings. Speedy bits come in strained business climate. throughout the bit’s tour of duty. three sizes: 45, 48 and 51 mm. Track is initially being introduced in “Similarly, the diameter of the bore- Looking ahead, Sandvik plans to re- Australia, South Africa, Sweden, Cana- hole does not decrease as the bit ages, release several new products in the coming da and the United States. More than two sulting in a more consistent and predict- year: a new sealed-bearing rotary drill bit dozen customers have started using it able end result in production drilling. The and shock absorber, and a new topham- and have reported favorable results, ac- longer change interval offered by the bit mer tool system. Few details are available cording to the company. saves time and is particularly important for the new bit, to be labeled the Char- My Rock Tools Drill is an interactive for remote-controlled drill rigs in fully au- ger RR450, but Sandvik’s Carsten Mijic, simulator that is aimed at helping Sand- tomated mining environments,” he said. product line manager, Rotary Tools, com- vik’s customers achieve a deeper under- Bit manufacturer Varel Mining and mented that the company development standing of how correct settings impact Industrial, a wholly owned subsidiary efforts for its rotary bit future portfolio both rock tool life and performance. It is of Sandvik Group, recently changed its focus on the use of PowerCarbide for available for tophammer, down-the-hole name to Terelion. The newly branded en- longer life and higher performance; at- and rotary applications and demonstrates tity will continue to design and manufac- tention to the ongoing need to improve how to maximize productivity in different ture drill bits and complementary prod- steel performance as well as development ground conditions. ucts for blasthole drilling. of harder materials to protect the steel; Robit introduced a family of diamond The company’s latest product offer- and advanced computer design methods button bits for tophammer drilling, making is the line of Warrior DTH hammers to improve flow and optimize carbide and ing the bits available on the market late and bits, initially available in 6-in. ham- steel arrangements — all intent on giving in 2019, initially in 89-mm and 102- mer size and corresponding bit combinations. The Warrior hammers, according to Terelion, feature an optimized air cycle that has lower air consumption, thus providing a lower cost of operation. Bits are available in three face configurations — concave, flat and convex — Terelion says its Warrior DTH hammers benefit from comprehensive design simulation analysis that provides an and standard, premium or ultra-premi- optimized air cycle with reduced air consumption. um carbide grades.

38 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com

SLOPE STABILITY Slope Monitoring Tech Trends Spread Safety Increasing integration and ease-of-use define the latest slope stability solutions, making them easier and potentially cheaper to adopt By Jesse Morton, Technical Writer

ally ensured that the people that require the information get it as fast as possible.” The upgrades to CAS and Guardian launched in June 2020, and the field testing that followed revealed some of the capabilities offered through integration. With the integrated solution, the process of alerting a workforce to a slope stability risk can involve only one person. IDS GeoRadar slope monitoring radars detect movement. That goes to Guardian, which alerts the geotech crew. The geotech then reviews and signs off on the alarms and any no-go zone. “That person drills down to understand the alarm, and confirms it and the no-go zone,” Bayuelo said. With only a click, and at the speed of the mine’s network, the alarm and no-go zone specs are distributed through CAS The walls are coming down. The newest slope stability solutions offer greater integration, making them easier to adopt and email. “The no-go zone is in near-re- and deploy. Above, dewatering effects on highwall stability can be modelled in the new, integrated GeoStudio Core. al-time transmitted,” he said. (Photo: Seequent) “So, now, all the vehicles and the ve- One obvious trend in the latest slope sta- (CAS) and IBIS Guardian radar monitor- hicle drivers can see be alerted instant- bility solutions is improved integration. ing software that allow the two to com- ly about the incoming hazard,” Bayuelo The newest tech can now either easily in- municate and drastically cut the time said. “Now they have the capability to tegrate or be integrated. Since integration between slope stability risk detection and visualize where they should not go. And is a prerequisite for the digital mine, the workforce awareness of it. if somebody gets in this zone, then the trend should, in theory, nudge more min- Guardian’s integration with CAS 4.6 supervisor or mine manager will see that ers in that direction. means properly equipped office person- somebody is in the no-go zone.” Another quality the newer solutions nel, equipment operators and mine site Geotechs can set Guardian to monitor share is ease-of-use. Their operation is pedestrians can receive near-real-time certain areas more critically than it does described as intuitive, their interfaces as equipment visualization and timely alerts for others. “You have different levels and friendly, and training as minimal. about hazardous areas and no-go zones. it is up to the mine as to what hazardous Both trends suggest that, at least in The no-go zones are defined in Guard- area is transformed into a no-go zone,” he theory, future solutions will be easier and ian, which creates geofenced zones, haz- said. “Within Guardian, you say, I want to less expensive to adopt. More mines will ard maps and alarms. HxGN MineProtect monitor here, here and here, because this be able to deploy more solutions that solutions, such as CAS’s in-cab display is a slope movement hazard. Once that immediately detect and, increasingly, and the wearable Personal Alert, deliver hazard reaches a level of criticality, then predict rock movement. Thus, most im- the alarms and other specifications. the geotechs decide when this becomes a portantly, they bode well for the future of Hexagon Mining described the devel- no-go zone because the risk of collapse is mine safety in general. opment as an industry first. “Others have so high that nobody should be there.” point-to-point or radio-based processes, IBIS Guardian now assimilates data Integrated Solutions but can’t really drive the information to from, among other sources, the CAS serv- Speed Alerts the whole fleet,” Marcos Bayuelo, product er, Francesco Coppi, production manag- Hexagon Mining and sister company IDS portfolio manager, MineProtect, Hexagon er, interferometric radars, IDS GeoRadar, GeoRadar announced upgrades to HxGN Mining, said. “We’ve reduced the time to said. It “can automatically import the MineProtect Collision Avoidance System communication to the minimum and re- position of vehicles and working machin-

40 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com SLOPE STABILITY eries and visualize them in real time on Judd said. “People the radar displacement maps,” he said. can now know, if “Highly accurate displacement data is they are using the provided to monitoring specialists in system, that they near-real time, as it happens, and using can depend on be- an advanced automatic atmospheric cor- ing informed imme- rection algorithm to avoid any mistake.” diately if they are The primary benefit offered by the in- in danger, where- tegration is speed. “What it does is it al- as previously that lows you to really not require manual com- wasn’t the case.” munication between supervisors and the The development control room,” Bayuelo said. “It enables should help prompt you to really create a workflow automati- customers who cally through the system integration.” have one of the two Without the integration, you are liv- software solutions ing in 2019, he said. “Somebody in the to upgrade it and control room, or that is monitoring the to adopt the other, GroundProbe’s flagship slope monitoring platform, MonitorIQ, offers a one-screen view of all the sensors, to include third-party sensors, in a mine, offering near-real-time hazardous area, has to call somebody in Bayuelo said. Upon visibility of all movements and deformations. (Photo: GroundProbe) the mine that now needs to go somewhere adoption, any train- to block the area, which would transform ing required should be minimal and center tions, but the solutions themselves make this process into a half hour or more.” on workflow changes. the business outcomes better, which is Another benefit is awareness of who is “The new information that will be pre- the end goal of our company.” in or near the no-go zone. “Which means sented to them will be intuitive enough that nobody has to count,” Bayuelo said. for them to understand it,” Bayuelo said. Platform Uses Most Sensors “Nobody has to be present, because tech- “There is not a huge change management GroundProbe reported seeing strong de- nology is the one that is present.” or training regimen required.” mand for the MonitorIQ platform. The The biggest dividend is increased safe- The integration illustrates a couple supplier’s chief operating officer, David ty, Neville Judd, communications director, of the missions of Hexagon Mining and Noon, said because of its unique capabil- Hexagon Mining, said. “It is important parent company Hexagon AB. “We are ities, the aggregation software system is because it is linking two ecosystems that now building solutions that can interact destined to become the standard platform were previously unconnected,” he said. with each other, talk to each other, make for the majority of open-pit mines around “That separation potentially put peo- decisions with each other, and enhance the world. ple at risk and now the two things are con- the overall sum of our solutions,” Bayuelo The platform can assimilate data from nected and we’ve made that automatic,” said. “We don’t only offer the best solu- more than 100 types of sensors, including types made by competitors. “It offers the largest number of sensors you can incorporate into a system,” Noon said. “We have not locked out any data source from this platform,” he said. That combined with robust processing analysis creates “a very data-rich environment for customers” to support confident decisions on monitoring requirements. “It will allow the mine to do some pretty incredible things, including looking more at the data science around what each sensor provides and how it com- pares with other sensors,” he said. The platform offers a single-dashboard aggregation provides an overview of a slope or tailings dam, the company said. The development of MonitorIQ goes back to 2004 when a customer reported needing the ability to assimilate data from multiple sources on a single platform. “It was a brilliant idea back then, but chal- Recent updates allow Hexagon’s HxGN Collision Avoidance System and IDS GeoRadar’s IBIS Guardian to communicate lenging to implement,” Noon said. directly for speedy slope stability alerts and the rapid creation of geofenced no-go zones. Above, an IDS GeoRadar unit “It probably hasn’t been until the last scans a shadowy distant slope. (Photo: Hexagon Mining) five years that this really has been able to be

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 41 SLOPE STABILITY adopted because of expansion of IT in the mining industry,” he said. Now it can come standard with GroundProbe equipment and eventually “will be installed across the entire GroundProbe fleet for our customers.” The system has a number of features that all but ensure widespread adoption. It runs safety critical software complete with a programmable alert system, and it offers an intuitive interface that facilitates reporting and supports efficient workflows. MonitorIQ runs the company’s SSR Viewer software, which provides data analysis capabilities to detect movement and can be programmed to send alerts. “We have two types of notifications,” Noon said. “There are the alerts built into the GroundProbe monitoring systems through what we call an alarm center.” They give a warning when movement is Reutech Mining’s MSR Modular series models can be truck-mounted, can integrate other sensors and third-party solutions, and can operate in extreme environments. Above, a unit scans for submillimeter movement at Landau detected by a GroundProbe system. coal mine in Mpumalanga, South Africa. (Photo: Reutech Mining) “And then in the MonitorIQ platform, with all of the third-party sensors, you can surements or line measurements or area to be a workflow process to make it much set thresholds or triggers on data and on measurements from different types of simpler to get the data to a form that can trend analyses,” thus predicting move- GroundProbe sensors, or even third-party be easily understood by the operators.” ment and giving an early warning, he said. sensors, you get to see that all on a single The platform is designed to be a core The alarm center uses “a watchdog display and see how they all tell a similar system in an integrated mine operation. system to watch the software so if it is story,” Noon said. “It is a platform that the industry has not functioning correctly, the user gets an The capability helps streamline report been talking about for a long time,” Noon alert,” Noon said. generation to vastly reduce the time in- said. It is more than a product, he said. Designed to be easy and intuitive to volved. “They can design a standard tem- “It is building in an ongoing support for use, MonitorIQ offers a one-screen view plate and then draw in the data sources the life of the mine,” he added. of all the sensors in a mine. “If you want into the template; and then, when they run Recently, the supplier released a solu- to see all the movements or deformations the report, it automatically updates the re- tion that was developed with customer measured by all these different types port based on the live data from the Mon- input and meant to help miners move of sensors, whether they are point mea- itorIQ software,” Noon said. “It is meant toward increased digitization. SSR-Agi- lis is a turnkey, rapid-deployment, vehicle-mounted standalone monitoring system that uses 3-D real aperture radar. It is ideal for smaller operations that need a highly mobile radar system, Noon said. “The customer asked to put a radar that is typically on a trailer on a vehicle to be able to move it in close and focus it exactly on a work area, protecting the crew working directly underneath a slope,” Noon said. SSR-Agilis measures submillimeter deformations, and maintains that accuracy even as range increases. It can sit anywhere from 30 m to 1,400 m from the target. It is designed to be easy to use, and to provide optimal visualization. “The customer is able to see the wall with a camera image, but also with the radar data over- laid on to it or co-registered with it. When they see the heat map of the radar image GroundProbe’s SSR-Agilis is mounted on a light vehicle for easy relocation, and can sit anywhere from 30 m to 1,400 moving, they can, with their eyes, directly m from the target. It has an integrated camera, making it easier for users to locate movement detected by radar. identify the location on the slope that is (Photo: GroundProbe) moving,” Noon said. “GroundProbe is the

42 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com SLOPE STABILITY only technology that provides a co-regis- Modular Series Does tered visual image and radar deformation Double Duty image to help to make a very quick intui- Reutech Mining reported the MSR Mod- tive decision when safety is on the line.” ular series, known for versatility, offers One result is increased decision confi- simultaneous critical and strategic mon- dence. “From a user’s perspective, that is itoring capabilities with submillimeter the most valuable,” he said. precision, making it the most advanced The customer selects the model of system of its kind on the planet. light vehicle, and GroundProbe takes it The third-generation movement-and- from there. “We deliver the vehicle of surveying radar system is designed to their preference with the equipment in- operate in extreme conditions, and can stalled on it out to the site,” Noon said. integrate with technologies from third par- The solution broadens the already ties, such as Lecia GeoMos, Trimble 4D, vast range of monitoring offerings from QuickSlope, SlideMinder and Rocscience. GroundProbe. “The technology that sits MSR Modular offers multiple mounting on this platform is common across all options, including trailer mounted, fixed those platforms so all the software, all the installation or vehicle mounted. The oper- support and all the benefits that we have ating temperature range runs from -50°C are common across all the platforms.” to 55°C. Units are equipped with an in- SSR-Agilis, of course, can speak to tegrated onboard weather station with ad- Monitor IQ. And both can be supported vanced atmospheric correction algorithms. by our area reps and remotely. Models within the series are licensed “We are able to give solutions or solve for operating at as close as 30 m to as far problems or do repairs or maintenance to out as 4,000 m. They can operate off-lev- make sure the equipment is running with el by as much a 15°. The Scan2K is designed to fill the gap between smaller as much uptime as possible,” Noon said. MSR Modular is known for its modu- short-range scanners and bigger long-range scanners. “The miners really appreciate the local larity, Reutech Mining said. “It provides Unlike other LIDAR scanners, Scan2K can operate in and remote support, especially in this building blocks that consist of a radar mines that use prisms in slope monitoring. (Photo: time of COVID restrictions.” module, battery module, generator mod- Carlson Software)

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 43 SLOPE STABILITY ule and solar module,” Jan de Beer, executive manager, Reutech Mining, said. “This allows for custom solutions for each requirement.” The MSR is also known for reliability and accuracy. “It offers operational availability of more than 99%,” de Beer said. “It can detect submillimeter movement over long distances in harsh environments and volatile atmospherics.” Units are capable of simultaneous strategic and critical monitoring. “A single standalone system will alarm on movement in critical areas while also doing wide-area or strategic monitoring,” de Beer said. When powered by MSR Connect, the series “is the most cutting-edge geotech- Geostudio Core integrates the three most popular GEOSLOPE programs. One is a new version of SIGMA/W, rock deformation modelling software with a comprehensive material model library and automated strength reduction nical monitoring solution available on the stability analysis. (Image: Seequent) market,” he said. “It is considered to be the world’s most advanced slope stability sors include the Slope Vision camera, in early 2020. The solution exemplifies radar, improving safety and productivity in pit alarm systems, personal alarming how far LIDAR in general has evolved in through accuracy and reliability.” devices, automatic weather stations and two decades, Husack said. “The Scan2K It can operate as a stand-alone sys- Wi-Fi repeater stations.” can and does provide an effective and tem, or “other products can be integrated After-sales support includes a 24/7 call economical solution that can help en- with the MSR to enhance your geotechni- center, on-site support, geotechnical sup- hance and help with stability monitoring.” cal monitoring program,” de Beer said. port, and advanced virtual remote support. Company literature described the “The Multi Purpose Platform offers MSR Modular reflects the company scanner as “perfect for all applications, a mounting platform for various sensors slogan: Safety and productivity through with programmable data collection rates and equipment,” he said. “Typical sen- accuracy and reliability, de Beer said. that enable a range of up to 2,000 m.” It “We listen to what our client’s needs has a range accuracy of 5 mm at 100 m are and we assist in providing custom and a range resolution of 2 mm. solutions to problems,” he said. “Our Features include “three range settings: mission is to understand the mining envi- 250 m, 750 m and 2,000 m with associ- ronment and to provide the industry with ated pulse rates of 500 kHz, 200 kHz and world-class products.” 50 kHz, respectively,” Husack said. “For each pulse at those data rates, the scan- LIDAR Scanner Bridges Gap ner will record up to four returns, which is Carlson Software showcased the Carlson extremely helpful for vegetation and dust Scan2K, set to soon be co-released with penetration and bare earth applications.” software. The laser scanner is equipped The vertical view can be adjusted from with an integrated high-resolution cam- the maximum 120° to a narrow field, he era, inclinometers, a compass, a L1GNSS said. “This will allow the system to collect receiver and weatherproof housing, and data at the set data rates over a small- is designed to “bridge the gap” between er vertical field of view, which will allow small short-range sensors and large long- denser data point collection.” range sensors, the company reported. The variable range, scan rates, and It is a “high-accuracy, LIDAR scanner vertical view allow for customized and de- that is extremely easy to use and easy to tailed scanning of areas of concern. integrate into existing or new slope stabil- “The Scan2K will also work with sur- ity monitoring solutions,” Bradley James vey prisms that are in the scanner’s field of Husack, special project engineer, Carlson view that might be mounted or positioned Software, said. “The amount of training in on the target area slope that are being used the use and setup of the Scan2K is very for other methods of monitoring,” Husack minimal and very intuitive. That com- said. “Why this is important is that other bined with the lower cost of ownership LIDAR scanners will shut down if a prism Equipped with a camera, inclinometers, and a L1GNSS receiver, Scan2K can be wired for power and data, or can and enhanced operational capabilities, is detected or encountered in the scan as operate on a battery and wireless. It can be controlled the Scan2K is a great choice.” a means to protect the optics of the scan- by third party slope stability software. (Photo: Carlson The supplier adopted the LIDAR tech- ner,” he said. “The Scan2K was designed Software) nology last year and announced Scan2K in such a way that it will be protected and

44 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com SLOPE STABILITY not shut down when it encounters these sack said. “This shows the forward-think- 3D, Plan View and Axisymmetric are all con- prisms at typical monitoring ranges.” ing and evolution of Carlson Software.” tained within a single project, with results The scanner can be mounted on a tri- seamlessly shared between 3D groundwater pod, vehicle or moving platform. It can be Integrated Software flow analyses and 2D stability analyses.” wired for power and data or can be bat- Optimizes Modelling Thus, it offers “the most rigorous tery-powered and wireless. Seequent released GeoStudio Core, saturated-unsaturated groundwater flow It can be controlled by an onboard which integrates the three most heavily formulation in the geotechnical software touch-screen color interface that remains used programs in the GEOSLOPE suite market,” Grunau said. GeoStudio is “the visible in direct sunlight or, remotely, by and offers comprehensive modelling of a only solution in the world offering the ca- a tablet or PC running ATLAScan Soft- wide range of soil and rock behavior. pability of conducting both a General Lim- ware, a data management system for GeoStudio integrates SLOPE/W for it Equilibrium analysis and an automated scan projects. modeling slopes; SEEP/W for modeling Strength Reduction stability analysis with- ATLAScan offers target-free automat- groundwater; and a reformulated SIG- in the same modelling environment.” ic alignment, 3D meshing, automatic MA/W, with a comprehensive material The integration empowers the user line features extraction and monitoring. model library and automated strength to analyze the entire lifecycle of a mine, Scan2K can be paired with Point Cloud reduction stability analysis, for modeling from conception to closure. It can create a Software, which offers automation for rock and soil deformations. digital twin of a mine for use in detecting large data sets. The software can process The integration allows users to conduct and resolving all potential failure mecha- millions of data points and has the ability multiple analyses all within a single proj- nisms, Grunau said. “It allows the engi- to go from field scan to finished plat. ect file, Seequent said. “Results from one neer to make confident decisions regard- The scanner can also be controlled analysis can be used by another, or analy- ing mine design,” he said. by third-party slope stability monitoring ses can be made to simultaneously model GeoStudio Core is a Windows applica- applications. stresses and groundwater flow,” said Paul tion available by subscription. It can be Aggressively priced, the Scan2K was Grunau, president, GEOSLOPE, Seequent. run as a standalone application. Or, when set for market release in H1 2020, but GeoStudio supports multiple geometries used with Seequent’s Central, for cloud- was delayed to Q4 due to the lockdowns. within a single file, making it easy to com- based file management, and Leapfrog, for The introduction of “the most versatile pare the effect of mine geometry on stability digital twin management and modelling, terrestrial laser scanner on the market” and groundwater flow, he said. “It is also it can offer a single source of truth in now is a subtle flex by the supplier, Hu- multidimensional, meaning that 1D, 2D, change management.

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www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 45 OPERATING STRATEGIES New Wireless Network Solutions Mesh With Mining’s Data Demands

Hartwick, IWT’s Midwest sales director for mining and tunneling. “It offers the tracking, communications and data features that users would expect, and it provides Wi-Fi at the face. Mainten- ance personnel, for example, can now FaceTime a factory technician and get assistance in diagnosing an issue in real time. SENTINEL Uniti also enables the users to establish data analytics and perform SSI [Short Session Interval] time studies.” Earlier this year, the Mine Safety and Health Administration granted IWT an Intrinsically Safe Approval for the Uniti Node system. According to IWT, more than 100 mines use its SENTINEL system, and one of its customers, a coal operator in the eastern U.S., saw productivity increase 15% based on efficiency improvements. “The standard IWT communications and tracking system provides voice, text, tracking and data, which is a huge productivity enabler,” said Matthew Fisher, program manager IWT says its integrated wireless network allows mine operators to choose features to support today’s needs and add for IWT. features as required: voice communications, text, tracking, gas monitoring, operational data, analytics and more. SENTINEL Uniti adds high-speed Access is an important word in the min- consolidates all the capabilities mines data rate backhaul and offers local Wi-Fi ing industry’s lexicon. Mining compa- need for now and in the foreseeable access in conjunction with battery-pow- nies need access to areas of potentially future: a high bandwidth, wireless ered voice, text and tracking system. valuable mineralization, to the agencies backhaul for production data; a 2.4- Any Wi-Fi enabled device can con- and government officials that assess GHz, industry-standard Wi-Fi Access nect to the network, Fisher explained. and award mining concessions, and to Point; and communications, tracking “And, when there is an emergency, the sources of investor funding. On a more and sensor support. Power is supplied mine still has the post-incident voice, technical level, they increasingly need from either a 110-VAC AC-to-DC power text and tracking system enabled for a immediate, reliable access to data from supply or a battery. long time as it’s very energy efficient. IoT nodes and equipment monitoring The wireless platform, said IWT, is We have some cases where the safety systems in order to maintain safe, ef- easy to deploy and the mesh connec- side of this technology has proven to be ficient operations. Two recent product tions it offers allow users to find the life-saving.” announcements highlight the rapid rate network and link up automatically, ac- The system supports the new MSHA of advance in the wireless network- cording to the company. No preprogram- and NRTL-approved SENTINEL wireless ing and communications technologies ming is necessary. gas monitor that IWT launched at the available for both surface and under- IWT said the SENTINEL Uniti Node beginning of 2020. ground applications. not only handles underground tracking The company also has developed a and communication functions, but also surface mine monitoring solution called IWT Expands Networking Capabilities provides the infrastructure to trans- Envōk. “We have a wireless network Wireless technology supplier IWT has mit data from production equipment that can operate in rugged, remote ar- introduced its latest innovation: the at the face to the surface. “The real eas, and can connect to existing sensors Wireless Working Section, based on the benefit of the Wireless Working Section and equipment,” Fisher said. “Why not company’s new SENTINEL Uniti Node. that mines see is increased produc- apply this technology to regularly moni- The Uniti Node, according to IWT, tivity by improving workflow,” said Brad tor run-off, groundwater and tailings?”

46 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com OPERATING STRATEGIES

Mines often must meet a predeter- el a 300-mile loop to manually record to meet the requirements of bulk ma- mined set of environmental guidelines data from every point. Wireless devices terials handling operations. The switch- regarding runoff. “Envōk would collect can transmit all this data to one device gear unites a range of functions into water quality data and eliminate the within seconds. It will make the whole a single platform, making it suitable need to manually sample the data on process more efficient.” for a wide range of applications. Typ- a pump or a sensor on a well,” Fish- An Envōk turn-key solution can solve ical application areas include emer- er said. “Manual data entry can be a lot of data collection problems, Fisher gency-stop shutdown, belt misalign- error prone. This system would offer explained. “We assist in design, instal- ment monitoring in the transport of real-time, live connectivity to sensors. lation and maintenance,” Fisher said. bulky materials and level monitoring in Environmental managers and engineers “And, we provide an interface that al- material silos. can view this data on their phones and lows users to manipulate values that The emergency-stop and belt mis- manage it from the office. The system they understand rather than program- alignment switches in the HDS series works in remote places with limited or ming custom apps. We are simplifying now accommodate wireless transmit- no cellular service.” the installation process and eliminating ters made by aconno, allowing diag- Hartwick added, “During the the need to write code.” nostic information to be transmitted COVID-19 pandemic, companies had to IWT said it already has installed from the switches more quickly and adapt quickly to working remotely. This some Envōk systems and anticipates with greater efficiency. The switches technology has solved that issue for working with additional mines to imple- have been integrated into a mesh net- many customers.” ment pilot programs. work to enable status data to be trans- IWT’s wireless network is simple mitted from one node to the next over and easy-to-use, Fisher explained. Wireless Smart Switch for Overland distances of up to 250 m. This, in turn, “With minor configuration in the web Conveyors facilitates communication over several application, the end users can see The Schmersal Group, in cooperation kilometers and, in particular, can sim- the data and decide how they want to with aconno GmbH, has developed pro- plify switchgear monitoring in large- present it to the organization,” Fish- totypes of an Industry 4.0 switch capa- scale conveyor systems. er said. “Mine owners would have an ble of wireless data transmission over All switching operations can be automated solution and they could distances of several kilometers for use monitored in real time and online via demonstrate to regulators that they with extended conveyor systems. The a web browser on a PC or smartphone. are being proactive.” integrated wireless transmitter in the The data from the cloud can be trans- The system could also be configured HDS series switches transmits status mitted directly to the control center to signal ground movement to warn of a data for each individual switchgear unit or to maintenance and service techni- potential dam failure or landslide. “The via a common wireless mesh network to cians’ smartphones on site using the system could monitor extensometers a cloud system. The prototypes are cur- web interface or app. Malfunctions and, when ground movement hits a cer- rently undergoing practical tests. in conveyor systems are recorded in tain threshold, certain people are alert- Schmersal said the new HDS switch- the cloud immediately and actuat- ed immediately,” Fisher said. “This sys- gear series was developed specifically ed switchgear units can be uniquely tem could monitor conditions and send assigned, allowing for rapid trouble- emails and alerts. It could also trigger shooting by maintenance personnel. other events to happen, such as sound- This, said the company, eliminates ing an alarm, closing a well or powering lengthy searches for faults in convey- up a pump.” or system command and operating The adoption rate for remote mon- chains, minimizing disruption caused itoring systems varies throughout the by production outages and improving mining business. Some organizations machine availability. know exactly what they want and oth- In addition, said Schmersal, de- ers just know they have a problem. IWT pending on the distance and the envi- can provide a turn-key solution for both, ronmental conditions of larger conveyor Fisher explained. “Different vendors systems, the investment costs for this provide sensors with different accu- Bluetooth solution with a wireless mesh racies and this is an adaptable archi- network are only a fraction of the sys- tecture that connects everything,” tem costs of conventional fieldbus sys- Fisher said. “The system can take val- tems with decentralized structures. ues from two different sensors and The German startup aconno develops combine that into new data and moni- customer-specific hardware, Bluetooth tor that as well.” and sensor solutions, including Blue- Envōk reduces the manpower asso- The HDS switchgear can consolidate a range of tooth chips and a development plat- ciated with monitoring all those items, functions into a single platform, such as emergency- form for individual Industry 4.0 appli- Hartwick explained. “In a day, a mine stop shutdown, belt misalignment monitoring and cations. Schmersal Group owns 26% of engineer in the western U.S. could trav- level monitoring in storage silos. aconno GmbH.

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 47 SUPPLIERS REPORT Erzberg Builds Truck Trolley System

steel production,” said Josef Pappenre- iter, technical director, VA Erzberg. At the end of September, the trolley line was extended to 5 km. The miner will now track how Alpine winter weather affects the overhead lines and the performance of six T 236 trucks. Freeport Taps Wärtsilä for 128-MW Plant for Grasberg PT Freeport Indonesia selected Wärtsilä Corp. to provide a 128-megawatt (MW) power plant for its Grasberg mine at the Amamapare port in Papau, Indonesia. The contract covers 14 Wärtsilä 34DF dual-fuel generating sets. Wärtsilä and partner PT PP will install, construct and commission the plant. The electricity will power the mine, which operates independent of the local grid and requires a 60-Hz power supply. The miner needs the electricity to launch underground operations, PT Freeport Indonesia said. A trolley system using overhead lines was tested at an iron ore mine in Austria. The system allows for switchbacks. (Photo: Liebherr) “For this it is critical that we have a reliable and efficient energy supply, and Part of an effort to cut fuel burn and “In addition to the positive environ- the Wärtsilä generating sets will deliver emissions, miner VA Erzberg GmbH and mental effects, an investment in this the power we need,” PT Freeport Indo- Liebherr tested a trolley-assist system new technology also secures the sustain- nesia Executive Vice President George for T 236 diesel-electric haul trucks at able extraction of iron ore for domestic Baninni said. the Erzberg iron ore mine near Eisen- erz, Austria. The $23.5 million project hopes to prove unique purpose-built technologies. For the tests, a truck was modified to operate with an overhead line connected through a current collector on a 500-m-long uphill-haulage test track. The arrangement, differing from conventional pantograph systems, allows for small radii and switchbacks, and for better usage of the haul road. When in trolley mode, the full power capacity of the electric wheel motors can go to building speed while the diesel engine idles. This cuts fuel consumption and emissions, two goals of the project. The miner reported it burns 4.5 million liters per year of diesel to transport more than 13 million metric tons per year (mt/y) of rock. That figure could be reduced by 3 million liters if the new system performs as planned, the The fast-starting Wärtsilä 34DF generating sets that will power Grasberg’s underground mining operations can run mine reported. on biodiesel and natural gas. (Photo: Wärtsilä)

48 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com SUPPLIERS REPORT

Wärtsilä has power plants in the process automation, and installation region, and the supplier’s presence in and commissioning services. Indonesia helped it win the contract, Metso Outotec said the solutions will the company reported. Nonetheless, help Zijin Mining in their quest to create “the competitive total lifecycle cost a sustainable world-class operation with of the Wärtsilä solution was ultimately high productivity and cost effective- the deciding factor,” said Kari Punnon- ness. “The merger of Metso and Outo- en, energy business director, Austral- tec has strengthened our local business asia, Wärtsilä. presence, which will be of great benefit The Wärtsilä 34DF engines can to the implementation of the project,” operate on a variety of fuels. Initially, said Stephan Kirsch, president, miner- the engines will run on Indonesian B30 als business, Metso Outotec. biodiesel. With copper reserves that exceed The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled 10 million metric tons (mt), the Qu- for delivery between July and November long copper mine is a high-altitude 2021. The first seven engines are ex- operation. The mine’s concentrator sits pected to be officially handed over in on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, often re- March 2022, with the remaining seven ferred to as the Roof of the World. After to be handed over in July 2022. the completion of the project, the ore handling capacity of the concentrator Metso Outotec Wins Order will reach 150,000 mt per day. From Zijin Metso Outotec also reported it will Metso Outotec signed a $29.4 million deliver two Vertimill VTM-4500 stirred contract with Zijin Mining Co. Ltd. for mills to a gold mine in Australia in the delivery of processing equipment 2021. The mills will be the largest of to the Qulong copper mine project in their kind installed in that country. Tibet. The scope of delivery includes a The company reported a two-year ex- 58-MW grinding circuit equipped with tension of the Life-Cycle Services agree- horizontal and vertical grinding mills, ment with Boliden’s Aitik copper mine

Metso Outotec was contracted to deliver a 58-MW grinding circuit equipped with horizontal and vertical grinding mills to Zijin Mining’s Qulong project in Tibet. (Photo: Metso Outotec) in Gällivare, Northern Sweden. The agreement covers the supply of mill lining, chute lining solutions, preventive maintenance of the grinding circuit, and recycling of used wear parts. The contract is a performance-based cost-per-ton agreement, and seeks to maximize availability of the grinding circuit and production. In 2019, the mine produced close to 41,000 metric tons of copper, employing nearly 800 people. Separately, Metso Outotec reported its new manufacturing site in Šiauliai län, northern Lithuania, started operations. “The new plant further strengthens the company’s capability to produce high-qual- The AG mills for Boliden’s Aitik copper mine use Metso Outotec’s Megaliner mill lining. (Photo: Metso Outotec) ity rubber and poly-met wear parts.”

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 49 SUPPLIERS REPORT

FLSmidth Solution to Automate Terminals in Brazil FLSmidth received an order for Bulk- Expert from a customer in Brazil. The solution will fully automate the stock- yard operation of two large iron ore shipping export terminals in the south of the country. The customer has a five-year relationship with the supplier, and satisfac- tion with that relationship prompted the order, FLSmidth said. “The order is a clear vote of confidence for FLSmidth’s work during the feasibility stage and for our focus on high-performing, productivity-providing digital solutions,” FLSmidth CDO Mikko Starting last June with a six-year contract for Sandvik equipment, Glencore Queensland Metals is moving away Tepponen said. from mixed fleets. (Photo: Sandvik) BulkExpert is a digital solution that allows for the unmanned, fully automat- sets,” said Tim Redmond, global account Hatch employs 9,000 in more than ed and optimized movement of both manager, Sandvik. 150 countries. LTK has offices in 23 lo- material and material handling equip- Management at Glencore Queensland cations around the world and a staff of ment in ports and terminals. It uses a Metals said the development is part of more than 450. 3D laser scanning system, RTK-GPS a plan to move away from mixed fleets. technologies and state-of-the-art con- “This innovative partnership with Sandvik Redpath Raisebores Record trol software, FLSmidth reported. will help us improve the way we operate Pilot Hole Separately, FLSmidth reported it and maintain mobile equipment in our Redpath reported it raisebored an acquired KnowledgeScape, which will underground mines by providing us with a 875.1-m pilot hole in Québec, Canada. be included in the ENABLR portfolio real reduction in the total cost to operate A Redboer 90EX raisedrill drilled the and will deliver increased automation our primary fleet,” Simon Pope, Glencore “record-breaking” hole, which varied by and output for customers. The digital Queensland Metals general manager, said. only 0.03% over the length of the hole optimization solution line can increase Having a single technology platform and was completed ahead of schedule, total output at a processing plant by will help the miner launch intelligence the company reported. up to 10% while reducing power, wa- projects and adopt automation, he said. The previous record for the Amer- ter and reagent consumption, FLSmidth “We look forward to working with Sand- icas was 845 m. That hole was also reported. vik to share operational and maintenance completed by Redpath, and the record FLSmidth reported the acquisition insights through new and emerging tech- stood for more than a decade, the com- will further solidify its position as a nologies and unlocking further improve- pany reported. leading supplier of digital optimization. ments in safety for our people and the Redpath is raiseboring a 1,009-m productivity of our mines,” he added. pilot hole elsewhere in Canada. Sandvik to Provide Fleet to Glencore Oz Mines Hatch, LTK Reach Final Aquiline Drones Will Make In late June, Sandvik won a six-year, Stages of Merger Drone Volt Units $175 million contract from Glencore Hatch and LTK are in the final stages Aquiline Drones announced it signed an Queensland Metals for underground min- of negotiating an integration of the two exclusive five-year U.S. manufacturing ing equipment and parts. The supplier firms. The merger will create a global and distribution agreement with Drone will provide drills, loaders and trucks, as service provider for the infrastructure, Volt, a French manufacturer of profes- well as parts, service and digital technol- energy and metals sectors. sional drones. ogy to Glencore’s mines in Queensland LTK’s expertise in rail will comple- Under the terms of the agreement, and New South Wales, Australia. ment Hatch’s capabilities in transpor- Aquiline Drones will take over the global Subsequently, the miner placed an tation and logistics. LTK’s clients will production of Drone Volt’s Hercules 2 order for $33 million. The first unit, a gain access to an integrated multi- and the Altura Zenith. Aquiline Drones Sandvik DD421 development drill rig, disciplinary service with large-scale glob- will also be the sole manufacturer of the was delivered in September. al experience, Hatch reported. Hatch will Pensar smart camera, a multispectral Sandvik said negotiations on the con- double its footprint in the U.S. and pro- sensor with artificial intelligence and tract began in 2018. “We spent nearly vide clients with capabilities across tran- edge computing capabilities. a year working closely with the Glencore sit vehicles and systems. Aquiline Drones said the move would team to identify exactly what was need- The companies will make a formal an- help the company make Connecticut ed for the long-term success of their as- nouncement after the final arrangements. the “drone capital” of the U.S. It “has

50 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com SUPPLIERS REPORT catapulted us to the front of the line the RPMGlobal team in integrating their water usage by up to 95%, Midwest In- with world-class design and unmatched software with other ISA-95 aligned solu- dustrial Supply reported. capabilities in the commercial drone tions in production at operational mines.” OCP said the system is field proven. space,” Aquiline Drones CEO Barry Al- “The MineKleen System has been im- exander said. OCP Will Carry MineKleen plemented at five of our underground Drone Volt said the step turns the System customers’ sites and the feedback has largest market in the world into a profit Midwest Industrial Supply contract- been very good,” Rick Cousineau, OCP sector. “We have created a strong rela- ed OCP Construction Supplies to offer owner, said. tionship with the Aquiline Drone’s team, the MineKleen Underground Mine Dust OCP, which also offers Midwest’s which could lead to additional contracts Control System in Northern Ontario. roadway and tailing dust control prod- in the future,” Drone Volt CFO Sylvain The MineKleen System can eradi- ucts, will offer Midwest’s MineKleen Navarro said. cate up to 95% of dust while reducing System effective immediately. Earlier, the U.S. Department of Justice banned the use of department funds to purchase or operate drones made in certain countries. GHH Acquires Services Supplier in Potash GHH reported the acquisition of BAT Bohr- und Anlagentechnik GmbH in Krayenberggemeinde. The move allows GHH to offer comprehensive services, to include repairs and parts, in the Ger- man potash and salt mining industry. GHH reported it is considering making special-purpose machinery at the site. “This will not only expand our range of services, but also continue a traditional location in this mining region, which is so important for Germany,” GHH Group CEO Jan Petzold said. With 25 employees, BAT will continue as BAT Bergbau Service GmbH. RPMGlobal Software Helps Test Project RPMGlobal reported it partnered with The University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Energy & Resources Digital In- teroperability Industry 4.0 (ERDi i4.0) Testlab, along with Enterprise Transfor- mation Partners (ETP), to help advance standards-based interoperability for the mining industry. RPMGlobal will supply its mine planning and scheduling software for the AMIRA P1208 Enabling Interoperabil- ity in Natural Resources Project, run by the UWA ERDi i4.0 TestLab in Perth, Western Australia. ETP welcomed RPMGlobal, which earned a place in the project due to its history of enterprise integration efforts and solutions. “The UWA ERDi i4.0 TestLab is excited to have RPMGlobal on board for the project,” John Kirkman, ETP managing director, said. “It follows on from some great success working with

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 51 SUPPLIERS REPORT

Varel Mining Changes Name the proud heritage of the Varel brand,” supplied each school with an HPV, and to Terelion Terelion President David Harrington said. will provide continued support through- Varel Mining and Industrial has changed out the 2020-2021 season. The chal- its name to Terelion. The development Getman Gets New Website, lenge is in its second year. follows the sale of the company’s oil Brand and gas division. Getman Corp. launched a new brand and ABB Partners Will Advance The company said the changes will al- website. The latter reflects the compa- Industry 4.0 low it to strengthen R&D and marketing ny’s growth and development as a global ABB announced it will work with the efforts. “Terelion will continue to build on supplier of custom underground mobile University of Western Australia’s new mining equipment, the company report- Industry 4.0 test lab, run by Enterprise ed. The new brand represents Getman’s Transformation Partners (ETP), to ad- focus on product solutions that fulfill vance Industry 4.0 open process auto- customer expectations and meet the de- mation standards. mands of underground mining. Separately, ABB is working with A brand review showed the compa- ETP on an integrated systems project ny has a reputation for delivering un- at Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine in matched quality and service, Getman Western Australia. The project will en- reported. “This brand launch represents hance ABB Ability to support the latest our resolve to meet changing customer in reliable messaging and interoper- needs for technology, electrification and ability standards. product development, all without com- The project will connect and co- promising our quality and aftermarket ordinate mine operators, workforce, support,” Getman Corp. CEO Erik Van equipment and all mining activities Allen said. in real-time, from face preparation to crusher. It and the test lab are huge op- H-E Parts Sponsors Schools portunities, ABB reported. in STEM Challenge “This demonstrates the significant H-E Parts International is sponsoring value that can be delivered to custo- two secondary schools to compete in mers through interoperability and auto- a science, technology engineering and mation across both processes and sys- math (STEM) challenge in Queensland, tems,” Stuart Cowie, head of industri- Australia. For the challenge, students al automation process industries, ABB from the region will build and test hu- Australia, said. “It will give ABB valu- man-powered vehicles (HPV) to a set able insights into digital transformation of specifications. The supplier recently and Industry 4.0 concepts for mining.”

Providing full service mining solutions and innovation around the world for over 55 years. EXPERIENCE • Shaft Sinking • Raise Mining • Mine • Underground Construction Development • Engineering & Technical • Contract Mining Services • Raiseboring • Specialty Services

AFRICA | ASIA | AUSTRALIA Mining Contractors EUROPE | NORTH AMERICA and Engineers H-E Parts supplied two schools with human-powered vehicles for a regional STEM Challenge. (Photo: H-E Parts Consider it done – safely. redpathmining.com International)

52 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com

PROCESSING SOLUTIONS 3 Takes on Tailings Technology

Tailings have historically been a liability Cadia uses HydroFloat to scavenge Since every ore is unique, the metal- for the mining industry, comprising mas- fresh plant tails enriched in coarse ore lurgical performance of the HydroFloat is sive volumes of slurry or sludge-like pro- because conventional stirred tank cells assessed by a continuous 6-in.-diameter cess waste that has to be safely contained are very poor at floating coarse ore. The lab unit, which can be run at Eriez’ full for decades, constantly monitored, and HydroFloat is an adjunct to the conven- service test lab in Erie, Pennsylvania, isolated from the surrounding natural en- tional flowsheet and can operate inde- or through an approved commercial lab. vironment. The weight of accountability pendently from conventional roughers, The scale-up of the results to commer- continues to press heavily on the industry, although they may share the same clean- cial-scale equipment has been validated amplified by public outrage over a series er circuit. A side benefit of implementing on multiple copper porphyry samples. of catastrophic tailings dam failures. a coarse particle tail scavenging plant Preliminary results with Pinto Valley The spotlight of concern focused on is that the mill circuit’s grinding target mill tails indicate that more than 50% tailings management has illuminated the can be increased without losing recovery. of the copper and more than 30% of the need for better planning, engineering Therefore, the mass throughput can be molybdenum in the final tail should be and upkeep of tailings storage facilities. increased with existing assets. recoverable with a commercial Hydro- It has also highlighted opportunities for The business case for a tail scavenging Float installation. On the basis of these producers and industry suppliers to de- application is primarily based on the addi- results, Capstone and Eriez are moving velop and apply new equipment, systems tional recovery of lost coarse pay-metals, forward quickly to conduct a HydroFloat and technologies that can, for instance, which Eriez reported is typically 3%-5% pilot plant on tails at Pinto Valley later reduce the cost and complexity of tail- of total plant production. Based on this this year to confirm that these results can ings pumping facilities, handle dewater- potential, Metallurgical Superintendent also be achieved under plant conditions. ing of high-volume process-waste flows Umut Erol of Capstone’s Pinto Valley oper- Lab test work suggests an improvement in in large concentrators, and even recoup ation worked with Eriez Flotation to deter- global copper recovery of 6%. economic value by recovering metal val- mine whether the HydroFloat technology Another important result — and a part ues from fresh tailings. Here are three would be appropriate for their flowsheet. of the PV3 optimization objectives — is to recent examples: Pinto Valley is a porphyry copper mine increase overall mill throughput capacity. and concentrator, wholly owned by Cap- This is possible by increasing the target Coarse Particle Flotation to Scavenge stone Mining and located east of Phoenix, mill grind size since coarse material that Copper Tails Arizona. As part of their PV3 Optimization does not float in conventional flotation Conventional stirred tank flotation cells Strategy, Pinto Valley is investigating capi- will be picked up downstream in the Hy- have been the dominant workhorse for tal improvements to increase overall recov- droFloat plant. The results of this pilot economically concentrating low-grade ery of copper and to increase mill capacity. campaign could provide the basis for a mineral deposits such as copper-bearing The HydroFloat in tail scavenging mode decision to add a coarse particle flotation sulphide ores. This technology enabled offers the possibility to achieve both. circuit at Pinto Valley. the expansion of copper supply at an af- fordable price. Despite the great success of conventional flotation, it is known and reluctantly accepted that this technology is very poor for extracting target minerals outside of a narrow particle size range. Typically 5%-15% of recoverable copper is lost due to this inefficiency. Eriez Flotation recently developed the HydroFloat, a fluidized bed assisted flotation cell, which has proven effective at floating coarse ore particles up to two to three times the size limit of conventional flotation. This technology was first introduced at a commercial scale for base metal sulphides at Newcrest’s Cadia Val- ley operation in Australia. Newcrest very recently announced its plan to expand the application of this technology. There are now other completed HydroFloat installa- The Cadia mine in Australia — the first to commercially employ Eriez HydroFloat technology — uses it to scavenge tions and a number of additional installa- fresh plant tails enriched in coarse ore. The HydroFloat is an adjunct to the conventional flowsheet and can operate tions are in the works. independently from conventional roughers.

54 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com PROCESSING SOLUTIONS

Diemme Filtration’s new GHT.5000.F filter press is scheduled for installation at a South American mine site in 2021. The giant filter uses 141, 5- x 5-m plates and will be capable of processing between 140-150 t/h of copper tailings.

In the Works: World’s Largest Filter Press at lower pressures as well. We also have and handrails, that extends the length of Diemme Filtration, a business unit of the choice of plate types to achieve a spe- the machine and offers a safe place for Aqseptence Group GmbH, is developing cific moisture content. workers to carry out their jobs. The filter a jumbo-sized version of its GHT-F filter The “F” in GHT.5000.F stands for cloths hang from the top of the plate and press for high-volume tailings dewater- fast, and the machine is designed to min- have no other point of attachment, making applications. The new model, known imize cycle times. If you have what we’d ing cloth changes quick and easy with the as the GHT.5000.F, has a plate size of 5 regard as a fast-filtration product, you will machine’s cloth removal tool. x 5 m and total filtration surface of more be able to achieve cycle times of 12 to 15 Finally, the machine is designed for than 3,000 m2. The GHT.5000.F’s plate minutes, which translates into four or five fast-fill operations with large feed ports dimensions are twice that of the compa- cycles per hour. and multiple outlets. Our challenge was ny’s largest GHT-F model. E&MJ’s edi- Tons per cycle, of course, is depen- to optimize the fill rate without caus- tor-in-chief Steve Fiscor recently spoke dent on the product that is being filtered. ing excessive wear and abrasion to the with Andrea Pezzi, Diemme’s sales di- In the case of copper tailings, for exam- valves, piping and filter cloths. We’ve also rector for North America and U.K., to ple, we assume tonnage rates of 140-150 included two separate washing systems: get details about what the company metric tons per cycle. a low-pressure wash that occurs at the claims will be the largest machine of its We are designing the GHT.5000.F to end of each cycle for removing residual kind in the market. be a “smart” filter press that will work filtrate, and a high pressure wash — at within the Industrial Internet of Things, about 50 bar or 725 psi — that takes E&MJ: How did this machine evolve? or IIoT. We think that the opportunity to place at an interval set by the operator to Pezzi: It is an outcome of our industry compile data on a constant basis from keep the filter media clean and optimize experience over the course of the last its operations will result in better main- filter cloth service life. We understand 20 years, as process facilities have in- tenance planning decisions and lower water conservation is important, and the creased in size and throughput tonnage. operating costs for the customer. We system we are providing is designed to High-volume facilities would require also intend to apply its IIoT capabilities reuse wash water, minimizing overall wa- a significant number of filtration lines to maximize the process efficiency and ter usage and providing advantages from when using standard machine sizes, ad- optimize power consumption. both economic and social points of view. versely affecting the overall attractiveness of the investment. Larger plate size E&MJ: What were some of the major de- E&MJ: What is the next step in develop- translates into a reduction in the number sign challenges? ment? of filtration lines and improves project Pezzi: With a machine this size, one of Pezzi: We are planning to assemble and economics. For example, we’ve gone the biggest challenges is in terms of lo- test the machine next year before shipping from a standard 2- x 2-m plate size to gistics. We had to find ways to maintain it to a customer’s site in South America 2.5 x 2.5 m, and with our GHT.5000.F, the robustness of the overall machine during summer 2021. This will be accom- we now have a plate size of 5 x 5 m. design yet optimize the quantity of steel panied by a virtual launch event that will The GHT.5000.F will have 141 of these required because the machine may have be available worldwide. We are extremely plates. It is 37 m long, more than 9.5 m to be transported and assembled in a re- excited about the project, because it gives wide and more than 7 m high. mote location. us an opportunity to present our compa- When we begin a major project like We had to plan carefully in terms of ny as a solutions provider for an industry this, we work closely with consultants worker safety when maintaining the ma- that’s very important — mining. We want and clients in order to identify the targets chine or changing the filter cloths. We paid to make people aware that mines are look- that need to be set and achieved. In other close attention to identifying the parts of ing beyond conventional approaches for words, we want to ensure that what we the machine that need frequent access tailings management — some of which offer is suitable for the needs of the cli- for inspection or maintenance, and we’ve haven’t worked out so well — and are ent’s site. Once we identify the basic re- provided access points to make the job receptive to new ideas and systems like quirements, we can determine the proper quicker, which over time provides the cus- large-scale filtration and dry stack tail- pressure setting, for example. With the tomer with lower opex requirements. The ings storage that can reduce their risk. GHT.5000.F, we can achieve maximum GHT.5000.F includes an overhead work Systems that result in risk reduction are pressure of 15-16 bar, but it can operate platform, complete with safety guards always a good investment.

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 55 PROCESSING SOLUTIONS

to a customer’s site process. For example, the entire module of the Weir mobile pumphouse can be built offsite at a much lower cost than traditional pumphouses, which are built in-situ. Building a pumphouse in-situ is time-consuming and expensive, as the method requires skilled trades to work for extended periods of time in remote locations. “Competitor pumphouses built using in-situ construction methods can more than double the construction time and costs compared to the steel fabrica- tion methods we have used,” said Peter Pavlin, Weir Minerals’ North America general manager of Engineering. The Weir mobile pumphouse is an innovative solution that provides a variety of pumping possibilities for intensive tailings applications. It’s designed to relo- Weir Minerals Canada built this prefabricated booster pumphouse with features such as an integral gland water cate across the site using especially engi- supply system, separate eHouse for power controls and remote communications, and three-point pump-base neered, military-style skid and “jack-and- mounting system for easier installation and relocation. roll” elements and a novel patent-pending Reclaiming Tailings Sustainably “The sheer size and energy require- pump/motor suspension system, providing With a Mobile Pumphouse ments of the equipment needed for the a unique advantage in mobile pumphouse Water requirements for intensive appli- application meant that this was a huge technology. These advances provide op- cations such as hard rock mining and oil undertaking from the beginning. You erators with distinct advantages over tra- sands processing have historically been don’t normally think of 3,500 horsepow- ditional fixed-in-place designs, creating a supplemented by local water sources. To- er pumps and 160 tons of equipment as more agile and cost-effective solution. day, these applications face new challeng- mobile,” explained Kris Kielar, product “Our ground-breaking design sets a es as the focus shifts to how operations manager for Dewatering Engineered to new standard for tailings management ap- can minimize their environmental foot- Order Solutions at Weir Minerals Canada. plications. Other pumphouses in the mar- print but continue to improve productivity The Weir Minerals team worked di- ket are static and often cause difficulties while also complying with new regulations. rectly with the customer to design an in- for operators when they wish to expand Weir Minerals suggests the best way for- novative booster pumphouse, engineered into new areas, as they must discontinue ward is not limited to installing energy-ef- especially to manage the Non-Segregat- service, resulting in a large capital expen- ficient products, but also includes working ing Tailings (NST) on site. The proposed diture. Our solution has overcome these in partnership with companies that can solution was an integral piece to reduce limitations by providing the customer with design engineered-to-order solutions. the tailings pond footprint on site through the tools to rapidly reconfigure a changing One of the ongoing challenges for cus- accelerated fines capture and decreased pumping network and move it to other sec- tomers is tailings reclamation. The question fluid tailings production, thus releasing tions of the tailings pond,” Pavlin said. of how best to reduce dependence on tail- more water for recycling thereby reducing The Weir mobile pumphouse incor- ings ponds yet expedite reclamation of both necessary water intake from local sources. porates an integral gland water supply water and product in the process was top of This in turn would expedite reclamation system and a separate eHouse for power mind for one Weir Minerals customer. to create landforms that support wetlands control and remote communication. A Pumping stations are a critical ele- and self-sustaining forest ecosystems. patent-pending, three-point pump base ment of tailings management, providing This solution dramatically reduced mounting system allows the base and the energy needed to drive the down- tailings residence time with a total solu- skid to act independently, minimizing stream processes. Static slurry pump- tion realized through Weir Minerals equip- the risk of pump and motor shaft mis- houses have until now been the norm, but ment. Multiflo pump barges mounted alignment during operation and the relo- they are costly and present many limita- with Hazleton submersible slurry pumps cation process. tions when considering alternate tailings extract the target fluid tailings that feed “Establishing relationships with our processing techniques. high-powered, land-based, Weir relocat- customers is just the beginning,” Kielar When the customer approached the able pump houses. Inside the pump hous- said. “By working closely together over Weir Minerals Canada dewatering team es, Warman slurry pumps boost recovered several years, we learn the ins and outs with a vision to mobilize the pump sys- tails from the pond to drive the new tail- of their operation. We hear feedback di- tem for their new tailings treatment pro- ings treatment process plant. rectly from the people who work with our cess, initially they didn’t know if it was Weir Minerals said its dewatering team equipment, and that helps us create even even possible. designs solutions that also can add value better solutions.”

56 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com

EQUIPMENT GALLERY ‘World First’ Battery-powered Scaler

offers enhanced operator safety and performance, faster and easier access to data, and streamlined maintenance to cut costs. Truck responsiveness is improved through multiple upgrades, including dy- namic stability control, enhanced traction control, machine speed limiting, hill start assist with anti-rollback, and cruise control. Auto Hoist control reduces dumping time, Caterpillar reported. The payload monitoring system offers more accurate measurement and dipper counts, and enhanced overload detection and carryback calculation and reporting. Guidance information, machine data and Jama introduced the battery-powered UL and CSA-certified. It can be adopted electronics controls are consolidated into SBU 8000E scaler. The unit’s battery through Epiroc’s Batteries-as-a-Service of- two touchscreens. solution, co-developed with Epiroc, fering where customers subscribe to energy The truck features an integrated makes the all-electric machine a first of storage capacity and the suppliers manage speed-coaching feature. its kind in the world, Jama reported. the system and replace components. The unit has a 1,193-kW Cat 3512E The predecessor mechanical SBU The low-vibration, low-noise, floating engine with selectable power options. It 8000 has been on the market for de- cab can be tilted backward up to 13°. The is available in multiple emissions con- cades. The new model features a rebuilt seat is air-suspended, has a threepoint figurations, to include an optional Tier 4 driveline, a 160-kilowatt (kW) electric belt and double lumbar support, and can Final/Stage V one. It can use 33R51 and motor, new hydraulic valves, new control be raised and lowered. A large 15.6-in. 36R51 tires. The larger tires allow a pay- system, and modular battery solution. color touchscreen provides an overview of load of 142 mt. The unit offers the same power as the die- controls and settings. Production of the truck will begin in Q4 sel predecessor model, and it eliminates www.jama.se 2021. The original 785 was first released emissions, reduces noise level, and can in 1985. help cut ventilation costs, Jama reported. New Cat 785 Offers Fast www.cat.com The battery solution is described as Data, 1,200 kW the world’s first certified battery system Caterpillar reported the 135-metric-ton Updated Articulated Trucks specially developed for mining. It is CE, (mt) Next Generation Cat 785 mining truck for North America Doosan released the 280-kW DA30-5 and the 373-kW DA45-5 articulated dump trucks to North American markets. The units are based on predecessor models in the line and have numerous updates to improve performance and reliability, the company reported. Both units feature a hydro-gas self-lev- eling suspension system. Both have a tan- dem rear bogie and limited slip differen- tial. The latter transfers power to the left and right front wheels, providing the highest torque to the wheel with the best grip. Both models have a new brake package for improved reliability, and an updated grease distribution system that lowers grease requirements by as much as 50%. An active payload measuring system comes standard on both trucks. An LCD screen in the operator cab gives each load’s weight. An exterior red-yellow- green light signals to excavator and loader

58 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com EQUIPMENT GALLERY

operators, indicating how close the cur- telescopic design, which can be retrofit- rent load is to the optimal size. ted into existing Warman pumps without The models also feature a new transmis- disassembly, ensures a secure fit no mat- sion adjustment lever, allowing operators to ter how the pump is set up, Weir reported. choose between set levels of retarder force. The guards comply with ISO 14120, ISO The cab offers better ergonomics over pre- 13857, AS4024.1601 and AS4024.1801 decessor models in the line. Features in- standards, and are available for the MCR, clude a new dashboard and an updated WBH and AH pumps. Additional designs vehicle control unit with a faster processor. will be engineered upon request. DoosanCONNECT telematics, machine Manufactured from stainless steel, health diagnostics tools, are offered for the guards are painted golden yellow. free. With it, fleet owners and managers can Warman telescopic gland seal guards are remotely monitor machine location, fuel us- available worldwide. age, engine temperatures and work time. www.global.weir The DA30-5 has a capacity of 16.8 m3, and the DA45-5 has a capacity of Extreme-duty Buckets 24.4 m3. Both have a maximum speed of Endure Excessive Wear 55 km/hour. Werk Brau introduced extreme-duty ex- ® na.doosanequipment.com cavator buckets with an aggressive dig Layher SIM angle, rugged construction and horizontal Seal Guards for Warman wear strips wear protection. Tapered side FROM DIGITAL PLANNING TO Pumps plates are engineered to reduce wear and THE SUCCESSFUL PROJECT Weir Minerals announced new telescopic allow for easier dumping. WITH FULL PLANNING AND gland seal guards that protect mainte- The bucket is equipped with industry- nance personnel performing gland seal standard teeth. Tooth size can be increased. SCHEDULING CERTAINTY adjustments on Warman slurry pumps. The cutter bit is made from ex- The guards never need to be removed treme-duty T-1 material and all critical Planning and scheduling certainty to adjust the gland seal followers. The or high-wear components use AR400 at the site through AR500 steel. Transparency in all work steps and cost control Increase in safety and proﬁ tability for every projekt Your access to BIM

More information at: industry.layher.com

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 59 AZ_SIM_MOL_EN_Engineering_Mining_57x235_01.indd 8 11.09.20 12:35 EQUIPMENT GALLERY

By starting with robust, dependable mation, the HRCe offers an energy efficiency Carlson Geolo- terials, the bucket is designed for heavy-du- increase of 15%, a 24% lower circuiting gy includes a new ty action and able to endure excessive wear load, increased throughput of up to 19%, Composite Strata and tear, the company reported. and reduced edge effect and downtime. by Interval com- Standard sizes are available from 3/8 Separately, Metso Outotec released the mand for compos- yd3 to 10 yd3 in various widths with cus- next-generation Courier 6G SL on-stream iting a drillhole by tom designs offered. analyzer for direct measurement of gold, depth interval; and Separately, Werk-Brau reported the platinum and other metals from ore feed, a Composite Strata High-Performance Loader Buckets are concentrate and tailings. It has been ad- by Elevation com- designed for strength and durability, and opted by Agnico Eagle’s Kittilä mine, and mand for compos- can handle material up to 1,200 kg/m3 in offers accurate real-time elemental analy- iting a drillhole by elevation range. density. The 3° inclined bottom reduces sis measurement, the supplier reported. Compositing commands are connected loading forces. The bucket top channel is Compared to predecessor competi- with the new Block Model Autorun com- designed to withstand high digging forc- tion, the Courier 6G SL has a more pow- mand, which allows users to save model- es, Werk-Brau reported. erful X-ray tube and optimized measure- ing settings and recreate block models as High-strength abrasion-resistant steel is ment channels. It combines Wavelength data is modified. Multiple block models used in all critical components. All seams Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence and Energy can be viewed and compared in the same are welded solid, the company reported. Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence technol- 3D viewer window. A curved sidewall allows for greater ogies with a high-power X-ray tube for The new Wash Commands calculate capacity and higher yield. Auxiliary edge unparalleled measurement performance, attribute values at different relative wash and teeth are available upon request. Metso Outotec reported. It features an au- densities. The Define Wash command im- The buckets are available in various tomatic internal reference measurement ports and builds the wash curves for the widths and capacities, up to 7 m3. Spe- for guaranteed stability under changing desired attributes. Apply Wash is used to cial designs are available upon request. environmental conditions. load in wash files, apply targets with cal- www.werk-brau.com The analyzer can measure up to 24 in- culations, and includes the ability to gen- dividual process streams. It is described erate output files that may be modeled for HPGR Offers Max Productivity as ideal for applications where gold is re- the selected relative density. Metso Outotec launched the HRCe covered with other metals. Carlson Geology also includes new high-pressure grinding roll (HPGR). The www.mogroup.com drillhole features like an added status HRCe offers decreased installation CAPEX flag, a new Compare Drillholes to Block over predecessor competition. It provides Modeling Software Simplifies Model command, and added options to maximum productivity through superior Routine Tasks the Custom Drillhole Report. grinding efficiency, the supplier reported. Carlson Software recently released Carlson A new Surface and Underground Min- The original HRC launched in 2014 Mining 2021, with new commands and ing command, Solid from Survey Points, and featured flanges and a non-skewing controls for the included modules: Under- makes a solid from survey points and a design. Customer input drove develop- ground Mining, Surface Mining and Geolo- perimeter polyline. ment of the new model, Metso Outotec re- gy. It runs on AutoCAD 2017-2021 and Other new Surface and Underground ported. Compared to predecessor competi- includes IntelliCAD 10.0. Mining features and commands include the Tunnel Network Command to create a 3D solid of an intersecting network of tunnel alignments and templates. Under- ground Solid Timing links 3D Polylines to mining solids, and then schedules them out. Merge Small Benches can run on all the benches or a specific bench. Panel Precedence by Polylines assigns precedence from polylines. www.carlsonsw.com Compact Breaker Packs More Power Brokk released the Brokk 200 for ultra- deep mining applications. With Smart- Concept, the machine provides industry-leading power and productivity with zero emissions, the company reported. The compact, remote-controlled unit offers power comparable to machines three times its size, but can be run by a smaller crew.

60 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com EQUIPMENT GALLERY

Using SmartConcept, Design Tool Shows Planning Consequences it senses poor power Deswik with partners Alicanto Labs and Universidad Adolfo supply and compen- Ibañez in Chile released Deswik.GO, a comprehensive strategic sates, requires 70% design and scheduling tool for open-pit mines. fewer cables than pre- The software system allows mine planers to optimize the decessor competition, mine shape, phases and sequence. Fast evaluation time allows and can be managed planners to evaluate multiple options and see the effects of remotely using intuitive planning decisions, Deswik reported. With it, planners can see controls, the company the cascade of consequences from a planning decision, or vari- reported. The unit can ations to existing plans. carry heavy tools, such Deswik.GO is interoperable with Deswik.CAD and other mod- as breakers, rock drills, ules in the Deswik range. buckets and shotcrete www.deswik.com attachments. www.brokk.com Rugged, Military-grade Handheld RugGear introduced the RG530 rugged smart- 2.4K GPM Pump Can Drain the Swamp phone for professional push-to-talk use in mis- Tsurumi released the GPN 837 heavy sand pump, the top mod- sion-critical areas. It can be used for voice commu- el in the series, with a water output of almost 2,400 gallons nications, including via low-latency connectivity. per minute (gpm). The pump is designed for use whenever con- The device supports one-to-one and group calls, siderable amounts of solid matter are broadcast calls, emergency alerts, caller identifica- involved, Tsurumi said. tion and direct device-to-device communications. The unit can pass 30-mm hard rocks. The Android device is military standard 810H The agitator at the suction opening mix- certified. It can be programmed for company- es mud and water so that it becomes wide full configuration and control. more fluid, the company reported. Features include a replaceable battery, a fast SOS function, The pump runs on a 37-kW elec- high audio quality, water- and drop-proof housing, and disinfec- tric motor and features an oil filter that tion-capable surfaces, RugGear reported. uses centrifugal force to lubricate in ruggear.com any position. It pumps vertically up to 24 meters. Submerged it is pressure-resistant down to 30 meters. The impeller, suction plate and housing are made of cast iron. Tsurumi.eu Medium-duty Conveyor Belt Clamps ASGCO unveiled the BC3 Safe Grip Conveyor Belt Clamps. The 2.7-mt model is for conveyor belts up to 72 in. wide and up to 0.625 in. thick. Safe Grip Belt Clamps are made of lightweight high-grade steel and aluminum components and offer lasting gripping force, ASGCO reported. The shock-absorbing end caps are designed to protect the bars from hammer use and drops. The BC3 clamps are designed for use in light- to medium-duty applications. www.asgco.com Remote Lube Health Diagnostics Des-Case Corp. launched We Monitor, a remote diagnostic-monitoring subscription plan for lubricated assets. For a monthly price, billed quarterly, Des-Case experts remotely use edge gateway devices, sensors, software, and desic- cant breathers to track and consult on lubricant health, cleanli- ness and humidity inside critical assets. The service is supported by the IsoLogic platform and app, which provides asset and lubrication status information. The platform can identify trends, provide email alerts and generate reports. Descase.com

www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 61 CONSULTANTS & SERVICES HELP WANTED

FREELANCE WRITERS Engineering and Mining Journal is looking for remote freelance writers who can create YOUR quality content for the magazine. Knowledge of mining and mineral processing industries CLASSIFIED is preferred. We are especially interested in writers residing in Indonesia, Australia and China, but are open to writers in other parts AD HERE of the world as well. You will be contributing news and feature articles to the magazine. 1 column x 3” space If interested, please send your resume and at least two writing samples to Color: $510 Jennifer Jensen, associate editor, at Black & White: $360 [email protected].

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62 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com ADVERTISING INDEX

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www.e-mj.com NOVEMBER 2020 • E&MJ 63 MARKETS ILZSG Issues Forecast for Zinc

The International Lead and Zinc Study States. This widespread global reduction tries previously mentioned, but to fall Group (ILZSG) held its 65th session in zinc usage is, however, expected to be in Namibia and Poland, where the virtually during mid-October. The ses- followed in 2021 by a recovery in most Olkusz-Pomorzany mine is due to close sion included a joint meeting of the of the countries previously mentioned. in December 2020. group’s Statistical and Forecasting World zinc mine production is fore- Global refined zinc metal produc- Committee/Mine and Smelter Commit- cast to fall by 4.4% to 12.33 million tion is forecast to increase by 0.9% tee/Industry Advisory Panel to review mt in 2020 and to increase by 6.6% to 13.6 million mt in 2020. This will the current levels of world supply and to 13.14 million mt in 2021. In 2020, primarily be a result of an anticipated demand for lead and zinc and share its zinc mining activity has been negatively 1.6% growth in Chinese output and fur- outlook for 2021. impacted by national restrictive mea- ther rises in Australia, Canada, France, World demand for refined zinc met- sures aimed at containing the spread of Italy, India and the United States, al is forecast to fall by 5.3% to 12.98 the COVID-19 pandemic. where American Zinc Recycling’s sec- million metric tons (mt) in 2020 and Canadian zinc production was in- ondary plant in Mooresboro, North Car- to rise by 4.2% to 13.52 million mt in fluenced by the closure of the Langlois olina, reopened in March. However, out- 2021. In China, despite a significant mine in December 2019 and the sus- put is expected to fall in Japan, Peru fall in automobile production, refined pension of activities at the Silvertip and Namibia, due to the suspension of zinc usage is expected to remain sta- and Caribou mines in the first quarter activities at Vedanta’s Skorpion refinery ble in 2020, mainly because output of of 2020. Production was suspend- in April 2020. galvanized plate during the first seven ed at the Skorpion mine in Namibia In 2021, a predicted increase in months of 2020 was at a similar level during the first quarter of 2020 and, world output of 2.9% to 13.99 million to that same period of 2019. In 2021, in the United States, activities at mt will mainly be a consequence of fur- Chinese usage is forecast to rise by 2%. Teck’s Pend Oreille operation were halt- ther rises in China, India and the Unit- Demand in Europe fell by 4.6% in ed in July 2019. ed States, combined with higher output 2019, after nearly a decade of relative Output is also forecast to decline in Japan, Mexico and Peru. stability. In 2020, demand is forecast in China, Finland, Kazakhstan, Swe- Regarding the global market bal- to fall by a further 7.7%, however, zinc den and Turkey. However, in Australia, ance, the ILZSG anticipates that glob- usage in Europe is expected to recover South Africa and India, where expan- al supply for refined zinc metal will by 6.5% in 2021. sions at some of the Hindustan Zinc’s exceed demand significantly in 2020 Elsewhere, demand is anticipated mines were recently completed, a rise with the extent of the surplus forecast to fall in several countries, including in production is anticipated. at 620,000 mt. In 2021, supply is ex- Australia, India, Japan, the Republic of In 2021, zinc mine supply is pre- pected to continue to exceed demand Korea, Taiwan (China) and the United dicted to rise in nearly all of the coun- resulting in a surplus of 463,000 mt.

(October 30, 2020)

Precious Metals ($/oz) Base Metals ($/mt) Minor Metals ($/mt) Exchange Rates (U.S.$ Equivalent) Gold $1,878.60 Aluminum $1,820.50 Molybdenum $17,250 Euro (€) 1.165 Silver $23.64 Copper $6,694.50 Cobalt $32,500 U.K. (£) 1.293 Platinum $858.00 Lead $1,790.00 Canada ($) 0.750 Palladium $2,240.00 Nickel $15,256.00 Iron Ore ($/dmt) Australia ($) 0.702 Rhodium $13,400.00 Tin $17,650.00 Fe CFR China $120.19 South Africa (Rand) 0.062 Ruthenium $270.00 Zinc $2,524.50 China (¥) 0.149

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.

64 E&MJ • NOVEMBER 2020 www.e-mj.com

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