Newmont reports successful autonomous mining implementation

With a world-class portfolio of mining assets in the copper, zinc, silver and lead industries, Newmont corporation is taking necessary steps to streamline its operations with the help of technology. The company has released a notice of its latest milestone in technology application in the form of autonomous haulage. 

Newmont has invested heavily in an autonomous haulage system (AHS), which is now fully operational at its Boddington mine, one of the largest producers of gold and copper, achieving 670,000 ounces of gold and 56 million pounds of copper in 2020. Its autonomous fleet consists of 36 trucks for transporting materials around the site in a safer and more efficient manner. 

‘Newmont is proud to deliver the gold industry’s first autonomous haul truck fleet at Boddington, an important milestone for the Company and the industry as a whole’, says Tom Palmer President and Chief Executive Officer of Newmont. 

‘Delivering this project on time and on budget during a global pandemic is an enormous accomplishment. I am grateful to our team and our partners at Caterpillar for their ongoing dedication and drive. The scale and long life of our operations enable Newmont to implement leading technologies to promote both safety and productivity. We look forward to leveraging this project and our commissioning experience at our other operations and projects around the globe’. 

Continuously improving autonomous mining systems

Following the investment of US$150mn and the implementation of its AHS, Newmont is now working to optimise the system to operate the mine at full capacity. Leaders within the organisation are seeing the end of an incredible technological change for the company, made more rewarding as it looks back on the many challenges it has faced to get to this point, including operational delays related to extreme weather conditions and bench hygiene as the team progresses to lower areas of the pit—delays resulting in lower extraction of gold and a predicted output of 140,000 ounces. 

‘The record implementation of this project is a tremendous example of Newmont’s trademark ability to set and achieve ambitious goals’, says Palmer. ‘Throughout our 100-year history, our industry-leading position has been built on deep operational knowledge and technical expertise. Today’s AHS commissioning is another moment to add to our proud history of achievements’.

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