WORLD PROSPECTS
ALTA 2021 retains metallurgical innovation focus
ALTA ’ s world-class metallurgical event is returning to Perth , Western Australia , in November , following a successful virtual event in 2020 . It includes five conferences , three short courses and an exhibition .
The 26th event , to be held at Pan Pacific Perth on November 13-20 , will be a live , virtual , and on-demand event to ensure all interested delegates will have the opportunity to attend , regardless of travel restrictions .
ALTA has developed a reputation as a leading metallurgical-oriented event , attracting senior industry representatives from around the globe , with ALTA 2021 promising to continue that tradition .
Conference Founder and Chair , Metallurgical Consultant , Alan Taylor ( pictured ), emphasises : “ For the past 26 years , ALTA has provided a dynamic forum for sharing ideas , innovations , technologies and projects . Both ALTA and the industry have come a long way since our first conference in 1995 , but our focus on the importance of metallurgical innovation remains the same .”
The themes running through the conference are new technology , process and project development , plant design and operation , equipment and materials development , environmental protection , and reclamation and remediation .
“ Over many years , ALTA has evolved to meet the demands of the industry ,” Taylor said . “ For example , in recent years , the program has been expanded to include the currently hot topics of
Lithium Processing , Battery Technology and Recycling , and In Situ Recovery ( ISR ).”
The event now incorporates separate dedicated conferences on Nickel-Cobalt-Copper , Uranium-Rare Earths , Gold-Precious Metals , In-Situ Recovery and Lithium & Battery Technology . The program is carefully crafted to provide the best value for delegates and includes insightful and authoritative Keynote Addresses .
Panel discussions and Q & A are a major highlight of ALTA events , providing a unique opportunity for knowledge sharing , discussion and debate with highly experienced professionals .
The signature Nickel-Cobalt-Copper conference is spread over three days , encompassing segments on battery precursor production , laterite processing , deep sea nodules , heap leaching , SX and IX , and other key
topics . The highlight is the ‘ Pressure Acid Leaching ’ Forum and Panel Q & A with a focus on HPAL for nickel laterites .
The second day includes the Uranium-Rare Earths Conference featuring a “ Rare Earth Process Development ” Forum & Panel Q & A . The Gold-PM sessions come with a Forum and Panel Q & A on “ Refractory & Complex Gold Ores ”.
On the final day , the ISR Conference will run in parallel with the Lithium Processing and Battery Technology Conference . The Panel Q & As are on “ Enhancing ISR Permeability ” and “ Developments in Battery Technology ”.
The conference sessions are supported by an exhibition with key industry suppliers and are bookended by three practically oriented short courses . This year ’ s courses cover Nickel-Cobalt Laterites , Copper SX / EW and Heap Leaching of Copper , Gold , Uranium and Nickel . www . altamet . com . au / conferences / alta-2021
Russia continues LTE leadership
Working directly with major Russian telecomms companies , Russia ’ s leading mining operators are some of the more progressive worldwide in implementing private LTE wireless network capabilities to facilitate greater automation and production efficiency .
The latest to roll out private LTE is gold mining major Polyus , with the company exclusively telling IM that it is in the process of implementing private LTE at its Kuranakh open pit operation in northeastern Siberia .
The company has signed a contract with Rostelecom , one of the largest telecomms operators in Russia , for the project . In addition , a pilot private LTE zone will be installed at the Polyus Krasnoyarsk business unit which includes the Olimpiada and Blagodatnoye mines though the company did not specify the exact location for this . Finally , for locations away from mine sites , Polyus is now testing convergent technology on the basis of a GSM and satellite ( Iridium ) network .
The private LTE systems use 4G LTE technology but with a 5G ready network core . Polyus told IM : “ We believe that these communication technologies will provide a basis for various systems relating to our operations , such as driver safety systems ( anti fatigue , incabin CCTV , collision prevention ), fleet-management systems , and semior fully automated mining equipment . At our open pit operations , we believe that pLTE network technology will provide a backbone network for all our digital solutions . The final decision will be taken after the full implementation of pLTE at Polyus Kuranakh and post-project analysis .”
Just last month , Metalloinvest said it would launch a private LTE wireless data network at iron ore operation Lebedinsky GOK , one of the world ’ s largest open-pit mines , in cooperation with MegaFon , also located in Russia . The steel and iron ore major said guaranteed coverage , security , high speed and low latency data transmission would enable the automation of complex
technological processes associated with iron ore mining and the production of iron ore raw materials .
And , earlier in the year , Nornickel , the world ’ s largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel and a major producer of platinum and copper , along with Nokia successfully completed testing of a private LTE / 5G-ready wireless network deployed in one of the mines of the Skalisty nickel-copper-PGM mining enterprise , in Russia , at a depth of 875 m . The partners in this project were the telecom operator Tele2 , Qualcomm and the company SPBEK-Mining . www . company . rt . ru ; www . polyus . com
4 International Mining | JULY 2021