WORLD PROSPECTS
First Komatsu trucks operating autonomously at BHP South Flank
In early June 2022 , the first four of a fleet of 41 290 t Komatsu 930E haul trucks began autonomous operations at BHP ’ s South Flank iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia – with the trucks controlled from a purpose-built control facility at the site . The transition to autonomous haulage is expected to be completed at South Flank by September 2023 .
Since July 2020 , a fleet of Komatsu 930E autonomous-ready haul trucks , configured as conventionally driven trucks , has been moving iron ore and materials . In January 2022 , BHP approved moving the US $ 3.6 billion mine to autonomous haulage , to be phased in across five Autonomous Operation Zones ( AOZs ), from June 2022 .
“ All 41 of the 930E ’ s on site are now in the process of being upgraded to fully autonomous operation , at the rate of four a month ,” said Garry Povah , Komatsu ’ s General Manager Mining
Automation . According to Povah , Komatsu is on track to have over 430 autonomous trucks operating in Australia by the end of 2022 , in mines across Western Australia and Queensland .
“ Komatsu ’ s autonomous technology helps drive job creation , with a focus on safety , diversity , upskilling and an innovative flexible work force that meets the needs of people and communities with business goals ,” says Sean Taylor , CEO & Managing Director , Komatsu Australia . “ Not only does Komatsu ’ s autonomous haulage technology have a proven record in safety , productivity and lower haulage costs , but we pride ourselves on our ground-breaking contributions to autonomous technology solutions in the industry .”
BHP has stated the introduction of autonomous haulage at South Flank is expected to deliver farreaching safety , production and equipment utilisation and reliability benefits , and offers new
skills and opportunities for BHP ’ s mining and maintenance teams .
South Flank is located 156 km north-west of Newman and 9 km south of BHP ’ s Mining Area C facility in the Pilbara region of Western Australia . It is Australia ’ s largest new iron ore mine in more than 50 years . When it merges with the neighbouring Mining Area C operation , it will form the largest operating iron ore hub in the world , producing 145 Mt of iron ore each year . https :// mining . komatsu /; www . bhp . com
Wood engineering world ’ s largest copper concentrator in Uzbekistan
Wood , the global consulting and engineering company , has secured two new contracts from Enter Engineering with a combined value of over $ 200 million , to deliver major capital investment projects in Uzbekistan .
The first will see Wood ’ s Projects business deliver the full engineering scope , including front-end engineering design ( FEED ) and detailed design for a world-class mineral processing plant . The MOF-3 copper-concentration complex , in the city of Almalyk , will also require Wood ’ s technical assistance during the procurement , construction , commissioning and start-up stages to deliver the world ’ s largest copper concentrator , Wood says .
Back in June , Metso Outotec announced it had signed a contract to deliver key process technology to the MOF-3 copper-goldmolybdenum concentrator complex , owned by Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Company .
Wood will also provide detailed engineering and procurement assistance services to build a new methanol-to-olefin-based gas-chemical complex , located in the Bukhara region . Giuseppe Zuccaro , President of Process & Chemicals at Wood , said : “ These projects mark a significant and strategic investment in Uzbekistan as the country accelerates its economic diversification plan , satisfying the needs of its domestic industries while also meeting the world ’ s surging demand for special petrochemical products and energy transition materials .
“ Our extensive experience in delivering complex mining and petrochemical projects of scale and our proven ability to operate a global execution model continue to position us as the ideal technical partner . We ’ re delighted to build on our strong relationship with Enter Engineering and look forward to working closely to achieve the full value of the investment in these worldclass projects .”
At peak , the MOF-3 and MTO projects will each require the support of over 400 colleagues from across Wood offices , including Chennai , Johannesburg , Madrid , Milan , Santiago , Singapore and Woking , in addition to Wood ’ s newly established office in Tashkent , Uzbekistan . https :// www . woodplc . com ; https :// www . agmk . uz
Another IPCC order for TAKRAF in India with SCCL
In a first contract to be received from the government-owned entity M / s . Singareni Collieries Company Limited ( SCCL ) for its Ramagundam mine located in Telangana , TAKRAF India is again showing its in-pit crushing and conveying ( IPCC ) credentials in India by supplying two semi-mobile relocatable crushing plants with TAKRAF primary sizers . The turnkey order is expected to be completed in 2023 , with the crushing plants adding to and enhancing the capacity of the plant ’ s current arrangement of four semi-mobile crushing plants with crusher . The primary sizers produce a product size of -200 mm from a maximum feed size of 1,000 x 800 x 800 mm at a capacity of 1,000 t / h .
The main elements of the semi-mobile crushing plants are ramps ( truck-bridge ) to facilitate the unloading of Run-of-Mine ( ROM ) material with 100 t dumpers feeding the crushing plant hopper , a feed hopper , apron feeder and spillage conveyor , TAKRAF primary sizer , discharge conveyor equipped with magnetic separator , metal detector and discharge chute .
Selvakumar Devendran , TAKRAF India : Manager – Sales , had this to say recently when questioned regarding the order : “ We are delighted to have attracted a premier Indian government entity as a client and to be able to supply them with a complete solutions package . All colleagues and all stakeholders involved in winning this important award must be commended on their dedication and hard work in providing the client with a solution that satisfies their needs . This project serves to only entrench and bolster TAKRAF ’ s premier crushing plant and comminution solutions in India .” https :// www . takraf . com ; https :// scclmines . com
8 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2022