MINE VENTILATION
battery-electric unit.
Puriqi and SubSpace Energy Hub’ s aim was to integrate and orchestrate a consortium to steer this work, with AngloGold Ashanti defining the needs and providing the pilot; engineering and automation teams offering system design and deployment; OEMs bringing the equipment data and integration pieces; and technology and sensor companies contributing ventilation modelling and control, as well as environmental monitoring.
The five-phase project came with a value
Smartflow Ventilation is designed to give mining operations a clearer and more connected view of their ventilation system
made at the control room, creating a more organised and informed way to manage air movement in the mine.
Becker concluded:“ More than a monitoring tool, Smartflow Ventilation is a step toward a more connected ventilation strategy. It brings together software, connectivity, hardware and system integration into a single solution designed for the realities of underground mining.”
Level 5 VoD integration with BEV use
Aurora Puriqi, Business Development Manager at SubSpace Energy Hub, raised the issue of integration during her presentation at The Electric Mine 2026, in Lisbon, Portugal, last month, in the process raising concerns about the pace of technological evolution in the mine ventilation space.
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She said:“ While the [ mining ] industry is quickly moving towards the use of batteryelectric vehicles, there is one critical system that is not moving at the same pace. That system is ventilation.”
If a mine’ s ventilation infrastructure continues to follow operational procedures built for diesel-powered machines, the industry will only solve“ half the problem” in terms of making mines as energy efficient as possible, she said.
Her talk referenced work that the SubSpace Energy Hub is running in tandem with AngloGold Ashanti’ s Cuiabá mine, in Brazil, that is looking at optimising ventilation on demand( VoD) for integrated, energyefficient underground operations. The objective was to look at how to move from a static ventilation system to one that is integrated and“ energy-aware”.
This could see battery-electric vehicles, the grid and ventilation all integrated into one coordinated system. It would, however, require a Level 5 VoD system that is:
• Fully integrated and offers predictive ventilation recommendations;
• Carries out real-time optimisation based on operations and air quality measurements;
• Integrates with battery-electric vehicles, the grid and thermal conditions;
• Enables ventilation to become a flexible energy asset; and
• Has the mine ventilation network integrated into a single digital twin model.
AngloGold Ashanti’ s Cuiabá mine has eyes on transitioning to VoD Level 5 at the same time as it continues to build out its electric fleet – it has trialled an Epiroc Scooptram ST14 SG battery-electric loader and recently commenced testing on a Normet Utimec MF 500 Transmixer SD
International Mining | JUNE 2026