SHAFT SINKING
Woodsmith learnings continue
Not a year goes by without a progress report on shaft sinking activities at the Anglo American-owned Woodsmith mine in the UK; and this year is no different.
In its half-year results at the end of July, the mining company said progress on sinking the 7.5-m diameter, 1,600-m deep service shaft was now pegged at reaching a depth of 904 m. The sinking is being carried out by Redpath Deilmann with a modified SBR, delivered by manufacturer Herrenknecht.
IM put some questions Phillipa Starmer, Manager of the Woodsmith project, to get the latest on shaft sinking developments.
IM: Around this time last year, Anglo American stated that the service shaft at Woodsmith was now around the 804 m level, having intersected over 10 metres of the Sherwood Sandstone Group( SSG). Can you comment on the current level you are now at and the performance to date of the SBR since the SSG was intersected?
PS: We have continued to progress in the service shaft with sinking, lining and grouting activity and are over 100 m into the Sherwood Sandstone. The lining of the shaft has been the focus for this saline area, completing this safely and within stringent design tolerances.
IM: You detailed in this same report last year a number of modifications to the SBR to tackle this water-bearing layer of hard rock – PCD picks, partial blast system, improvements to the cutting drum, etc. Have you started to utilise the partial blast system? Do you plan to utilise it in the next few years?
PS: We remain focused on using the SBR technology through this particular strata. With the improvements made to the hardrock cutting system, the cutting performance is exceeding expectations and, as such, at this time the partial blast system has not been required.
IM: Have there been any further modifications to the plan as the SBR has progressed deeper?
PS: The water management process continues to evolve as learnings are gained. To this end, we have used a combination of cover grouting and liner grouting to best manage water ingress.
IM: How do you see your experience of the SSG to date as influencing your approach for sinking the other shaft at Woodsmith?
PS: Lessons learned through the SSG sinking phase are continuously being gained and shall be fed into the study team to inform future sinking plans. The high pressure hyper saline water has been more of a challenge than the hard-rock cutting and we are continuously improving our processes to manage this, which has been really successful.
Phillipa Starmer, Manager of the Woodsmith project, said the Shaft Boring Roadheader’ s cutting performance has exceeded expectations while progressing through the first 100 m of Sherwood Sandstone at the project( photo: Anglo American)
IM: Anything else to add?
PS: The MTS( Mineral Transport System) horizontal tunnel being developed by a tunnel boring machine is continuing to progress well and is currently 83 % complete at 30.6 km. Also, Anglo American recently entered into a strategic investment agreement with Mitsubishi Corporation to support continued progress of Woodsmith. Together, Anglo American and Mitsubishi will explore opportunities to build out additional demand for POLY4, the product Woodsmith will produce, in key markets, leveraging Mitsubishi’ s extensive networks and partnerships across the food and agriculture sectors. Additionally, the project is continuing to have a significant positive impact in the local economy, reinforcing its role as a major driver of local economic growth, employment and community investment. Since construction began in 2017, Woodsmith has already added £ 1.94 billion($ 2.61 billion) to the regional economy and generated £ 34 million of social investment to support local communities. will leverage mechanisation, automation, scanning technologies and data-driven planning – with skilled people at the core of every project.”
Thyssen Mining out for operational excellence
Thyssen Mining also sees a combination of factors being at work in successful sinking projects, referencing its recent work at BHP’ s Jansen potash mine in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Its raisebore team, in collaboration with TRL Mining Construction LP, recently completed two 8-m diameter raisebore
Thyssen Mining’ s raisebore team, in collaboration with TRL Mining Construction LP, recently completed two 8-m diameter raisebore excavations for an underground raw ore storage bin at BHP’ s Jansen project in
Saskatchewan
40 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2026