SHAFT SINKING
Melong replied , “ During the height of the mine development market , Redpath Canada managed 12 shaft projects concurrently which required a huge focus on people available at that time . However today , we have had to be proactive in recruitment to ensure we can staff future projects adequately to levels of the past .
“ Seeing this supply gap coming with several key leaders on the cusp of retirement , we have gone out to schools , universities , career fairs and the like to showcase what we , Redpath Group , do ,” Melong told IM . “ This has allowed us to attract and retain some great young leaders who are now moving up to the next level , in time for more projects transitioning from the study phase to design and engineering .”
This career evolution has been supported by a comprehensive suite of training solutions and future plans , including shaft sinking workshops , simulators for hoisting and winder operators , and mechanical and engineering seminars at key Redpath hubs where equipment is stationed . “ This ensures that when these people get out in the field , they are as safe and productive as possible ,” Melong said .
“ In addition , we are looking to build our own drills , muckers and other equipment in-house . This ensures that equipment engineering , maintenance and upskilling remain within the company and are disseminated widely .”
Such a strategy has led the company to achieve sinking progress targets at projects like Island Gold ( Ontario ) and Odyssey ( Quebec ).
At Island Gold – where Redpath Canada is tasked with sinking a 5-m-diameter , 1,373-mdeep shaft as part of Alamos Gold ’ s Island Phase 3 + Expansion project – the team had reached a depth of 403 m by the end of June , according to Alamos . Melong noted that the team had achieved average sinking levels that have pushed 3 m / d in recent months .
At Odyssey – an extension of the Malartic mine where Redpath Canada has employed an S20 hydraulic shaft mucker – Agnico Eagle Mines reported in its June quarter report that “ shaft sinking advanced at an average rate of 2.5 m / d and reached a depth of 680 m as of June 30 , 2024 ”.
In the US , Redpath USA is nearing the commissioning stages of a 900-m-deep exploration shaft at the Hermosa mine in Arizona , which is being developed by South32 . Melong stated that this project would leverage learnings from Number 2 Shaft at Oyu Tolgoi , in Mongolia , where The Redpath Group , along with Hasu Megawatt through joint venture company Dayan Contract Mining , began sinking activities before the headframe was fully erected .
Additionally , Redpath recently completed the No . 9 shaft sinking Galloway at the Resolution copper project , jointly owned by Rio Tinto and
BHP . This project was critical for the safe deepening of No . 9 Shaft , involving comprehensive structural and electrical upgrades .
“ The project required the removal of three decks along with their support columns , electrical cables and hydraulic lines ,” Resolution stated . " A new state-of-the-art electrical system was installed to meet Redpath ’ s 2024 shaft sinking standards . Our dedicated shaft and mechanical crews rehabilitated the remaining structural components , installed new load cells , fairleads , machined deflection sheaves , repaired concrete buckets and completed collar steel repairs .”
Melong said shaft sinking design activities for the development of an underground mine at the Jwaneng diamond operation in Botswana have started by the South African business of Redpath , in Johannesburg . The Board of Debswana recently announced that the project had secured approximately $ 1 billion in investment for the Exploration Access Development Phase .
There are also potential shaft activities in uranium , gold and potash developments in Canada .
Melong added : “ It ’ s been largely quiet in shaft and development work in Canada , but we see that changing in the next two or so years . Where we see huge immediate shaft sinking prospects as a group is in Australia .”
Redpath Australia ready for the uptick
Undoubtedly the biggest piece of M & A to hit the shaft sinking sector for several years occurred earlier in 2024 when the Australia-based subsidiary of Redpath Mining acquired RUC Mining Contractors Pty Ltd .
With an offering that covers mechanised mining , raise drilling , shaft sinking and more , RUC provides Redpath with enhanced scale , capabilities and a stronger balance sheet to strengthen its market position and fund growth , particularly in the Australian , African , European and Asian markets , George Flumerfelt , CEO of The Redpath Group , said when the deal was announced in March .
In terms of shaft sinking , RUC Mining comes into the Redpath fold with two existing projects to sink two shafts at the Appin coal mine in New South Wales ( NSW ), plus the lining and equipping of the Tanami shaft in the Northern Territory . Additionally , there are a number of potential prospects in the pipeline within
Australia .
It has also recently showcased the first battery
energy storage system ( BESS ) integrated with regenerative winder drives into an operation at Tanami , highlighting one of its many energyefficiency measures .
“ We ’ re now joining a global leader in the shaft contracting space , which will help us expand and deliver services into APAC ,” Sean Henley , Associate Director Shafts & Underground Construction , RUC Mining , told IM in mid-July , explaining that the company would soon be rebranded as Redpath Australia .
While this rebrand was occurring , the teams on the ground at Appin mine have been making progress towards sinking those shafts .
RUC Mining was awarded a contract for the design and construction of the two ventilation shafts at Appin back in late 2022 , with the blind sinks going down to a depth of approximately 600 m at 5.5 m and 7.5 m diameters . At the time , it represented the company ’ s third major sinking project in Australia ( the other being at the Odysseus Shaft , also known as Cosmos ).
Henley said the work at Appin , which should also see the company leverage a BESS integrated with regenerative winder drives , is allowing the company to showcase its unique expertise . “ The Appin project represents the first conventional blind sinking project to occur in NSW for the best part of 20 years , and even longer since it has happened in a coal mining application ,” he said .
This has seen the company partner with the likes of Ampcontrol and Rockwell Automation to help deliver compliance with the NSW regulatory requirements , as well as those specific to coal , including intrinsically safe equipment . “ We were venturing into an unfamiliar territory as a company working in coal , and we leaned heavily on these two companies to support our engineering effort ,” Henley said .
This project also has the potential to see the company introduce “ semi-autonomous controls ” to its shaft sinking control system , as well as deploy its own “ bespoke ” communications system where the company can transmit wirelessly “ across power and ropes ”, Henley said .
He added : “ Conventional sinking systems would typically use a double drum kibble winder with a mechanical clutch ; we ’ ve gone for two electrically coupled kibble winders with a battery ( BESS ) like we did at the Tanami Project . Using electrically coupled winders has been done before , but the integration with the BESS is a first and allows you to realise energy efficiencies greater than the traditional double drum winder .”
The winders and BESS are important here as they will be used in not only the production scenario , but also during sinking operations – expected to start later this year .
“ Australia is a bit different to the rest of the world , in that regard ,” Henley said . “ In most other regions they think shaft first , decline second , as opposed to the inverse in Australia . It
International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2024