SHAFT SINKING ensuring its vendors are aligned as good partners and stakeholders.
“ They’ re showcasing how to do business in the US with a major base metals mine.”
On top of Taylor, Redpath USA is currently engaged at the huge Resolution Copper project, also in Arizona, where it has been deepening No. 9 Shaft.
Over the border in Canada, Redpath has continued to make progress sinking a 5-m-diameter, 1,379-m-deep shaft as part of Alamos Gold’ s Island Phase 3 + Expansion project. Alamos noted last month that shaft development was down to a depth of 1,265 m at the end of June, representing 92 % of the ultimate planned depth.
Redpath has also concluded works at both Canadian Malartic – where it had employed an S20 hydraulic shaft mucker to sink a shaft – and Upper Beaver – where it had been carrying out pre-sink activities.
Fuelling the electric mine of tomorrow
It is a different kind of technology that has Sean Henley, General Manager – Shafts at Redpath Australia, envisioning a step change for the shaft industry.
The company previously showcased the first battery energy storage system( BESS) integrated with regenerative winder drives in a shaft operation at Tanami, owned by Newmont.
When IM contacted Henley in late July, he was able to report on further progress on this BESS-winder drive integration at two shaft sinking projects.
“ The data collected to date confirms that the regenerative drive winder / s( hoists) complemented with a BESS are providing material energy savings at the project,” he said.“ Total hoisting energy costs are reduced by approximately 25 % through the benefits of dynamic power factor correction, and operations are de-risked via the implementation of‘ bump-less’ ride through in loss of power events.”
Henley says the use of a common BESS to reduce peak power demand is also being proven out at the Appin shaft sinking project in New South Wales.“ This is particularly important as the project pulls from the local residential power grid,” he explained.
In terms of sinking progress on these projects, Newmont reported in early December that shaft development and concrete lining had been completed down to 1,292 m below surface. It followed this up in its June quarter results by saying the shaft pentice had been removed with the successful completion of the 160 m raisebore.
When complete, TE2 will be the deepest production shaft of any mine in Australia, as well as the deepest raisebore shaft in the country.
At Appin, meanwhile, both sinks for the VS8 and VS7 shafts have been commissioned and are progressing.
RUC Mining Contractors Pty Ltd, which Redpath( Australia) Holdings Pty Ltd acquired, was awarded a contract for the design and construction of the two ventilation shafts at Appin back in late 2022,
23,400 TOTAL METERS SUNK
OVER 25 + YEARS IN NORTH AMERICA
The numbers speak for themselves
Shaft Sinking • Development • Underground Construction Raise Boring • Engineering Studies Design Engineering • Contract Mining Mechanized Raising • Project Services & Hoisting
At Appin, Redpath Australia has started sinking both the VS8 and VS7 shafts cementation. com
International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2025