Epiroc, Orica mark milestone wireless blast

Epiroc and Orica, in partnership with Agnico Eagle, have successfully commenced live blasting with Avatel – the world’s first semi-automated wireless underground development charging solution at Agnico Eagle Mines’ Kittilä mine in Finland.  The milestone brings to life an industry-driven concept to dramatically improve safety at the face during the charging cycle, which is one of the highest risk activities…

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Komatsu goes underground with GHH acquisition

Komatsu has entered into an agreement to acquire German manufacturer GHH Group, which it said will expand its underground mining equipment offerings.  Founded in the 1960s and currently part of the Schmidt Kranz Group, GHH offers a wide range of equipment focused on loaders and articulated dump trucks in the mid-seam mass mining, narrow vein and low-profile market segments. The…

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Kinross’ Round Mountain goes underground 

Kinross revealed during its third-quarter earnings report that it has completed the optimization program for its Round Mountain operation in Nevada and has decided to extract using underground methods instead of advancing an expansion plan for its open-pit workings. The optimization program evaluated four primary options: a Phase S open-pit pushback, Phase W3 open-pit pushback, Phase X underground, and Gold…

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Brucejack resumes ops after fatal accident

Newcrest Mining said late last week it had resumed mining and processing at its Brucejack operation in British Columbia, Canada “pursuant to a safety-first restart plan” after an incident that later was revealed to be a fatal one at the mine. Newcrest Managing Director and CEO Sandeep Biswas said the death “is a stark reminder that safety must always be…

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Time is near for SME/PCMIA 2022

Annual October meeting returning to Pittsburgh host venue As this issue of NAM goes to press, final plans are being made for the annual joint meeting of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Society for Metallurgy, Mining and Exploration (SME) and the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America (PCMIA) for the 2022 meeting in Pittsburgh, Pa. Registration is advancing well for…

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Going big at Laurel Branch

Central Appalachian surface coal mines: they’re all the same, right? The crew at Clintwood JOD would beg to differ, especially as it relates to their Laurel Branch operation in remote Hurley, Virginia, that North American Mining magazine recently toured. By Donna Schmidt Surface coal operations dot the landscape in southern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia and eastern Kentucky. There are some…

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Teck, MEDATech to mark battery-electric milestone

Canadian miner Teck Resources has announced it is partnering with MEDATech on the pilot of a fully electric on-highway transport truck – marking the first use of a battery-electric truck to haul copper concentrate worldwide.  The pilot is set to begin this summer and is projected to eliminate 418 tonnes of CO2 annually for the first pilot vehicle, while also…

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Schlam releases Hercules EXO dump body

Australian equipment producer Schlam has launched its newest product targeting increased payload as well as a longer service life, the Hercules EXO dump body. The 240-tonne class, iron ore-specific body comes in 20% lighter in weight than its previous Hercules release, along with a complete redesign. That reduced weight offers a greater payload potential, and the material selection made for…

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AEMA’s 127th annual meeting held in Reno

The American Exploration and Mining Association’s (AEMA) annual meeting, expo and education event has concluded in Reno, Nev., with a healthy turnout. With “Mining’s Role in Securing America’s Future” selected as this year’s theme, the conference ran from Dec. 5 with short courses and closed on Dec. 10 after three days of expo hall hours. Technical sessions were also held…

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