Boddington is expected to become the world’s first open pit gold mine with an autonomous haul truck fleet once it is fully operational in 2021
The fleet of autonomous CAT 793F mining trucks will be fully operational in 2021 at Boddington. (Credit: Business Wire.)
US-based gold mining company Newmont has announced an investment of $150m in an Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) at its Boddington operation, in Australia.
The gold producing company said that its new investment will enhance safety and productivity and is also expected to extend the life of mine by at least two years.
Boddington is located 135km southeast of Perth in Western Australia, and is expected to become the world’s first open pit gold mine with an autonomous haul truck fleet, once it is fully operational in 2021.
Newmont president and chief executive officer Tom Palmer said: “Not only does Boddington continue to deliver strong performance, our investment in autonomous haul trucks will generate an internal rate of return greater than 35 percent with a more controlled and efficient haulage operation.
“We are also uniquely positioned in the gold sector to support effective implementation and operation of the fleet thanks to the technical capabilities and previous experience of leaders in our business. Simply put, Boddington will be a safer, more productive world-class gold mine in a top-tier jurisdiction.”
Newmont is implementing people strategy for redeployment of haul truck drivers
The company said that the autonomous caterpillar haul trucks at Boddington will feature severe safety controls to reduce employee exposure to potential vehicle interactions.
Newmont stated: “The company also sees additional upside potential from the replication of the AHS at other Newmont operations.”
In addition, it is also implementing a people strategy to provide opportunities for reskilling and redeployment of haul truck drivers to other supporting roles the AHS.
Newmont’s Boddington operation has produced 709,000 ounces of gold and 77million pounds of copper in 2018, and directly employed approximately 2,000 people.