Shaft 2 is a 10 metre diameter shaft sunk to approximately 1.3 kilometres below the surface
Shaft 1 at Oyu Tolgoi. Photo: courtesy of Brücke-Osteuropa/Wikipedia.org.
Turquoise Hill Resources is pleased to announce that Shaft 2 construction is complete and has entered into the final stages of commissioning.
Shaft 2 is a 10 metre diameter shaft sunk to approximately 1.3 kilometres below the surface. This is a critical piece of infrastructure that will accelerate the underground development of the world class Oyu Tolgoi mine.
The shaft uses the world’s largest production hoist motor and can carry 300 people in the service hoist and lift 60 tonne skips in the production hoist. When operating at maximum capacity, the production hoist has the ability to lift 35,000 tonnes of material to the surface daily.
With the construction of Shaft 2 complete, and the service hoist operating permit being granted, the service hoist now allows us to transport 300 people per cage cycle versus a maximum of 60 people per cage cycle through Shaft 1. The 48 tonne capacity cage can now be used to support logistics, transporting supplies and components for development of the mine. Commissioning of the production hoist continues with over 2,700 tonnes of rock successfully hoisted to surface, and we continue to work with the regulatory agencies to finalize the permitting.
“The completion of the construction of Shaft 2 is a significant milestone in the underground development of the world class Oyu Tolgoi mine. Shaft 2 was constructed using almost 5000 tonnes of steel and over 300 kilometres of electrical cabling. Importantly, the shaft was sunk and constructed with a predominantly Mongolian workforce, developing specialized skills and demonstrating the capability of the local work force. We look forward to utilizing this major increase in capacity to accelerate our underground development,” said Ulf Quellmann, Chief Executive Officer of Turquoise Hill.
Source: Company Press Release