Canadian Mining Journal September 2021 by The Northern Miner Group

C A N A D A ’ S

F I R S T

M I N I N G

P U B L I C A T I O N

THE

GOLD ISSUE GOLD EXPLORATION BOOMS POWERING REMOTE MINES – WITH SOLAR ENERGY SEPTEMBER 2021 | www.canadianminingjournal.com | PM # 40069240

VISIT FLETCHER AT BOOTH #2603

Fletcher values what their customers say. Since 1937, Fletcher has been answering some of underground mining’s toughest questions. At Fletcher we provide an atmosphere for an open dialogue with customers to ensure their operations are reaching maximum efficiency. Is your operation facing obstacles that mass produced equipment isn’t addressing? Visit us at MINExpo International 2021 to get your next solution started.

Built On Answers. 800.543.5431

402 HIGH STREET HUNTINGTON, WV

WWW.JHFLETCHER.COM

J.H. Fletcher & Co. cannot anticipate every mine hazard that may develop during use of these products. Follow your mine plan and/or roof control plan prior to use of the product. Proper use, maintenance and continued use of (OEM) original equipment parts will be essential for maximum operating results. 2021 J.H. Fletcher & Co. All Rights reserved.

CMJ MinEXpo 2021 N3114.indd 1

8/17/2021 6:23:31 PM

3:31 PM

SEPTEMBER 2021 VOL. 142, NO.7

FEATURES 16 Powering Canada’s remote mines: A Costmine analysis looks at the viability of solar power in the Far North.

20 Buy new or rebuild? Eriez provides a quick guide on how to determine the best option for magnetic separation or vibratory equipment.

32 Remote controlled demolition robots provide much needed flexibility in ultra-deep, narrow-vein mines.

GOLD 22 Artemis Gold sports an Aussie advantage as it moves Blackwater towards construction.

26 A look at some of Canada’s supersized gold exploration programs that could lead to the country’s next new mines.

30 A rundown of the world’s Top 10 gold mines from MINING.com and

Mining Intellligence.

DEPARTMENTS

4 EDITORIAL | Four gold juniors join the 100,000-metre club. 5 LAW | The recent Yahey B.C. Supreme Court decision could have big

implications for resource development in Canada.

6 CSR & MINING | Carolyn Burns of the Devonshire Initiative explains how

miners can contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

8 COMMENTARY | Anne Thompson, president of PetraScience Consultants,

reflects on the 100-year history of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG).

10 UNEARTHING TRENDS | EY’s Yogen Appalraju outlines three actions

miners can take to limit growing cybersecurity risks.

12 FAST NEWS | Updates from across the mining ecosystem. 35 ON THE MOVE | Tracking executive, management and board changes in Canada’s mining sector.

www.canadianminingjournal.com SEPTEMBER 2021

About the cover: Crystal McCullough, senior project geologist with Great Bear Resources at the Dixie project in Ontario. CREDIT: GREAT BEAR RESOURCES

Coming in October 2021 Canadian Mining Journal looks at ‘Clean Mining’ and mining in Quebec. Plus our semi-annual Equipment Maintenance & Repair supplement.

For More Information

Please visit www.canadianminingjournal.com for regular updates on what’s happening with Canadian mining companies and their personnel both here and abroad. A digital version of the magazine is also available at www.digital.canadianminingjournal.com

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 3

FROM THE EDITOR SEPTEMBER 2021 Vol. 142 – No. 7

The 100,000-metre club Alisha Hiyate

s gold started to rally from the US$1,300 per oz. level in 2019, climbing to over US$2,000 per oz. last August, something interesting has happened to the size of gold exploration programs in Canada. Junior miners with promising projects and skilled technical teams have been able to raise a lot of money, even before they’ve compiled an initial resource. And they’ve used those funds to supersize their drill programs. In this issue, we look at four gold juniors who are conducting massive 100,000metre plus drill campaigns on their projects: Great Bear Resources, Amex Exploration, New Found Gold and Wallbridge Mining. What do they have in common? In addition to the right location and a talented team, all of these juniors can point to deposits with good continuity of mineralization and a combination of impressive high-grade hits and the potential for bulk-tonnage mineralization. Together, these four companies have raised more than $300 million over the past 18 months, and we’re expecting some impressive resource numbers when they release their first calculations – starting later this year with Wallbridge Mining’s Fenelon project in Quebec (see page 26). It’s not just the higher metals prices that are driving the activity. At the same time as prices have climbed, a scarcity of large, high-quality discoveries in the last decadeplus is weighing on the minds of the big miners. Equal to that lack of inventory is growing risk on all fronts, including rising resource nationalism. A recent report by Verisk Maplecroft singles out Latin America as the region with the highest risk of expropriation and tax hikes. Notably, Kazakhstan – whose government recently expropriated the Kumtor gold mine from Centerra Resources – was No. 8 on the list of countries with the highest risk. The top three spots were taken by Venezuela, Tanzania and Mexico. While no jurisdiction is without its risks, in times of uncertainty, Canada does offer a safe haven appeal. Indeed, interest in Canada is increasing. According to a May 2021 report by Natural Resources Canada, overall spending on exploration and deposit assessment in Canada this year will rise by about 38% to $2.9 billion. (About 70% of total spending is earmarked for gold assets.) In our August issue featuring Canada’s Top 40 Miners, we highlighted the growing contingent of Australian miners and juniors looking to Canadian pastures for new projects. And recently, Barrick Gold president and CEO Mark Bristow noted that he believes Canada will play “an increasing part in Barrick’s future.” Bristow revealed that the company, whose sole producing asset in the country is the Hemlo mine in Ontario, is looking across Canada for new opportunities “capable of passing our investment filters.” That is to say we won’t be the only ones paying close attention to the results coming out of the 100,000-metre club. CMJ

4 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

225 Duncan Mill Rd. Suite 320, Toronto, Ontario M3B 3K9 Tel. (416) 510-6789 Fax (416) 510-5138 www.canadianminingjournal.com Editor-in-Chief Alisha Hiyate 416-510-6742 ahiyate@canadianminingjournal.com Twitter: @Cdn_Mining_Jrnl Interim News Editor Marilyn Scales mscales@canadianminingjournal.com Production Manager Jessica Jubb jjubb@glacierbizinfo.com Art Director Barbara Burrows Advisory Board David Brown (Golder Associates) Michael Fox (Indigenous Community Engagement) Scott Hayne (Redpath Canada) Gary Poxleitner (SRK) Manager of Product Distribution Allison Mein 403-209-3515 amein@glacierrig.com Publisher & Sales Robert Seagraves 416-510-6891 rseagraves@canadianminingjournal.com Sales, Western Canada George Agelopoulos 416-510-5104 gagelopoulos@northernminer.com Toll Free Canada & U.S.A.: 1-888-502-3456 ext 2 or 43734 Circulation Toll Free Canada & U.S.A.: 1-888-502-3456 ext 3 Group Publisher Anthony Vaccaro Established 1882

Canadian Mining Journal provides articles and information of practical use to those who work in the technical, administrative

and supervisory aspects of exploration, mining and processing in the Canadian mineral exploration and mining industry. Canadian Mining Journal (ISSN 0008-4492) is published 10 times a year by Glacier Resource Innovation Group (GRIG). GRIG is located at 225 Duncan Mill Rd., Ste. 320, Toronto, ON, M3B 3K9. Phone (416) 510-6891. Legal deposit: National Library, Ottawa. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and may be used only for your personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved and commercial use is prohibited. To make use of any of this material you must ﬁrst obtain the permission of the owner of the copyright. For further information please contact Robert Seagraves at 416-510-6891. Subscriptions – Canada: $51.95 per year; $81.50 for two years. USA: US$64.95 per year. Foreign: US$77.95 per year. Single copies: Canada $10; USA and foreign: US$10. Canadian subscribers must add HST and Provincial tax where necessary. HST registration # 809744071RT001. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-888-502-3456 ext 3; E-mail: amein@glacierrig.com Mail to: Allison Mein, 225 Duncan Mill Rd., Ste 320, Toronto, ON M3B 3K9 We acknowledge the ﬁnancial support of the Government of Canada.

www.canadianminingjournal.com

LAW

Precedent-setting cumulative effects decision in B.C. Supreme Court could change resource development in Canada By Sander Duncanson, Martin Ignasiak, Tommy Gelbman, Olivia Dixon and Tyler Warchola

n June 29, 2021, the British Columbia Supreme Court released its decision in Yahey v British Columbia, in which it ruled that the rights of the Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) under Treaty 8 in northeast B.C. had been infringed by the cumulative impacts of industrial developments within BRFN’s traditional territory, including forestry, oil and gas, mining, renewable energy and agriculture. This decision marks a significant departure from past cases involving cumulative effects and treaty rights infringement. It could materially increase regulatory risks for new infrastructure projects in northeast B.C., and could extend to other areas in Canada where similar claims may be made. BRFN is a relatively small First Nation in northeast B.C. BRFN’s traditional territory is around 38,000 sq. km, including most of the Montney natural gas play, agricultural lands, various municipalities (including Fort St. John and Dawson Creek), active forestry areas, hydro-electric projects (including Site C), and several mines. BRFN’s territory also falls within the area of Treaty 8, which BRFN’s ancestors signed in 1900, and overlaps, to varying degrees, with the asserted territories of several other Indigenous groups. n , filed a civil action seeking, among other things, a declaration that the B.C. government had infringed BRFN’s rights under Treaty 8 and an injunction prohibiting B.C. from approving any further developments within its traditional territory. After a series of unsuccessful pre-trial applications, the B.C. Supreme Court held a full trial to consider BRFN’s civil claim.

Summary of decision

On June 29, the B.C. Supreme Court released its 511 page Yahey decision. Justice Burke for the Court held that the cumulative effects from all types of industrial development in BRFN’s territory have resulted in significant adverse impacts on the lands, water, fish and wildlife in the area, and to the exercise of BRFN’s Treaty 8 rights. In particular, she found that BRFN’s treaty rights to meaningfully hunt, fish and trap within the traditional territory have been significantly and meaningfully diminished, such that BRFN’s rights under Treaty 8 have been infringed. Justice Burke’s conclusions were rooted in her view that B.C. had not acted honourably by allowing resource development to proceed “at an extensive scale” without assessing BRFN’s concerns about cumulative effects of this development. SEPTEMBER 2021

Among other things, Justice Burke ordered B.C. to (1) not authorize any further activities in BRFN’s territory that breach the promises included in Treaty 8, and (2) negotiate new mechanisms with BRFN to assess and manage the cumulative impacts of industrial development to ensure BRFN’s treaty rights are respected. ustice urke suspended the first declaration for six months to give the parties time to negotiate the new mechanisms. B.C. has chosen not to appeal the decision. There are many aspects of Yahey that warrant comment, but for the purposes of this article we focus on two key implications: Justice Burke’s test for treaty infringement, and the decision’s potential impacts on infrastructure development in Canada.

Test for Treaty infringement

According to Justice Burke, the test for determining whether treaty rights have been infringed is whether there has been a significant or meaningful diminishment of the rights. rguably, this modifies the upreme ourt of anada’s guidance in Sparrow and Mikisew that infringement occurs when there is “no meaningful exercise of the rights” – a test that Justice Burke concluded would upend the terms of the Treaty. Justice Burke’s test is much easier to establish than the prior test in Sparrow and Mikisew, particularly when many parts of Canada (and Indigenous communities themselves) have changed materially over the last 120 years through, among other things, population growth, modernization and climate change. As Justice Burke acknowledged, “with more and more takings and development it becomes harder and harder for the rown to fulfill its promise to Indigenous people that their modes of life would not be interfered with.”

Implications for infrastructure development

Yahey has direct and serious implications for any future infrastructure development in northeast B.C. Justice Burke’s declarations may be construed as granting BRFN the right to veto any new development across its entire, expansive territory, without considering the potentially conflicting views of other ndigenous groups whose asserted traditional territories may overlap with BFRN’s. It is also possible that other Treaty 8 First Nations in northeast B.C. will rely on Yahey to assert that they are entitled to the same relief Justice Burke granted BRFN. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 5

CSR & MINING

Going beyond cosmetic reporting with the UN SDGs By Carolyn Burns

he Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a great example of an initiative that the mining sector can leverage to improve cross-sector collaboration and performance related to environment, social and governance initiatives. The SDGs were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. If you work with a government body, or in the social services sector, you are probably very familiar with the SDGs. Across the world and in Canada, governments use the SDGs to guide national policy and budget decisions as well as our contributions to international development and assistance. The SDGs include 17 goals “which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.” The goals range from no poverty to good health and wellbeing, to decent work and economic growth, clean water, and reduced inequalities. Each goal includes a series of targets and suggested indicators to track progress in achieving the targets (check out the UN SDG website for more details). When the SDGs were developed (between 2010 and 2015 roughly), the UN made a concerted effort to consult the private sector, acknowledging the important role of cross-sector collaboration in achieving our collective development priorities. A review of the indicators illustrate that the private sector has a role in achieving the goals, but leadership and co-ordination needs to come from the public sector. So, what is the role of the private sector in supporting the SDGs? And how does that translate into the mining sector specifically While the mining sector is not responsible for setting targets or policy decisions to achieve the SDGs, there is no question that it can contribute to the SDGs. At a local level, the mining sector can contribute many benefits to our society. hese can include good jobs, procurement opportunities, indirect economic benefits, shared infrastructure and revenue streams for governments, as well as contributions and donations to community investment programs. When we also responsibly manage the negative impacts of mining (e.g., impacts on the environment, resettlement, traffic, in-migration and effectively engage with each other, we are most likely to see sustained positive outcomes from mining activity.

6 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

Tool for miners

In 2016, a number of organizations including the Colombia Center for Sustainable Investment and the United National Development Program, put together an atlas that highlights the many ways the sector can contribute to the SDGs. The tool, Mapping Mining to the Sustainable Development Goals: An Atlas, is a great resource for companies and other stakeholders. It helps connect the dots between the goals and action the sectors can take, making the role of the mining sector very explicit. In the past two to three years alone, Canadian mining companies have increasingly used the SDGs as a framework to report on local and global benefits. hat being said, companies are not generally using SDGs as a framework to set strategy and drive action. Nor are they using the SDGs to report on performance or negative impacts. The Responsible Mining Foundation (RMF) report Mining and the SDGs: a 2020 Status Update illustrates this point. ome of the main findings are that across the benchmarked companies, reporting is cosmetic and does not focus on key SDGs for the sector such as SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG 5 (gender equality), and SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation). There are in fact two ways that companies can use the SDGs to not only report on benefits, but manage impacts and engage and communicate with stakeholders from the local to global level. The SDGs are an opportunity to understand development priorities and collaborate with regional and local stakeholders. One of the ongoing challenges in the sector is the lack of co-ordination around a long-term vision for local and regional stakeholders. It often isn’t clear how stakeholders, including governments, want to leverage mining activity for long-term gain and what they want to achieve. The SDGs present a framework and an opportunity to have this conversation with stakeholders at the regional and local level. Governments will likely be more familiar with the framework then local communities, and it might very well be appropriate to adapt the way the SDGs are presented language, terms, examples for a specific context. Use the SDGs as a framework to communicate and track progress in the sector over the next decade. This can be done by individual companies as well as collectively. As highlighted by the RMF report mentioned above, companies are currently using the s as a framework to report on benefits on a global scale. This is useful for stakeholders who are interested in comparing data and performance across companies, but there are a number of challenges.

www.canadianminingjournal.com

LAW: Precedent-setting cumulative effects decision in B.C. Supreme Court could change resource development in Canada (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5)

> The information is often generalized, using anecdotal experiences to illustrate performance. > The data focuses on inputs and outputs as opposed to progress related to a certain outcome. > Especially for larger companies, not all SDGs are as relevant at the local level. Corporate summaries water down the main development goals at a local level. If companies consider all of their sustainability reporting at a site and corporate level through an SDG lens, and report changes over time, they could provide stakeholders with more transparency and evidence about how the company is meeting their internal and external commitments. At the same time, collective reporting at a local and regional level is very powerful. It is harder to manage logistically, but can illustrate how development goals are or aren’t being met in a specific region. his can drive policy decisions, budgets and action by multiple stakeholders and act as an important catalyst as we approach the end of the decade. CMJ

he effects of ahey will likely not be confined to northeast B.C, however. Many parts of Canada have seen material population growth, infrastructure and/ or resource development since the time that historic treaties with Indigenous groups were entered into. We expect Yahey will lead to similar cumulative effects claims across Canada, particularly across the Prairies and northern Ontario with historic numbered treaties similar to Treaty 8. Such claims could inject further uncertainty into Canada’s regulatory approval processes, and, if successful, could significantly change the future of resource and infrastructure development in Canada. CMJ

CAROLYN BURNS is executive director of the Devonshire Initiative (www.devonshireinitiative.org), a multi-stakeholder forum that supports cross-sector collaboration to support sustained positive outcomes for mining-impacted communities.

SANDER DUNCANSON, MARTIN IGNASIAK, TOMMY GELBMAN and OLIVIA DIXON are partners at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; TYLER WARCHOLA is a summer student. (Www.Osler.com)

Safety

Greater Productivity

Ease of Use

To learn more about atmospheric monitoring and ventilation control solutions visit us at

Less Downtime

24/7 Support

Conspec_Canadian_Mining_Journal_Half_pg_Ad_21_R7.indd 1 SEPTEMBER 2021

2021-08-26 4:41 PM| 7 CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

COMMENTARY

Looking back at a century of economic geology: SEG celebrates its centennary By Anne Thompson

espite developments in science and techniques over the last 100 years, the search for mineral deposits remains one of the great scientific puzzles. he quest, involving prospectors, data scientists and field explorers alike, is an exciting endeavour. During the late 1800s in North America, prospecting men (and a few women) were the backbone of the industry. s the 20th century dawned, however, discoveries were rarer and prospecting less profitable. arge companies took new approaches with Kennecott and naconda hiring the first exploration managers. aldemar indgren and other academics were also using geology and field observations to define fundamentals of ore deposits. ays to share knowledge between industry and aca- Some of the participants at the SEG Conference in Princeton, N.J., in 1933, including the association’s ﬁrst female member. CREDIT: SEG ARCHIVES demia however, were limited. ith this challenge in mind, a group of colleagues representing diverse interests convened over lunch over the world. ey support came from resident Herbert , also a charter member of . he conin late ecember to discuss formation of a new organiza- Hoover tion. he ociety of conomic eologists began its first gress was followed by an epic trans-continental field trip by year of operations in 1921, led by the giants of economic geol- train, celebrating the new map of the nited tates, printed at ogy at the time, including . . . enrose, r., aldemar great expense by the nited tates eological urvey for all indgren, and osiah purr. n important partnership was attendees. ost orld ar , the demand for resources grew dramatestablished at the start with the journal he ulletin of ically and the need for geologists of all types was increasing at conomic eology founded in . he new organization embraced the multiple needs of explo- a rapid pace. he steep declines in reserves of many major ration, mining and academia with an emphasis on the practical. commodities prompted a concerted, co-ordinated effort across hrough those early years, flexibility was key as world events the globe to find and develop new sources of metals. nce including the reat epression meant postponements and recovery was underway and a long period of relative stability delays in ociety business. he initial meetings of were and prosperity was established, the mining industry flourished, supported to a considerable degree by major advances held as the flu pandemic came towards its end in ow in science. years later, we face similar disruption. he s were marked by significant new understanding of o-operation with other societies was integral to ’s success. otable was the involvement of many members to the arth experimental research provided insights, geophysibring the th nternational eological ongress to cal techniques were developed, and mass spectrometers ashington, . . s recovery from the depression continued, allowed the characterization of isotopes and dating by geochrothe conference was carried out under extraordinary circum- nology. he biggest game changer was the shift in our view of stances in 1933 – a year late, but attended by delegates from all earth processes and large-scale structure through the develop-

8 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

www.canadianminingjournal.com

ment of plate tectonics. ow there were multiple scientific tools and frameworks at our disposal to augment field-based interpretations. hrough this period of growth and advancing geoscience, recognized the need to establish a stronger financial base to support research and activities vital to the science of economic geology. he oundation was inaugurated by a generous contribution from hayer indsley anadian ining Hall of ame in . hat initial contribution set the stage for others to follow and laid a base which now supports a wide variety of programs, scholarships and awards. embership also started to change in the mid s and accelerated through the 1970s as more professionals joined . n the first years of , only four women were elected to membership, the first, in , was a ussian born geochemist. uriel athez joined in and remained a member until her death in . n she was the first woman elected to ouncil, marking the beginning of a fundamental change within towards gender inclusivity. In the late 1980s, the cyclical industry saw oversupply, lower metal prices and consequent cutbacks in exploration.

responded by initiating student chapters and revamping membership categories. tudent membership increased rapidly and now supports active student chapters in countries across the globe. he face of is changing again as we work towards greater inclusivity based on geography, race, gender, and even specialties – we are all stronger the more diverse our teams and varied our perspectives. ver years, has weathered a orld ar, economic booms and busts, the impact of rapidly developing science beginning in the mid 20th century, and now is again embracing rapid change. he fundamentals of and its purpose remain – modern society still needs the resources that we study, explore for and develop. ith this history as a framework, we are meeting virtually across the globe, and in person, connecting economic geologists in celebration of the amazing last years and looking beyond . oin us to learn the history and create the future, at , online and in histler, . ., ept - . www.seg .org CMJ ANNE THOMPSON is president of PetraScience Consultants, host and producer of the SEG Discovery to Recovery podcast.

MAKE MORE Your Complete Gold Processing Solution WITH ADVANCED

TO DISCOVER MORE VISIT US AT MINEXPO! SEPTEMBER 2021

BOOTH: 1937 CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 9

UNEARTHING TRENDS

Three actions miners can take to limit growing cybersecurity risks By Yogen Appalraju

ining and metals companies are putting their foot on the gas in the face of economic reopening. As teams address challenges and prepare for optimal efficiency, they cannot ignore a major growing risk cybersecurity. here is no denying this increasing threat. he recent lobal nformation ecurity urvey finds that more than three-quarters of respondents have seen a rise in the number of disruptive cyber attacks in the last year as businesses increasing rely on digital and autonomous tools. he thing is, as businesses adapt to new digital and online measures, threat actors adapt with them, using new strategies. nd commodity companies certainly aren’t immune. he hackers who shut down the . . olonial ipeline earlier this year used ransomware-as-a-service that can be found on the dark web. nd the individuals who infiltrated olar inds in did so via a sophisticated supply chain attack that was largely unfamiliar to security teams. or mining and metals companies, there’s a unique set of challenges. ngoing integration between and networks, reliance on third parties with less secure networks and limited workforces are all creating new entry points for cybercrime. any companies also have the added risk of having strategic minerals and commodities that needed for the future and are being targeted as countries race to acquire new world metals. ith the threat landscape evolving so quickly, it’s hard to keep up. nly half of companies in the survey say they understand and can anticipate the strategies attackers use. Just one in three are confident in their ability to make the supply chain suitably robust or water-tight against attacks. nd, only of boards declare themselves extremely confident that the cybersecurity risks and mitigation measures presented to them can protect the organization from major cyber-attacks. hese gaps and barriers highlight the growing importance of cybersecurity teams working closely with colleagues across the business, in procurement, operations and beyond to identify risks, implement protection measures and address evolving threats. he survey indicates three actions cybersecurity teams can take so they can respond with agility and resiliency.

Three actions

Reassess alignment with the business: Most respondents to the survey admit that cybersecurity teams are not consulted, or are consulted too late, when leadership makes urgent strate-

10 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

gic decisions. ven if this does not happen often, it only take one time for a flaw in the defences to be exploited by threat actors. he reality is that many cybersecurity teams lack the required visibility to operate in sync with other functions and pursue a strategy that aligns with the business. o address this, leaders should look to strengthen their engagement with stakeholders, ensure their alignment to core business goals and objectives, and assess their business partners’ satisfaction with the performance and delivery of security services. Review the talent profile: To respond to organizational challenges, as well as the sophisticated nature of recent high-profile attacks, cybersecurity teams need the support of versatile, multiskilled professionals. hat means companies need individuals with advanced technical skills, as well as the ability to build interdepartmental relationships. hey need people with a passion for innovation and growth – who can also detect emerging threats and find flaws in defences. ut it’s difficult to find one individual who possesses all these talents. better approach is to build teams that balance a combination of broad disciplines, understanding each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Shift everywhere: ybersecurity teams are familiar with the principle of shifting left – i.e. striving to involve cybersecurity earlier on in the transformation and product development lifecycle. However, they now also need to shift north, east, south and west. n practice, this means addressing the concerns of management at the north, focusing on reporting and accountability, as well as budgeting and resource allocation. hifting the focus east to regulators to prioritize certifications and attestations, along with regulatory mapping. hift south to enhance standards and testing. nd shifting west to focus on security and privacy by design. f teams can position themselves in the centre of these four vital stakeholders, they’ll be in the right place to take their function to the next level of strategic influence. iving the cybersecurity function a seat at the table to proactively identify threats can be a vital enabler of growth. y building the right teams and education, mining companies can minimize disruptions to production, damage to equipment or loss of – all of which could lead to major financial and reputational losses. n an era posed for significant growth, there’s no time for error. on’t let an avoidable cyber attack get you down. CMJ YOGEN APPALRAJU is the cybersecurity leader at EY Canada, based in Toronto.

www.canadianminingjournal.com

OUR IRON WILL WAS TO

REDUCE FUEL CONSUMPTION * % BY 8

SO YOUR IRON WILL BE

EVEN MORE EFFICIENT. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. MEET THE EX5600-7. See all the improvements at HitachiConstruction.com/EX5600-7.

SEPTEMBER 2021

*Comparison of Cummins engine configuration against EX5600-6. CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL 11

FAST NEWS • DECARBONIZATION |

Updates from across the mining ecosytem

Komatsu, industry collaborate on zero-emission equipment

Working together to rapidly innovate in support of carbon reduction targets, Komatsu and several of its customers have formed the Komatsu greenhouse gas (GHG) alliance. The founding members of the alliance are Rio Tinto, BHP, Codelco and Boliden. Through the alliance framework, Komatsu’s GHG partners will work directly with Komatsu to actively collaborate on product planning, development, testing and deployment of the next generation of zero-emission mining equipment and infrastructure. The alliance’s initial target is advancing Komatsu’s power agnostic truck concept for a haulage vehicle that can run on a variety of power sources including diesel electric, electric, trolley (wired), battery power and even hydrogen fuel cells. The formation of the alliance brings together mining leaders willing to share time, resources and information to deliver zero-emissions equipment solutions. Komatsu intends to expand the alliance to additional mining companies to enhance industry-wide collaboration on solutions to decarbonization. As a company, Komatsu is committed to minimizing environmental impact through its business, targeting a 50% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from use of its products and production of its equipment by 2030 (compared to 2010 levels) and a challenge target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Komatsu has worked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for customers through innovative product development for decades in many areas including electric diesel dump trucks, electric power shovels, regenerative energy storage capabilities and fuel saver programs. Komatsu’s initial concept for a haulage vehicle that can run on a variety of power sources, part of the power agnostic development, is set to make its official debut at MINExpo 2021 on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. In other Komatsu news, the company will also introduce its new open technology platform Intellimine Synergy at

12 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

Komatsu’s power agnostic development truck undergoes testing at a Komatsu facility in the U.S. CREDIT: KOMATSU

Komatsu’s Modular Mining brand is focused on real-time digital offerings that are compatible across all makes of equipment. CREDIT: KOMATSU

MINExpo. Designed to collect, integrate and process data in real-time, and on track to be an industry first, ntellimine ynergy is aligned around common goals of being more agile and collaborative, increasing

efficiencies and leveraging the full capacity of Komatsu’s mining experience. This new platform offers customers a single source of actionable insights that brings together data from all relevant Komatsu, Modular Mining and third party machines, mining processes, systems, and technology applications. The Intellimine Synergy platform was developed by Komatsu’s new Mining Technology Solutions team, which is comprised of experts from across our businesses who focus on rapid technology advancement. This new business unit includes the Modular Mining brand – a Komatsu technology brand focused on real-time digital offerings, compatible with all makes of equipment. The goal is to provide a solution that can cut through the noise and provide a single source of information that can assist, automate and help optimize the important decisions our mining customers make every day. CMJ

www.canadianminingjournal.com

• CRUSHERS |

Metso Outotec adds forged, tough duty Nordberg crusher head

Metso Outotec has introduced a new crusher head to complete the portfolio for Nordberg MP800, MP1000, MP1250, HP800, and HP900 crushers. The Xtreme (forged) head is the most robust head on the market designed to handle the most demanding applications. The new Xtreme head provides customers with an option for the most extreme conditions. The head complements the Enhanced (heavy duty) head and the Elect (traditional cast) head in this comprehensive range of crusher heads. Users can match their price point and duty level to get the most life out of their components. Maximizing and extending the life of the components allows for a more sustainable operation overall. ey benefits of the treme head in-

The new Xtreme crusher head.

CREDIT: METSO OUTOTEC

clude: advanced geometrical features to assure consistent bearing loading within machine design parameters; complete one-piece forged material; and a sustainable design and capabilities to provide safe and reliable operations. CMJ

• DIGITALIZATION |

Vale selects Schneider Electric to boost safety, efficiency in Brazil Vale SA has selected Schneider Electric and AVEVA to supply the hardware and software, respectively, to integrate, centralize and monitor its Mariana and Itabira iron ore operations in Brazil. Schneider will roll out its EcoStruxure control expert – Asset Link – which combines the best the two companies have to offer in one solution. Vale chose EcoStruxure because it is key to improving safety and driving digitalization in mining operations. The company will be able to remotely control the diverse technologies across both mining operations from a central location. Centralizing control means operating costs will go down and energy use go down, a boon to sustainability. Schneider supplied Asset Link, which combines its Modicon M580 and the AVEVA software platform to integrate data directly into the system. That allows Vale’s managers to gather better insights without having to manually transfer information. All plants are fully visible in a single view. CMJ SEPTEMBER 2021

YES, BIGGER IS BETTER. The GIW® TBC pump delivers reliable performance in the most aggressive slurries.

GIW® Slurry Pumps

Maximize production with the GIW® TBC pump. With a 92-inch impeller, it’s the biggest pump in the Oil Sands. The GIW® TBC pump delivers longer run times and fewer outages in the most aggressive slurry. Learn more at www.ksbmining.com.

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 13

FAST NEWS • DRILLING |

Updates from across the mining ecosytem

Champion Iron chooses Cat for AI drill technology at Bloom Lake

Champion Iron has signed a letter of intent with Caterpillar to implement artificial intelligence based advanced drilling technologies on Cat equipment at its Bloom Lake mine 400 km north of Sept- Îles, Que. The project will progressively implement a remote controlled, semi-autonomous and fully autonomous Cat electric drilling fleet, using technologies engineered, designed, and or integrated by Caterpillar. With Champion contributing its experienced workforce, and Caterpillar’s independent dealer, Toromont Cat, its aftermarket support, the collaboration will aim to optimize Bloom Lake’s operational productivity and reduce energy consumption, while demonstrating the capabilities of Caterpillar’s advanced drilling technologies. The collaborative effort will aim to deliver a fully integrated drill-to-mill (D2M) technology solution powered by data connectivity and advanced analytics to improve workflow between the mine and plant. D2M is focused on delivering improved milling performance by supplying optimized mill feed, while contending with dynamic operational conditions. The D2M strategy is expected to be deployed based on a series of tightly integrated systems, driven by Cat MineStar

Accelerating Digital Transformation in the Mining Industry for Process Optimization Achieve higher production goals with our mining software solutions for better engineering data management and improved fixed asset performance, from initial design to mining operation.

| Visit bit.ly/HexagonOpsExcelMining

14 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

C A Caterpillar drill. The company will be working on a drill-to-mill technology solution for Champion Iron’s Bloom Lake iron ore mine in Quebec. CREDIT: CATERPILLAR

solutions, designed to optimize the drilling, loading and hauling processes. Using real-time data, AI and analytics, Caterpillar’s integrated technology will support Champion’s ability to assess the status of machines, technologies, and material to enable more timely and accurate operational decisions and consistent execution across Champion’s entire mining value chain. Bloom Lake, an open-pit truck and shovel operation with a concentrator, produces 7.4 million tonnes of 66.2% iron concentrate yearly. An expansion is underway that will bring nameplate capacity up to million t y. CMJ

• IOT |

Latium launches Ingenious E-Sense monitor for high voltage cables Industrial IoT solutions provider Latium Technologies has launched its ngenious line of o technologies, first introducing the ground-breaking E-Sense device. The Ingenious E-Sense is a non-invasive IoT sensor that provides mining companies with a better way to monitor networks of high voltage cables for damage or faults. To date, this challenge has been a completely manual process. E-Sense allows maintenance teams to immediately identify and replace damaged cables, reducing costly downtime and eliminating manual processes. The Ingenious E-Sense integrates directly into Latium Technologies’ industry-leading Job Site Insights suite of applications. CMJ

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Pioneer of

Machine-to-Machine Communication Systems

Rajant Kinetic Mesh® is deployed in more than 230 of the largest open-pit and underground mines in over 67 countries today. Our network powers 24/7 productivity in these ever-changing environments. Self-optimizes as network elements move, adapting in real time to maintain mission-critical connectivity Works peer-to-peer to maintain hundreds of connections simultaneously for ‘never break’ mobility The only private network enabling machine-to-machine communications required for autonomy

To see a live demo, visit us at

Booth #1261, North Hall

COSTING

USING THE SUN TO POWER NWT CANADA’S communities’ experience with suggests REMOTE solar limits to viability MINES By David Boleneus

emote mine sites depend on reliable and consistent electric power generation, not available from a grid or local municipality. Underground mines and milling operations are particularly sensitive to outages, often resulting in significant downtime and major safety concerns. Imagine a ventilation system going

down or a hoist unable to bring miner back to the surface. Power at remote mine sites is often generated by diesel (heating oil), propane (LPG) or hydroelectricity. Many companies are now also considering solar and wind as a way to augment, but not replace, current systems. This article will

focus on the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in northern Canada in comparison to diesel generation.

Remote mines rely primarily on diesel

The table below illustrates the cost of power per kilowatt hour for diesel generators as compared to published elec-

Table 1: Diesel power generation compared to retail utilities rates Location

Diesel fuel retail (C$/L)

Fuel consumption (litre/kWh)

Genset power generation cost (C$/kWh) *

Fuel Tax (C$/L)

Electric Utility Power Rate (C$/kWh)

=Fuel retail X consumption

(As reported by local utilities)

Yukon

$1.412–1.554 (average $1.483)

0.3

$0.45

$0.072 + 5% GST

$0.119

Northwest Territories

$1.457–1.917 (average $1.687)

0.3

$0.51

Not available

$0.286

Nunavut

$1.196

0.3

$0.36

$0.181 + 5% GST

$0.808

* Excel genset tool from Power-calculation.com

16 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Sustainable We’ve helped mines around the world reduce their energy consumption and lower their greenhouse gas emissions. Your energy challenge may not be straightforward, but our solution can be.

IMAGE: AGNORMARK/ISTOCK

As electric power costs rise, mining companies and communities are experimenting with, or integrating the use of, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.

tric power rates provided by utilities in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, where available. Generators larger than 40 kVA consistently consume 0.3 litres of fuel for each kWh of generated power at a 75% load. Using local retail diesel fuel costs, the table calculates the cost of diesel generated power compared to the cost of commercially generated power for remote locations as reported by the utilities. For simplicity this comparison ignores cost of fuel transport, substations, switching, transmission facilities and utility overheads because those costs are small compared to electric power requirements for mining and related milling combined operations. A recent Costmine survey of retail electric power rates in Canadian northern communities reported power rates ranging from less than $0.15/kWh to over a $1.10/kWh. As fuel prices increase, generated power using diesel gets more expensive.

stantec.com/mining

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

SEPTEMBER 2021

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 17

COSTING As electric power costs rise, mining companies and communities are experimenting with, or integrating the use of, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Here we examine performance from the solar PV data record for the two communities designated as Site 62 and Site 67, named to identify differing latitudes that have installed modern solar PV systems. Hourly data records from these solar installations give us a chance to see how solar PV systems could integrate with other electric power generating options at remote mines.

Community solar PV data

We took a look at the performance data for two communities in the Northwest Territories that have installed solar PV systems. Site 62 is located at 62° N. latitude and Site 67 is located at 67° N. latitude. Site 62 installed a 104-kW, 437-panel system in 2012 at a cost of $1.07 million, consisting of 436 stationary panels 91 metres long and 4.2 metres high. A battery backup is not included. Site 67 installed an 82 kW, 330 panel

Is your mine design based on sound geology? .com

18 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

Figure 1. Average daily operation for solar PV electric generation at Site 62 (blue curve) and Site 67 (red curve). Both curves display 21-day moving average. CREDIT: COSTMINE

system in 2016, linked with battery storage for a total cost of $7.7 million. Both communities use diesel-powered electric as a baseload source of generating electricity, with hydroelectric and the solar PV systems for backup electricity. The addition of solar PV adds complexity

to the system by challenging grid operations and stability of power frequency due to the intermittent nature of solar generation. The battery backup system allows more flexibility for ite . Unanticipated load swings increase the potential for power outages. To address such issues and protect customers, operators are limiting the solar PV portion to 20% of kW load needed for each community. For example, the allowable solar PV energy for Site 67 is 15 kW average load to meet the 20% limit. In this case, Site 67 also installed net-metering and battery storage to stabilize the grid. This allows the operator to exceed the 20% limitation. Illustrated in Figure 1 are records of daily output in kWh per day (with curves smoothed using a 21-day moving average) for Site 62 and Site 67. Total generation for one year ranged from 52,882 kWh at Site 67 to 84,699 kWh at Site 62 (Table 3). Average daily generation and average generating efficiency are each less at Site 67 due to its location at . latitude. fficiency is the average generation compared to capacity at a site. The solar PV collects more energy at Site 62 with fewer days in darkness defined as of capacity in winter and a greater number of days that exceed average capacity. To anticipate potential to generate electricity within any Canadian province from solar PV, EnergyHub/Natural Resources Canada provides valuable guidance to estimate the expected electrical generation and the cost. From

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Table 2. Solar PV performance data for two communities in the Northwest Territories Community (Latitude)

62°N

67°N

Capacity (installed), kilowatts

104 kW

82 kW

Period examined, Sept. 1 to Aug. 31

2019-2020

Total generation, kWh

84,699

52,882

Average daily generation, kWh/d

231

144

Average generating efficiency*

Days @ <1% of capacity

129

156

Number of days that exceeds average generating efficiency

152

137

Performance compared to solar production potential for NWT kWh/kW (%) **

814 (77%)

645 (61%)

*Ratio, electricity generated/ installed capacity * Published by Natural Resources Canada/EnergyHub

results shown here, caution is advised because data for the communities investigated demonstrates that solar PV output was much less, ranging from 61% at Site 67 to 77% at Site 62 compared to estimates provided by EnergyHub. The comparison shows that the latitude of the collecting array for solar PV is an important consideration. According to EnergyHub, the average cost of solar power

equipment is $3.01 per watt installed or $22,500 for a 7.5-kW system.

Other considerations

It is clear that solar EV electric generation is possible in the Far North, but is it practical? Energy gathered by a solar panel depends on latitude, amount of sunshine, incidence angle (orientation), age and several other factors. The National

enewable nergy aboratory finds that solar panels degrade with time by 0.8% per year, so efficiency of a -year old panel will degrade by 11.3%. Most studies assume that solar panels have a maximum life of 25 years, but in Germany the mean scrappage age is 17 years. As part of their efforts to limit fossil fuel usage, mining companies are considering adding solar generation to augment other power sources. While solar panels can be used in the Far North, the lack of sunlight in the winter make this a costly option based on the experience at sites 62 and 67 in the Northwest Territories. However, as technology improves and fuel becomes more expensive, solar PV systems can be an option for companies seeking a lower carbon footprint. CMJ

n Since 1990, Costmine has been surveying Canadian mines, governments and suppliers for the latest capital and operating costs. For more information or to purchase these studies, please contact Costmine +1 (509) 328-8023 or www.costmine.com.

Come see us at the MINExpo - Booth 25410 - in the South Hall medatech.ca Serving Customers Worldwide SEPTEMBER 2021

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 19

COSTING

SHOULD YOU REBUILD IT OR BUY NEW? Eriez provides a quick guide to help you determine the best option for your magnetic separation or vibratory equipment. By José Marin

A suspended electromagnet, before and after a rebuild. CREDIT: ERIEZ

20 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

ith the pressures of a pandemic, an uncertain economy and the price of new equipment, many companies are deciding to rebuild their equipment rather than replacing it. Here are some guidelines to consider as you determine which way to go, especially as it pertains to magnetic separators, vibratory feeders, metal detectors, suspended electromagnets and magnetic drum separators. However, many of these guidelines can also be applied to any equipment used in a mining operation.

Performance and service life

ou can find out from the manufacturer what the predicted effective life may be for certain types of equipment. Based upon this forecast, you can schedule the appropriate inspection to help you decide whether repair or replacement is optimal. eak operating efficiency and product longevity depend greatly on the individual piece of equipment and its working environment. Routine tests can determine when it’s time to upgrade, replace components or purchase a brand new model. Regular preventative maintenance certainly extends the life of most equipment. Annual preventative maintenance checks or audits can be performed by qualified plant personnel or an outside party, like the service technicians at Eriez. (The Eriez Service Center is located in a recently expanded, state-of-the-art facility in Erie, Penn., but technicians are available to visit onsite and inspect equipment.) The goal of an inspection is to assess the possibility of costly downtime and make sure equipment is operating at peak performance. Once an inspection is complete, the service centre will be better able to determine the next course of action, whether this means replacing one component or remanufacturing the equipment to original specifications. n some cases, you will need to buy new, but that is only after consideration is given to several scenarios designed to get the equipment back online.

www.canadianminingjournal.com

When all is said and done, the price of new equipment may be beyond your budget. Many manufacturers can provide economic options for these products when it comes to rebuilding compared to buying new. Buying new compared to rebuild price

When all is said and done, the price of new equipment may be beyond your current budget. Many manufacturers can provide economic options for these products when it comes to rebuilding compared to buying new.

Consider new features

Every year, manufacturers develop product enhancements that may be sought by you or your management team to meet certain strategic objectives. Sometimes these improvements can only be obtained if a new product is purchased, but often they can be added during the rebuild process. For example, Eriez has incorporated an external oil expansion tank on its suspended electromagnets (SE) models. This helps prevent coil burnout on oil-cooled electromagnets, and the company offers a five-year warranty on the internal coil assembly. This can normally be added

during an SE rebuild. When it comes to magnetic drum separators, the power of new magnetic element may be retrofitted into your old model. With vibratory feeders, newly designed products now come equipped with energy saving components that should be explored before you rebuild or buy new. Custom designed feeders are becoming increasingly common. Ask about customization possibilities before you place your rebuild order. Today’s metal detectors come with sophisticated software technology that can detect smaller ferrous and nonferrous contamination better than ever. By talking to a major metal detection supplier or rebuild facility, you can investigate whether you should buy new or can upgrade your current unit.

Timing: When do you need delivery?

When do you need your product? When

Table 1 PRODUCT

TYPICAL REBUILD COMPONENTS/SERVICE

SAVINGS COMPARED TO NEW

WARRANTY

Suspended Electromagnets

Coil, impact plate, stud seals, oil expansion tank

30 – 40%

1 year on self-cleaning system 5 years on coil

Magnetic Wet Drum Separators

Bearings, seals, shaft extension (if applicable), drive chain & sprockets (if applicable), magnetic element, shell and wear wrap

30 – 40%

Vibratory Feeders

Tray, coil, springs, wear items

40 – 60%

1 year

Metal Detectors

Calibration, cleaning, new electronic boards and certifying

40 – 60%

1 year

SEPTEMBER 2021

1 year

you have stopped production or face safety issues that compromise your working environment, you will need to find an expedited solution when it comes to a delivery date. Often times a repair or refurbishment can be completed much faster than building a new product. You will need to compare the delivery lead time of new versus rebuilt equipment. Can you buy new offthe-shelf equipment by way of your manufacturer’s quick shipping program?

Systems, warranty and reputation

Plant operations entail numerous pieces of equipment working together in a seamless operation to bring the finished product to market. Many mining operations use a variety of vibratory, feeders, magnetic separators, metal detectors and customized systems as part of their process. Since suspended electromagnets, wet drum separators and vibratory equipment represent a significant capital investment, plant operators should perform routine inspections while maintaining the equipment to detect any malfunctioning or underperforming equipment. This procedure helps spot trouble areas, minimize downtime and prevent potential harm to plant personnel and downstream equipment. Before you decide which rebuild facility to trust with your product upgrade, check references. Visit the plant and learn from peers who have experience with the company. Warranty is also important. Be sure you understand the extent of the warranty before you commit to buying new or rebuilding. CMJ n José Marin is director, Eriez Minerals and Material Processing. Eriez has rebuild capabilities at a majority of its international subsidiaries. For more information, visit www.eriez.com.

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 21

GOLD

ARTEMIS GOLD’S

AUSSIE ADVANTAGE

Junior’s disciplined, methodical approach paying off at Blackwater By Alisha Hiyate

22 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

teven Dean, chairman and CEO of Artemis Gold, has now spent more of his 35-year mining career to date in Canada than in his native Australia – 22 years vs. 13 years. But many aspects of his approach to the business can be traced directly back to the mining culture of his homeland. “Australian junior companies in particular have a strong focus on early cash flow, ean says. hat has consistently been a differentiator between the Australian gold industry and the Canadian gold industry, which has historically focused on growing the size of deposits, he adds. “Any student of investment 101 knows that regardless of what business you’re in, whether it’s widgets or gold mining, the best returns on capital can often be

achieved by using cash flow to grow your business. he focus on early cash flow, and along with that, staged development to reduce upfront capital costs, have held Dean in good stead throughout his career. In 1999, a cash flowing junior that he cofounded, ac in ining, was purchased by eck Cominco – landing Dean the job of president of eck ominco, a position he held for three years. More recently, that strategy also made Atlantic Gold a success. Under Dean’s leadership as chairman, CEO and founder, the junior got the Moose River gold mine in ova cotia into first-phase production for US$160 million, starting in . wo years later, the company was purchased for $802 million by Aussie miner St. Barbara.

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Artemis Gold’s Blackwater gold project, in central British Columbia encompasses 1,500 sq. km.

CREDIT: ARTEMIS GOLD

STEVEN DEAN

CHAIRMAN AND CEO, ARTEMIS GOLD

Now advancing the Blackwater gold project, 160 km southwest of Prince George in central British Columbia with Artemis Gold, Dean is planning to follow a very similar blueprint as the company looks to start production as early as the first quarter of .

Blackwater

Blackwater provides a dramatic example of how staging can improve economics. On paper, Blackwater wasn’t the most promising asset when junior Artemis Gold purchased it last year from New Gold in a cash, stock and streaming deal valued at $264 million. he large, low-grade, open pit project came with a US$1.9-billion development price tag, according to a late 2013 feasibility study. At the time, Blackwater was SEPTEMBER 2021

envisaged as a 22 million t/y operation lasting 17 years. However, the economics were weak, with the study forecasting a pre-tax net present value (NPV) of $991 million and an internal rate of return of . . hat was at , per oz. gold and US$22 per oz. silver, with a US$0.95 dollar). Artemis, which was spun out of Atlantic Gold before that company was acquired by St. Barbara, believed Blackwater had potential to deliver more. “It stood out for the scale – it’s a very large deposit, million oz., ean says. “It was in our backyard here in Vancouver, just outside of Prince George in central B.C. It was very accessible and that was actually critical because we were doing our due diligence in the early stages of ovid.

Crucially, the company also believed a staged approach to development would improve the economics and bring the capex to a number that would be manageable even for a junior. In June 2020, Artemis agreed to buy Blackwater for $140 million in cash upfront, another $50-million payment 12 months after the deal closed, and $20 million in shares giving New Gold a 9.9% stake in the company. It also granted New Gold an 8% gold stream that will fall to 4% after the gold miner receives its first , oz. Days after Artemis closed the acquisition of Blackwater in August 2020, the junior released a prefeasibility study that cut the initial capex to $592 million from $2.5 billion (US$1.9 billion) and extended CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 23

GOLD

the mine life to 23 years. Instead of a mega mine that would start off at 22 million t/y – a rate that would make it one of the world’s largest gold operations – the study looked at an initial rate of 5.5 million t/y (15,000 t/d) for average annual production of , oz. gold for the first five years of mining. A phase 2 expansion costing $426 million would bring throughput to 12 million t/y in year 6 for annual production of 420,000 oz. gold, and a third $398-million stage would increase throughput to 20 million t/y in year 11 through the remainder of the mine life for production of 316,000 oz. gold per year. Phase one all-in sustaining costs (in Canadian dollars) were projected at $668 per oz. of gold, rising slightly to $696 per oz. in the second phase, then $911 per oz. for the rest of the mine life. he revised approach boosted the after-tax IRR to 35% and the project’s NPV to $2.2 billion, using a discount rate of 5%, US$1,541 per oz. gold, and US$19.60 per oz. silver. he payback period also declined to 2 years from 6.2 years. Key to the improved economics was recognizing the potential of high-grade, near surface mineralization at Blackwater that could be mined as a starter pit. While the project’s reserve grade is sub-1 g/t gold (0.78 g/t gold equivalent), Artemis’s 2020 prefeasibility shows that starting off in higher grade mineralization found in the northern section of the pit will boost the average grade to 1.57 g/t gold for the first five years. “When you start at a very large scale like the 2013 study considered, New old lost sight of the value. he high grade zone was there, but it was buried in a much bigger operation, ean explains. hat high grade starter zone really drives those paybacks. Once you’re

24 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

Artemis Gold expects to receive ﬁnal permits for Blackwater, in B.C. Cariboo region, early next year.

‘At the time the first study was completed, the industry was booming and the focus was more about scale – how big can you build something.’ —STEVEN DEAN

established and in operation and using that cash flow to grow the business, it’s a much lower-risk proposition. Blackwater hosts proven and probable run-of-mine reserves of 334 million tonnes grading 0.78 g/t gold equivalent (0.75 g/t gold and 5.8 g/t silver) for 8 million oz. gold and 62.3 million oz. silver. Measured and indicated resources (including reserves) total 11.7 million oz. gold and 122.4 million oz. silver in 597 million tonnes grading 0.61 g/t gold and 6.4 g/t silver, using a cutoff grade of 0.2 g/t gold. he deposit is classified as a volcanic-hosted, epithermal-style gold-silver deposit. ore drilling has defined a very continuous mineralized zone extending at least 1,300 metres east-west and 950 metres north-south, and up to 600 metres thick. he mineralized zone plunges shallowly to the north and northwest, and remains open at depth in the southwest part of the deposit, as well as to the northwest and west.

Scale vs. margin

While the improved economics are impressive, Dean notes that the original

CREDIT: ARTEMIS GOLD

feasibility and the Artemis prefeasibility were completed in very different times and reflected different priorities. t the time the first study was completed, the industry was booming and the focus was more about scale – how big can you build something, he says. oday there’s much greater discipline, the industry’s in much better shape, balance sheets are in much better shape and cash flow is probably at a record right now in terms of mine cash flow margins industry wide. At presstime in late August, Artemis was getting ready to release a feasibility for Blackwater within weeks. Dean says there will be tweaks to the prefeasibility plan, overseen by new COO Jeremy Langford – another Australian who joined the company earlier this year. However, no major changes are expected. In the meantime, Artemis has remained laser focused on reducing risk wherever it can. While it’s far from the only Canadian junior that has emphasized early cash flow and staged development, other aspects of Artemis’s approach – and previously of Atlantic Gold – are unique. For example, the use of grade control drilling – closely spaced drilling that provides up to 16 times more data than reserve drilling – in the starter pit. It’s also planning to control costs by arranging fixed-price EPC contracts for big ticket aspects of development. On the grade control drilling side, initial results from a program that focused on the starter pit to 60 metres depth indicated the potential to add tonnage and ounces within the high-grade zone. As part of the drill program, Artemis is also employing the LeachWELL assay method developed by Western Australia based ineral rocess ontrol. he

www.canadianminingjournal.com

assay method uses larger sample sizes (1 kg compared with the standard 50 g) to better understand the leachability of the ore. LeachWELL assay results have suggested a gold recovery of 96.7% and a silver recovery of 72.2%. On the contracting side, the company is finalizing guaranteed maximum price contracts for major infrastructure at lackwater. hat includes a -million EPC contract with Ausenco for a 5.5 million t/y conventional carbon-in-pulp plant, and an $80-million contract with a consortium that includes local First Nations for a 135-km-long, 230 kV power line and substation. EPC contracts protect clients from cost escalation, whereas with more conventional EPCM contracts, the client bears that risk. nce final contracts are signed (binding memorandums of undertanding are in place for both contracts), the company expects around of 60% of the expected development capital will be protected from cost escalation and delays. Full construction is expected to begin next year after final permits for the project are granted – likely in the first quarter of 2022. Early construction work permits were granted in July. Artemis has already signed a preliminary agreement with two banks for $360 million in project debt financing. he company has signed IBAs with Nazko First Nation and is in talks with the Carrier Sekani First Nation. New Gold had previously signed an IBA with the Lhoosk’uz Dené and Ulkatcho First Nations, both of which have were a requirement for the environmental assessment. EA permits were approved in 2019.

generally the team is from the ‘big end of town,’ and we apply the same approach and standards to the junior business. While Dean – a former investment banker in Australia before taking the leap into mining – has a history of building companies and assets that others want to own, he says Artemis isn’t building Blackwater specifically to attract a takeover bid. But given the lack of large, new highquality gold projects in the sector, it wouldn’t be surprising if the project

attracts attention once it begins production. hings like the right jurisdictions, large scale deposits, easy access, good social – including Indigenous – relations, and exploration upside – that’s what everyone is looking for and in particular the senior companies, he says. hat allows us to keep the option of creating shareholder value through an M&A transaction. hat option’s always there if you can tick all those key boxes. CMJ

Nuna Group of Companies

People factor

Both the Atlantic and Artemis teams (which have many common members) have a heavy Australian contingent, but regardless of their origin, Dean speaks very highly of each individual. he rtemis team includes ean’s business partner and CFO Chris Batalha, COO Jeremy Langford, VP of projects Alastair iver, senior of corporate affairs andice Alderson, and VP environment and social responsibility yan odd. “My focus when I’m starting a junior company is to take much of the standards, the policies, the governance and methodology of a senior company to the junior end of the business, says ean, who says his time with eck ominco provided a helpful education on those standards. “I’ve always prided myself whenever we put a team together that SEPTEMBER 2021

• All-Weather Roads & Runways • Contract Mining • Dams & Frozen Core Dams • Dikes • Earthworks & Site Development • Exploration Support

• Ice Roads & Runways • Mine Reclamation – Care & Maintenance • Remote Infrastructure Planning • Site Services & Crushing • Vertical Cutter Mining

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 25

GOLD

AMEX EXPLORATION

GREAT BEAR RESOURCES

NEW FOUND GOLD

WALLBRIDGE MINING

FOUR

SUPERSIZED

EXPLORATION PROGRAMS A strong gold price has sent the size of Canada’s biggest gold exploration drill campaigns soaring to new heights By CMJ Staff

old exploration in Canada is on the upswing. A strong rise in the yellow metal’s price leading up to the August

2020 peak above US$2,000 per oz. has spurred on exploration in Canada that may lead to the nation’s next new mines. It’s also had the effect of supersizing drill programs for juniors with promising discoveries, savvy management and talented exploration teams. There are now several juniors carrying out supersized drill programs involving 100,000 metres or more in a single year – in many cases before a resource has been compiled for the project. Here’s our look at four such projects.

26 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

Amex Exploration

Perron project, Quebec 2021 DRILLING: 180,000 metres INITIAL RESOURCE: Late 2021 Amex Exploration plans to wrap up a mammoth 300,000metre drill program at its Perron project in Quebec this fall, and then begin work on a property-wide resource calculation. Incorporated into that resource will be data from 120,000 metres Amex completed to the end of 2020, and another 120,000 metres planned this year up until October, when work on the resource will begin. mex first optioned erron in before earning a interest in the project. The junior has made several discoveries since 2013, but exploration really picked up speed in November , when mex announced it would expand a planned 40,000-metre drill program to 100,000 metres on the back of high-grade results from multiple zones. The project is located 110 km north of Rouyn-Noranda in Quebec’s Abitibi region, near the village of Normétal. mex has defined four deposits along the erron ault, within a . -km mineralized corridor at the . -sq.-km project.

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Amex Exploration has 10 drill rigs at its Perron gold project in Quebec, where it’s working on an initial resource estimate. CREDIT: AMEX EXPLORATION

These include the Eastern Gold zone, which includes the High rade zone and enise zone the ratien gold zone discovered in the s by alconbridge the entral olymetallic zone and the Grey Cat gold zone. Amex’s drill program has focused on expanding, linking and infill drilling at the three known orogenic gold zones, which contain a mixture of high-grade and disseminated gold. o far, it has defined the High rade zone from near surface to more than , metres depth, with intercepted core widths averaging metres. rill highlights from the zone released in pril included . metres of . g t gold starting at metres vertical depth hole , and previous drilling has returned up to . metres of . g t gold hole - - . he enise zone, a broad zone of gold mineralization with open pit potential, has returned hits such as 88 metres of 1.44 g t gold starting at metres hole , as well as higher grade intervals . metres of . g t gold at depth. he zone extends for at least metres vertically, starting at surface, and across a strike length of metres. rue widths are estimated at of reported widths and grades are not capped . The project also contains an existing small inferred resource at ratien from ay , totalling , oz. gold in . million tonnes grading . g t. hile its primary focus is on gold, in ugust, mex discovered a new high-grade, copper-rich volcanogenic massive sulphide zone at erron. rilling returned . metres of . copper, . zinc, . g t gold, and . g t silver, including . metres of . copper, . zinc, . g t gold and . g t silver, and within that, . -metre of . copper, . zinc, . g t gold and g t silver. SEPTEMBER 2021

Great Bear Resources

Dixie project, Ontario 2021 DRILLING: 175,000 metres INITIAL RESOURCE: Q1 2022 Great Bear Resources first started drilling at its ixie gold project km southeast of ed ake, nt., in the summer of . our years later, the junior has not yet delivered a resource. However, that hasn’t stopped Great Bear from raising funds for one of the biggest exploration programs in Canada. On the heels of a $23-million, 112,000-metre drill program completed in , this year, the company has budgeted million for at least , metres. reat ear made the ault discovery at ixie in ay , with hole returning metres of . g t gold. ince then the company has drilled holes along 11 km of strike – each one returning gold. t the end of uly, the junior finally completed its massive phase drilling program at ixie – with holes drilled over km of the ault to an average depth of metres. n initial resource for ixie is due out early next year, focusing on the top metres of mineralization from surface at the ault, extending over km. preliminary economic assessment will follow. n total, reat ear has drilled holes totalling , metres at the . -sq.-km project. Given the massive scale of its drill program, and the scale of its discovery at ixie, the market is expecting a hefty resource the company’s market cap was around million at press time . ecent highlights from drilling include . metres of . g t CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 27

GOLD At Great Bear Resources’ Dixie gold project in Ontario’s Red Lake district. CREDIT: GREAT BEAR RESOURCES

gold from . metres downhole in the northwestern area of the resource drilling grid hole . he interval contained 4.8 metres of . g t gold, and within that, . metre of g t gold. n infill hole returned . metres of . g t gold from 313.2 metres downhole, including . metres of . g t gold. ixie contains the classic high-grade ed ake style of gold mineralization in quartz veins and silica replacement zones hosted in mafic volcanic rocks and localized near regional-scale fold axes. It also hosts high-grade disseminated gold with broad moderate- to lower-grade envelopes, hosted in light-coloured felsic volcanic rocks – the type of mineralization found at the ault. rilling has confirmed that bulk tonnage gold mineralization at the ault is continuous for more than km of strike. The company says it is modelling 23 high grade domains and seven bulk tonnage, lower grade domains for inclusion in the upcoming resource.

New Found Gold

Queensway project, Newfoundland 2021 DRILLING: Up to 200,000 metres INITIAL RESOURCE: TBA New Found Gold first caused a stir in early when it reported its first high-grade gold hits from drilling at its ueensway project, km west of ander, fld. ts eats zone discovery hole, drilled in ovember and reported in anuary , hit an eye-popping metres of . g t gold start-

ing at metres downhole. The company completed an initial public offering in August , and began a , -metre program. ollowing the release of more high-grade results at eats and the discovery of the otto zone, km north, in ctober , the program was expanded to , metres in early . ore recently, ew ound made the olden oint discovery, located in between the two other zones. rilling there intersected . metres of . g t gold from . metres downhole in hole . ine rigs were onsite in ugust at the , -sq.-km property, with another planned to be added in the third quarter. n mid- ugust, ew ound had completed . of its , drill program or more than , metres , with , metres completed last year. t’s not clear if the program will conclude this year or carry into . The Queensway project hosts two parallel, northeast-trending faults the ppleton ault zone, which hosts auriferous quartz veins within shale and greywacke and the ault zone, which contains a sedimentary hosted quartz vein system. he majority of drilling has been focused on a 2-km corridor between the eats and otto zone along the ppleton ault orth. ew ound has not indicated when it believes it might have enough information for an initial resource. However, it does believe that it could be looking at a system similar to irkland ake old’s osterville mine in Australia, which features high-grade, structurally hosted epizonal gold. The property has seen previous exploration, with about 21,000 metres of drilling in the mids to . he nob zone on the ppleton ault zone contains a historic resource of , oz. gold at . g t gold. The core shack at New Found Gold’s Queensway gold project in Newfoundland. CREDIT: NEW FOUND GOLD

28 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Wallbridge Mining is expecting an initial resource for its Fenelon gold project in Quebec in the third quarter. CREDIT: WALLBRIDGE MINING

ew ound old’s exploration targeting program – including its initial discovery – have been supported by old pot iscoveries’ artificial intelligence technology. he two companies share cofounders in ew ound old president ennis aviolette and executive chairman ollin ettell.

Wallbridge Mining

will include the high-grade Gabbro shear zones, as well as discoveries allbridge has made at enelon rea , a vein network of broad, lowgrade mineralization, and the high-grade abasco ayenne shear zones. he abasco ayenne zones are bulk mineable zones with tens of metres of high-grade to g t , medium-grade and low-grade mineralization to g t . ineralized corrito metres wide with an aver-

dors in rea are typically age grade of to g t gold. n pril, allbridge reported the discovery of an eastern extension of the abbro zones. rilling intersected . metres of . g t gold, including . metres of . g t gold. The company is also planning 10,000 metres of underground development over three years to faciliate drilling. CMJ

Fenelon project, Quebec 2021 DRILLING: 170,000 metres INITIAL RESOURCE: Q3 2021 Wallbridge Mining is getting ready to release its first largescale resource estimate from the enelon project, km northwest of atagami in uebec, by the end of eptember. enelon is on the etour- enelon old trend, part of the eastern extension of the unday ake eformation zone, an east-west structure in the northern Abitibi greenstone belt. allbridge purchased the project in , but only consolidated the enelon land package last year through an all-share takeover of Balmoral Resources. The purchase expanded the property to . sq. km from . sq. km, and gave allbridge access to additional underground infrastructure, extensions of identified zones, and a water treatment plant. ith the company completing , metres of drilling last year and , metres to date in , the upcoming resource will incorporate a total of , metres drilled in the last three years. he junior is planning a total of , metres for with a budget of million. revious work at enelon includes a prefeasiblity study on the ain abbro zones, which were originally discovered in . he study outlined a modest -month mine life, based on measured and indicated resources of , tonnes grading . g t gold for , oz. at a g t cutoff grade. allbridge also took a bulk sample at the project in , using existing ramp infrastructure at the ain abbro zones. he , tonne sample yielded a reconciled average grade of . g t gold for , oz. hile drilling has extended the enelon gold system to . km of strike, the upcoming resource will focus on a 1 km by 1.2 km area down a depth of about 1,000 metres. The resource SEPTEMBER 2021

AC CURATE REAL TIME MEASUREMENT OF PRODUC TION & INVENTORY

TRADE CERTIF IED TO 0 .1%

Exceptional stability in dusty environments Stainless steel construction for long term reliability in corrosive environments Above stringer design facilitates installation on all conveyors

Improved commercial certainty & port efficiency

Leading the way in precision conveyor belt scales abetterweigh@tdmicronic.com www.tdmicronic.com CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 29

GOLD

RANKED:

THE WORLD’S TOP 10

GOLD MINES

MiningIntelligence data shows that Australia hosts three of the most proliﬁc gold producers By MINING.com Staff

espite being adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, global gold production still surpassed 100 million ounces in 2020 and is expected to bounce back this year as economies continue to recover and miners ramp up operations. To see which mining operations were the biggest contributors to the world’s gold output, MINING.com and sister company MiningIntelligence collaborated to provide a ranking of the top gold producers based on production for the 2020 calendar year. Taking top spot is Polyus’s largest mining operation, Olimpiada, located in one of ussia’s most prolific gold mining provinces. The mine began production in 1996 and currently accounts for nearly half of the Moscow-based company’s total

gold output. Even though production in 2020 was impacted by a decline in ore grades processed, resulting in a 14% year-onyear decline, limpiada was still the world’s most prolific gold producer. In second place is a Barrick-Newmont joint venture, Pueblo Viejo in the Dominican Republic, located about 100 km northwest of the capital city of Santo Domingo. Project development started in , and reached first production in . arrick Gold previously announced that it would spend US$1.3 billion to extend the mine’s life and unlock over 11 million ounces of gold reserves. Once the world’s top producer, the giant Grasberg mine operated by Freeport-McMoRan in the Indonesian province of

The Olimpiada gold mine, operated by Polyus, is in the Krasnoyarsk region of Eastern Siberia, in Russia. CREDIT: POLYUS

30 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

www.canadianminingjournal.com

Papua fell to third place this past year. In 2020, mine production was cut by rising Covid-19 infections in the region, which resulted in a reduction in workforce. At its peak in 2001, the mine complex produced more than 3.5 million ounces of gold for the year. In fourth place is Newcrest Mining’s Cadia Valley operations in New South Wales, Australia. Cadia Valley comprises the Cadia East underground panel cave mine and the Ridgeway underground mine, currently on care and maintenance. In October 2020, an expansion of the Cadia mine was approved, which would see output rise by 1.8 million oz. over its mine life. Cadia’s low all-in sustaining costs benefited from mined copper and molybdenum production credits as well as the timing of sustaining capital expenditure. aking fifth place is the arrick-operated ibali mine in the emocratic epublic of the ongo. ibali, the first underground mine to be built in the African nation, is currently one of the world’s most highly automated underground gold mines. In the third quarter of 2020, Barrick integrated a new battery technology into the mine’s power grid, further reducing its energy costs and carbon footprint. Rounding out the rest of the rankings are: Cortez in Nevada (Barrick), the Lihir mine in Papua New Guinea (Newcrest), Loulo Gounkoto in Mali (Barrick), the Boddington open-pit mine in Australia (Newmont), and the Fosterville underground

Newcrest Mining’s Cadia mine in New South Wales, Australia.

CREDIT: NEWCREST MINING

mine (Kirkland Lake Gold), also in Australia. Notable omissions from the list include the Muruntau mine operated by Uzbekistan’s Navoi Mining & Metallurgical Combinat. We omitted Murantau because the miner does not disclose production data or figures. ining ntelligence estimates gold production to be about 2 million oz. each year, which makes it the biggest gold mine in the world. Another omission is Barrick’s Carlin Trend operations in Nevada, jointly owned with Newmont. As the reported production figures from arlin of . million oz. in is an aggregated production number from numerous operations, MiningIntelligence could not determine which of the operations within this large cluster of mines contributed the most gold. CMJ n This article first appeared on www.mining.com. Visit www.miningintelligence.com for more information.

World’s Top 10 producing gold mines

PROPERTY

LOCATION

OPERATING OWNER

Russia

Polyus

Olympiada

2 Pueblo Viejo

Dominican Republic Barrick Gold

MINE TYPE

2020 PROD. (K OZ)

2020 COSTS (USD/OZ)

Open pit

1,200

532

Open pit

899

661

3 Grasberg

Indonesia

Freeport-McMoRan

Underground

848

1,279

4 Cadia Valley

Australia

Newcrest Mining

Underground

822

104

5 Kibali

Dem Republic of the Congo

Barrick Gold

Open pit/ Underground

807

778

6 Cortez

United States

Barrick Gold

Open pit/

798

1,000

7 Lihir

Papua New Guinea

Newcrest Mining

Open pit

772

1,308

8 Loulo Gounkoto

Mali

Barrick Gold

Open pit/ Underground

680

1,001

9 Boddington

Australia

Newmont

Open pit

670

1,091

10 Fosterville

Australia

Kirkland Lake Gold

Underground

640

313

Note: All in sustaining costs (AISC) are calculated from quarterly reported costs and production. AISC takes into account administrative, exploration, reclamation and other sustaining costs not just cash production costs. (Freeport does not report AISC at Grasberg but a Total Cost figure that includes depreciation, depletion and amortization and other non-cash items).

SEPTEMBER 2021

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 31

EQUIPMENT

A MORE FLEXIBLE OPTION FOR ULTRA-DEEP, NARROW-VEIN MINING Brokk outlines the case for using remote-controlled demolition robots By Raymond Ippersiel

recious metals like gold, platinum and chrome are vital components for everything from cell phones to space shuttles. To secure these resources, miners are digging deeper than ever before. Currently, demand keeps the value of these ores higher than the cost of extracting them. However, long-term profitability of ultra-deep, narrow-vein operations

32 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

will require a more sustainable approach that increases productivity while minimizing the cost of extraction. To this end, some operations have adopted remote-controlled demolition machines, which allow workers to drill, blast, bolt and break remotely. With 80% of underground mining accidents and fatalities occurring at the face, remote

operation saves lives. As the mining industry looks to rewrite its history in terms of safety and environmental impact, it is turning to manufacturers like Brokk – a leading supplier of remote-controlled demolition machines and attachments – to find effective solutions. From deep-vein operations to support tasks such as shaft revitalization,

www.canadianminingjournal.com

As the mining industry looks to improve safety and lower its environmental impact, remote-controlled demolition machines are providing effective solutions for a number of applications. CREDIT: BROKK

here’s how demolition robots are helping producers all over the world increase safety and efficiency.

Ultra-deep, narrow-vein applications

Safety risks and logistical needs, such as providing air, electricity and other utilities, increase exponentially the deeper a mine goes. By removing the absolute SEPTEMBER 2021

minimum of rock as they chase after orerich veins, producers reduce extraction costs and minimize overburden. However, this leads to tight spaces and difficult working conditions for miners at the face. Traditional ultra-deep mining methods rely on hours of physical labour in extreme conditions using manual tools such as jacklegs, stopers and ad-hoc bar and arms. These tools can weigh upwards of 72 lb. (32.4 kg). During operation, miners must maintain close contact with the drill, increasing exposure to falling rock, vibrations, sprained backs, pinched fingers and noise. Now, what if there was a system that offered the safety and productivity of remote operation with the flexibility and precision of a jackleg – and more? Some gold mines have achieved this by adding demolition robots. These compact machines offer exceptional power-toweight ratios – often on par with machines three times their size – and significantly out class even the most advanced jackleg drills. Designed for demanding demolition applications, these machines easily stand up to the heat and pressure of ultradeep mining, while heavy-duty caterpillar tracks and outriggers allow them to cover even the roughest terrain. An advanced three-part arm provides unrivaled range of motion for drilling, scaling, breaking and bolting in any direction. The use of hydraulics also eliminates the need for suppling compressed air, which, in turn, minimizes the utility requirement at the face, while electric running guarantees zero-emission operation. In addition, demolition robots provide versatility that can streamline operations and limit emissions. With the right attachment, operators can move from drilling to breaking to scaling while never getting within 13.1 ft. (4 metres) of the work surface. Thanks to advances in technology, these machines can also handle much larger attachments than similar sized equipment, allowing mines to bring powerful tools to new applications without increasing shaft size. It even makes 100% remote drilling and bolting possible since there are several compact demolition robots with ample power to operate carousel attachments. While the operator stands a safe distance away,

the robot can drill, load a rock bolt, then torque it without any wasted movement for fast, efficient, safe bolting of the back. One South African gold mine employing demolition robots in ultra-deep applications has seen labour costs per linear meter go down by 60% from conventional manual methods.

Stope retrieval operations

The durability and dexterity of demolition robots doesn’t just benefit deep-vein mining operations. Retrieving equipment and materials from stopes has been delegated to demolition robots for some time. Take a loader retrieval after a rock fall, for example. Some mines have found that demolition robots traverse the uneven ground more quickly than traditional retrieval equipment, and they can break up oversize rock and other obstacles to make extraction easier. The highly maneuverable arm also makes attaching cables through the scoop’s lug more efficient.

Shaft maintenance operations

Opening up shafts or performing shaft maintenance are other areas where remote-controlled demolition equipment can provide more efficiency. Mining techniques have changed over the years, and for many operations returning to old veins with more modern equipment can supplement production. However, these shafts are usually found in a very deteriorated state – with large rubble, collapsed supports and downed utilities – making the process of opening them up slow and dangerous. In addition, safety requirements have advanced along with mining techniques, so revitalizing old shafts can require substantial work to meet modern regulations. In these types of situations, the versatility of remote-controlled demolition machines can minimize equipment and personnel requirements for highly efficient renovation. Armed with a suite of attachments, a demolition robot can perform almost any required task. These attachments can also make routine shaft maintenance more efficient, allowing mines to maximize productivity for these vital, yet time-consuming and risky operations. One operation in Saskatchewan CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL | 33

EQUIPMENT

In narrow-vein mining applications, demolition robots offer exceptional power-to-weight ratios and significantly out class even the most advanced jackleg drills. The machines can also handle much larger attachments than similar sized equipment, allowing mines to bring powerful tools to new applications without increasing shaft size and opening up the possibility of 100% remote drilling and bolting. CREDIT: BROKK

was able to eliminate all manual labour in a shotcrete removal application and advance their maintenance schedule by months. They positioned the demolition robot on a platform that rotated around a shaft boring machine. After the shotcrete was removed, they used the robot to pin and bolt new screening.

The Future of Mining

From ultra-deep to applications just below the surface, demolition robots can increase safety and productivity throughout the mine. Position a demolition robot

34 | CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL

above a stationary grizzly or in a blast chamber to tackle oversize rock without explosives or any unnecessary material handling. The possibilities are only limited by the imagination. Modern mining has many exciting challenges in store for the new generation of technologists who will need creative solutions to supply the world’s ever-growing demand for minerals. Working with demolition robot manufacturers to provide mechanized mining and maintenance solutions promises to improve not only current productiv-

ity, but ensure a safer, more sustainable future for mining operations. CMJ n Raymond Ippersiel is a training & application specialist for Brokk Inc. He has 10 years with the company and specializes in robotic demolition applications for the tunnelling, process and demolition industries. He has actively worked in all these industries as a machine operator since 1979. Brokk has been the world’s leading manufacturer of remote-controlled demolition machines and attachments for 45 years. (www.brokk.com)

www.canadianminingjournal.com

AU G U ST 202 1 | VO LUME 2 | I SSU E 7

ON THE MOVE

Canadian Mining Journal September 2021

Articles inside

A MORE FLEXIBLE OPTION FOR ULTRA-DEEP, NARROW-VEIN MINING

Editorial: The 100,000-metre club

Four supersized exploration programs

Artemis Gold's Aussie advantage

Should you rebuild it or buy new?