Sustainability and safety remain top priorities for mining operations as they adopt new technologies to boost overall productivity. For IAMGOLD Corporation’s Côté Gold Project, their effort to adopt new technology coincides with their vision for zero harm in all operations and activities undertaken by their mine sites.
This goal is bolstered by IAMGOLD’s recent agreement to purchase five autonomous Pit Viper rigs from Epiroc to work at their open pit mine, located 175 km northwest of Sudbury, Ontario, which will help keep operators out of any potential danger zones while drilling.
For Epiroc, the five machines are the first fully autonomous fleet of Pit Viper rigs on Canadian soil.
“The autonomous Pit Viper fleet has a strong reputation for reliability and this recent agreement shows our shared commitment to operator safety on site,” said Chris Graves, Business Line Manager Surface Drilling at Epiroc Canada.
The blasthole drill rigs are also equipped with Mobius for Drills, a digitalization tool that imports drill plans and collects key data for mining personnel all while enabling multi-machine control. The solution also introduces 3D-P, engaging Epiroc’s wireless networking capabilities that enables integration and connectivity with the mines existing networks.
“This is an important milestone for Epiroc Canada, we are excited to collaborate with IAMGOLD to continue driving innovation within the mining industry,” said Charlie Ekberg, General Manager Epiroc Canada.
More news from Epiroc
Epiroc technology heads to the Moon
Epiroc launches new flagship SmartROC construction drill rig
Epiroc to acquire leading provider of collision avoidance systems for mines
With the introduction of new tech in both automation and digitalization, the Côté Gold Project is utilizing innovative techniques to ensure operator safety, increased longevity of their machines and a higher output in their surface drilling operation.
“The Epiroc Pit Viper fleet is an integral step along the Côté Gold journey to be the first fully automated haulage and drilling mine in Canada,” said Francis Letarte-Lavoie, Operations Manager Côté Gold.
“The existing four Pit Viper rigs are progressing towards full autonomous mode, and we anticipate the fifth drill set for delivery in April 2024 will complete the fleet successfully. We look forward to continuing to develop the partnership with Epiroc in order to meet our milestones during this critical time for Côté Gold and IAMGOLD in general.”
Alongside the Pit Viper rigs, IAMGOLD is ramping up its fleet of autonomous mining haul trucks, with 10 Caterpillar 793F currently operating and a total of fourteen trucks commissioned.
As of the end of September, construction of Côté Gold was estimated to be about 92 per cent complete. The company’s first gold target is scheduled for the first quarter of 2024.
