Newcrest's Cadia Valley Mine partner with Epiroc partner to deliver semi-autonomous production

Newcrest's Cadia Valley Operations implemented its first semi-autonomous integrated production level in a partnership with Epiroc.

The innovation is designed to change the way mining is undertaken and the skill set that's required.

Although the semi-autonomous machinery doesn't rely on manual operators in the mine and are programmed to drive themselves, operators are still required for each machine, but they can work from an office.

It is a flagship project for the Mining Innovation and Automation Team and due to its success, has now moved into full operation and its being adapted for support equipment as well.

Cadia general manager Aaron Brannigan said the automation changes the way the site operates and presents significant safety benefits.

"Innovation and technology is the way of the future and the mining industry is no exception," he said.

"We see automation as the future of our Cadia East Underground Mine and through our industry partnership with Epiroc, we are already achieving milestones that will support this aspiration.

"Safety remains our number one focus in our business and we are constantly looking at ways to improve our operations."

He said the mining industry as a whole is shifting to be more innovative, with an increased reliance on technology.

"This shift also means a shift in the skill set and specialist requirements for the business, which creates diverse career opportunities. We are already seeing this change in our scholarship and graduate programs with the introduction of new disciplines," Mr Brannigan said.

Epiroc Regional Application Centre manager Rohan Anderson said the company is happy to have completed the latest phase of the ST18 Automated Loader project.

"The autonomous system is now capable of full 24/7 production across seven drives of a whole panel cave," he said.

"This now meets a key objective of Cadia's by reducing major hazard exposure rates of manual operators on the production level and an objective of Epiroc's of having a fully-developed autonomous system."

The team is now planning further expansions to other parts of the mine, integration of additional third-party equipment and further development of the system.

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