All of Anglo American’s underground coal mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin are now operating simultaneously from remote operation centres (ROCs).
The milestone is the culmination of Anglo American’s 10-year vision for a ‘mine of the future’, with its central Queensland underground operations also notching up 10,000 longwall mining shears from the ROCs.
“At Anglo American, we have re-imagined mines where our people can remotely manage operations from a safe distance, using real-time data to make informed decisions,” Anglo American automation superintendent Matthew Wakeford said.
“Since transitioning to remote operations, we have reduced exposure risk to hazardous areas by 22,500 hours across our Bowen Basin mine sites.”
In Australia, the company’s technology journey has also involved using personal proximity detection systems to keep coal mine workers safe underground as well as a trial of remote-controlled stockpile dozers.
“Our people are irreplaceable, and we are equipping them to grow with the industry, preserving a legacy of knowledge that will always be essential to our success,” Anglo American head of operations Matt Cooper said.
“Each advancement towards our vision introduced new obstacles, requiring the development of further technology capable of meeting the unique demands.”
The move to tele-remote dozers is expected to reduce in-cab dozer exposure time by 45,000 to 75,000 hours a year.
“Operating our fleet of dozers from a safe distance will reduce the number of hours in the cab and fully remove our operators from the dozer seat in what is another significant advancement in autonomous mining,” Wakeford said.
Subscribe to Australian Mining and receive the latest news on product announcements, industry developments, commodities and more.
