Pioneering blast-free technology could have big impact on tunnelling
1 November 2021Hillgrove Resources has announced what is claimed to be the world’s first portal to be excavated using blast-free continuous mining technology developed by Komatsu for the Kanmantoo copper mine in Australia.
With the portal cut, excavation for the underground decline at Kanmantoo began on 29 October. Eradicating the need for blasting could have a transformational effect on conventional underground mining and is likely to be easily transferrable to hard- and soft-rock civil tunnelling where it could allow TBM launch to happen at an earlier stage.
The 100% electrically-powered Komatsu MC51 continuous miner is seen as a major step toward zero-emission mining. The blast-free technology is claimed to potentially transform traditional underground mine development to achieve better safety, operational performance and a smaller environmental footprint.
Commenting on the development at Kanmantoo, Hillgrove CEO and managing director Lachlan Wallace said: “We are excited to advance the mine development in a way that leads the industry towards zero-emission mining, which is without question the way of the future.”
This is the second major development in hard rock excavation in a matter of months and follows hard on the heels of the Robbins MDM5000 which is the world’s first rectangular rock boring machine.
