Innovation in New Caledonia’s mining sector
Currently in the 4th industrial revolution and following the coronavirus epidemic, the world mining sector is changing. New Caledonia has therefore decided to consolidate its innovation capacity and to develop new automation technologies that will integrate drones and the geolocation of mobile equipment. The mines of the future will be safer and more environmentally friendly.
World demand for raw materials is rising aligned with a world population increase and the industrial development of numerous countries. "In light of these growing needs, the mining industry must therefore innovate to improve operational, safety, health and environmental performance," explains Jean-Alain Fleurisson, researcher at the Geosciences Center of les Mines ParisTech. New Caledonia is affected by these challenges due to the increasingly complex production of nickel deposits and the growing social demand for the preservation of biodiversity.
The CNRT (National Center for Technological Research) has launched a research project to explore possible ways of automating the integration of innovative technologies for mine automation and a pooling of resources between Caledonian mining companies. A team of 10 French and Canadian researchers will be working on the 10 million project funded by the CNRT for 18 months.
Technological developments will therefore be incorporated into mining work to increase financial profitability but also to strengthen the safety of the workforce and reduce its impact on the environment. The implementations will be based on the geolocation of construction machinery through the use of sensors, or the automation of certain machines to be able to improve operating performance. "It must ensure better control of mining operations in terms of production, which will enable a better selection of the minerals”, describes Jean-Alain Fleurisson, scientific coordinator of the project.
Companies will therefore be able to better manage mining operations, which will have a positive impact on the environment. “We will be able to control fuel consumption. The overall optimization of a mining site through planning will reduce the environmental footprint. We are going to stir up less soil to get more metal", remarks Didier Grosgurin, manager of Omega Resources Exploration (ORE), specializing in environmental and mining engineering.
In addition, the project aims to integrate the use of drones on mining sites. One of their main applications will be the management of site topography. "We will be able to see the evolution of the mine and gather georeferenced information from all the measurement points to reconstruct maps in order to produce cubatures [geometric calculation which makes it possible to reduce a given solid into an equivalent cube in volume, editor's note]", describes Didier Grosgurin. Drones can also be used for monitoring, in particular on the instability of certain areas, environmental problems linked to tailings dams or even the control of water levels in basins. "We will cover large areas in a short time with more active monitoring."
However, some drawbacks are expressed by industry players regarding the telecommunications network in the territory, especially in isolated areas. "5G could be a way to encourage the deployment of digital technologies," said the manager of ORE. Public operators still need to make the strategic choice to install 5G antennas on mining sites, which is currently not the case. The majority of mining companies are at a very low level of digital development due to the cost of such an investment.
Finally, the mining industry faces economic challenges in a highly competitive market. "There is growing awareness regarding the fact that competitors are not companies on the territory but the ones abroad in Indonesia, the Philippines and China," said Jean-Alain Fleurisson.
Automation could bring a gain in competitiveness compared to operators with very low costs.
Article written by Hugo Coëff.
Source: http://outremers360.com/economie/economie-en-nouvelle-caledonie-vers-des-sites-miniers-connectes/