Roy Hill has announced that beginning in March 2023, it would expand its autonomous haulage system (AHS), switching its mixed fleet of 96 conventional haul trucks to driverless operation and establishing the world’s largest autonomous mine.
While visiting autonomous operators worldwide more than three years ago, Roy Hill Executive Chair Gina Rinehart and her Executives decided to suggest ASI Mining and Epiroc to the Roy Hill Board.
Since then, Roy Hill, Epiroc and ASI have worked together to produce a world-first autonomous haul truck solution that’s interoperable and scalable independent of the manufacturer, known as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agnostic.
The project’s Production Verification phase is complete, and ten converted haul trucks outfitted with vehicle automation kits and in-cab clients are navigating the virtual map of the mine while interacting with auxiliary vehicles and the Control Room using ASI Mining’s Mobius traffic management and on-board automation systems.
The program’s primary goals over the previous two years have been realised by the AHS fleet, which outperforms the conventional haul truck fleet in terms of safety and productivity measures.
Autonomous haul trucks operate 24/7 in a dedicated autonomous operating zone, safely engaging with two excavators and several ancillary vehicles at junctions, rubbish dumps, and load zones.
The project’s gradual expansion will result in a steady increase in the number of autonomous haul trucks beginning in March 2023 and continuing through 2023. The self-driving fleet will consist of 54 Caterpillar 793F trucks, 24 Hitachi EH5000 trucks, and 18 Hitachi EH4000 trucks. Furthermore, almost 200 customised auxiliary vehicles will interface with the autonomous haul trucks.
Roy Hill Chief Executive Gerhard Veldsman said with Roy Hill’s staff on site and at the Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Perth already versed in autonomous operations, Roy Hill is in a strong position to continue its transition to autonomous haulage early this year.
“Our Executive Chairman, Mrs Gina Rinehart, and our owners Hancock Prospecting, Marubeni, POSCO and China Steel Corporation, have supported Roy Hill’s Smart Mine automation journey from the start with their continued commitment to our people and the safe productivity offered by Roy Hill’s Smart Mine vision,” Veldsman stated.
ASI Chief Executive Mel Torrie added: “While this milestone achievement enables Roy Hill to rapidly expand their AHS capacity, it also represents a major signal to the rest of the mining community. It signifies that our OEM agnostic Mobius autonomous haulage system has reached a level of performance and maturity that can now provide value to the broader market.”
Epiroc President and CEO Helena Hedblom said the groundbreaking automation collaboration with Roy Hill and ASI Mining over the last few years has been both successful and thrilling.
“The team working on this is doing a fantastic job, and we are now looking forward to collaborating with Roy Hill in ultimately achieving the world’s largest autonomous mine. This will bring significant benefits for both safety and productivity,” Hedblom stated.
According to Roy Hill, the company is still committed to assisting anyone affected by the project, with reskilling and redeployment program in place to assist operators in transitioning to new roles.
“Our people are critical to our success and for Roy Hill, the Smart Mine pathway is all about creating a workplace that sets our people up for success, now and in the future,” Veldsman said.
Veldsman stated that Roy Hill would require a large number of employees with diverse skill sets to run its operations as it grows and expands over the next few years.
“This is an example of Roy Hill using innovative solutions to meet the challenges of an extremely tight labour market, while supporting our people with retraining and helping them transition into other critical roles of the business. Today you may be a truckie, tomorrow you might be an apprentice or ship loader operator, as we continue to build the best mining company in Australia,” Veldsman added.
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