Thiess reported that its autonomous Epiroc drills had reached a milestone after securely drilling over one million lineal metres at Lake Vermont mine in Queensland.
Thiess said it was the first mining services company to deploy an Epiroc Pit Viper drill with an autonomous drilling system (ADS) in 2019. Since then, the company has increased the number of autonomous drills in its fleet and put more of them into service.
Thiess Group Executive Assets, Technical Services and Technology Ramesh Liyanage and Epiroc Business Line Manager Drilling Solutions Alex Grant joined representatives on-site to celebrate the milestone.
Liyanage said Thiess and Epiroc saw the milestone as an occasion to celebrate their joint accomplishment in demonstrating the drill’s capacity in a complicated mining context.
“Drilling more than one million lineal metres without an operator in the machine is a significant milestone and a reflection of Thiess’ ongoing commitment to increasing operational efficiency and safety outcomes through technology and innovation,” Liyanage stated.
Thiess Group Executive Chair and CEO Michael Wright said, “It’s through our relationships with leading equipment manufacturers such as Epiroc, that we’re able to support our clients with innovative products and services to meet their sustainability and production goals.”
The multi-pass drills at Lake Vermont run remotely from the site’s headquarters, functioning independently for up to 22 hours daily. These drills use modern guiding technology to precisely drill holes according to the drill plan’s location and depth. With the existing multi-pass capabilities, operators may drill holes ranging in diameter from 171mm to 270mm in depth up to 72m.
According to Thiess, the drill program is also notable for the use of several “firsts,” such as the first Epiroc fully autonomous Pit Viper 275 to operate at an Australian coal mine, the first project with a fleet of multi-pass fully autonomous rigs drilling side by side globally, and the company being the first mining services provider to autonomously drill one million multi-pass lineal metres globally.
Epiroc President and CEO Helena Hedblom said, “We are proud to celebrate a momentous milestone with our valued customer, Thiess, as we reach the remarkable milestone of autonomously drilling one million metres together. This achievement underscores our strong partnership and commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions in the mining industry and demonstrates the power of collaboration setting a new benchmark for the future of autonomous drilling.”
Thiess is looking at using the technology in its projects in the Americas.
