BHP has announced a major milestone for its Nickel West operations in Leinster, with the project’s B11 block cave now fully operational.
The block cave is one of Nickel West’s most innovative operations and is set to be a sustaining producer of nickel at Leinster for approximately seven years.
Block caving is an innovative mining method that allows for safe, low cost, continued production and reduces the impact of seismic activity in the workplaces. It removes people from the most hazardous areas of the mine while remotely targeting the ore above.
BHP Northern Operations General Manager, Mike Moscarda, said the project would have a huge impact on production at Leinster.
“This is a first for BHP and was a huge commitment for the business to take on,” Mr Moscarda said.
“Now that it’s complete, it will contribute up to 50 per cent of the ore in production at Leinster.”
BHP Manager Mining Leinster, Brendon Shadlow, said the block cave project began as a way to make mining more sustainable at B11, an area known for seismic activity.
“The mine had to close following some major seismic activity in 2013,” Mr Shadlow said.
“With the new block cave, we can safely and efficiently continue mining even in the event of seismic activity.”
The block cave is set to be established as a technical centre and the learnings from this project will help shape the future of mining techniques at Nickel West and beyond.
BHP Head of Planning and Technical, Chris Stone, said that it would not have been possible without the many highly capable and committed team members who worked over many years to help deliver the project.
“Thank you to everyone who has helped bring this project to fruition,” Mr Stone said.
“We are so grateful to the project team, the Leinster crew and all of the contractors who have worked so diligently throughout the life of the project.”
The B11 block cave is planned to recover more than 80,000t of nickel.
Featured image: Inside the B11 block cave at BHP’s Nickel West. Image credit: BHP.
