An automation order to convert Roy Hill’s mixed fleet of haul trucks to driverless operation has been awarded to Stockholm-based mining and infrastructure equipment manufacturer, Epiroc.
Epiroc announced on 12 January 2023 that together with ASI Mining it will continue to support Roy Hill’s iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia to develop an autonomous haul truck solution that is interoperable and scalable regardless of manufacturer.
The ongoing work will create the world’s largest single autonomous mine.
The order, booked in the first quarter of 2023, is valued at approximately $70 million. This covers a portion of the 96 haul trucks that will ultimately be converted, with additional orders related to the project to be booked in the future.
The project is expected to run until 2024.
Epiroc President and CEO, Helena Hedblom, said, “We are very excited about supporting Roy Hill in the work to create the world’s largest single autonomous mine. The benefits for both safety and productivity will be substantial.”
Epiroc, together with ASI Mining, is providing Roy Hill with autonomous technology using a carefully planned customer-centric roll-out plan.
Roy Hill’s production verification phase is complete and autonomous haul trucks are running 24/7 in a dedicated autonomous operating zone. The trucks are interacting safely with two excavators and numerous ancillary vehicles at intersections, waste dumps and load areas.
The autonomous fleet is meeting desired safety and productivity metrics and achieving higher productivity than the conventional haul trucks, a key objective of the program.
The project’s progressive expansion will see autonomous haul truck numbers grow steadily from March 2023 and throughout 2023. The fleet will ultimately comprise 54 Caterpillar trucks and 42 Hitachi trucks. In addition, more than 200 modified ancillary vehicles will interact with the autonomous haul trucks.
President of Epiroc’s Surface Division, Jose Sanchez, said, “Roy Hill, led by its Executive Chairman Mrs Gina Rinehart AO, is a true pioneer and will set a new gold standard for autonomous surface mining, and our team working on this is doing an excellent job.”
Roy Hill’s Remote Operations Centre in Perth provides end-to-end integration of operations.
Epiroc owns 34 per cent of the US-based ASI Mining.
