Employee working in remote mucking

Improving productivity and operator safety with remote mucking

Topic: Gold Mining / Greece

Innovation and technology are essential parts of the mining industry and a key part of our work at Eldorado Gold. From exploration to sustainability, our foundation in innovation and dedication to finding a better way to do things drives our work around the world. 

In Greece, our team at the Olympias Mine began implementing a remote mucking program in 2023 to improve mine safety and productivity following successful implementation of similar technology at our Lamaque Complex in Canada. 

What is remote mucking? 

Mucking is the process of removing excavated ore and waste out of headings for transportation to surface or for internal relocation to remuck bays. Historically, this would be done by having a load operator in the mine, directing a loader. 

Remote mucking makes use of video and automative technology to provide the operator with a safer and more comfortable environment – above ground. Located in a control room on the surface, the operator can direct the loader using screens, a control panel and joysticks. 

In some situations, the operator may also choose to activate the automative mode, where the loader will operate almost entirely on its own, basing its maneuvers on what it senses in the surrounding environment.

Benefits of remote mucking

The greatest benefit of remote mucking is that it takes people out of harm's way. Our team on the ground takes every precaution; however, there is always an element of risk when mobile equipment is involved. We know from our recent health and safety perceptions survey that our frontline workers in Greece have a strong favourable sentiment about having the tools and equipment needed to complete their work safely. It's continuous improvement ideas like remote mucking that will help this sentiment continue trending in a favourable direction on future surveys. 

Remote mucking also increases productivity by reducing operational delays between shifts. While manual mucking would require a break between blasting and mucking to allow emissions to clear before operators entered the mine, remote mucking enables an above-ground operator to control the loader from afar almost immediately after blasting, reducing downtime and improving safety.

"We see remote and automated mucking as a way to improve safety, work environment and productivity. Implementing remote mucking will provide out load operators with the best possible working environment, and ultimately, make us more productive." – Niklas Frank, Senior Vice President, Operations

Remote mucking at Olympias

In 2023, we began work at Olympias to introduce remote mucking. The project has been commissioned, and we are now training operators, who will go on to train the rest of the team – 25 people in total. Early feedback during the training has been positive. Operators are keen to embrace innovation and technology and have shared that they find remote mucking, controlled from the surface, preferable to going underground.

At Olympias, we have set up a control room on the surface with space for two operators and expect to have remote mucking fully implemented (for 2 loaders of our fleet) by the end of 2024 with two shifts per day.

Collaborating with stakeholders

Thorough training and cross-departmental collaboration are essential to the success of the remote mucking implementation. The team on the ground has worked closely with IT and the electrical department to ensure that our underground LTE network remains connected, and that communication is never compromised.

Sandvik, whose scoops we use at Olympias, has also been closely involved in the project and in supporting training. On average, remote mucking training takes 80 hours per operator.

Interested in learning more about remote mucking technology? Check out Sandvik's AutoMine Multi-Lite, the remote mucking solution being deployed at Olympias.

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