Epiroc to support Roy Hill as it enters final stage of project to create the world’s largest autonomous mine.

Epiroc is to continue working with Roy Hill as it enters the final stages of converting its mixed fleet of 96 haul trucks to driverless operation, creating the world’s largest autonomous mine.

This follows on from a two-year testing phase, where Epiroc, together with automation specialist ASI Mining have worked with Roy Hill to develop an autonomous haul truck solution that is interoperable and scalable regardless of manufacturer, so called Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agnostic.

The project’s production verification phase is complete, and 10 haul trucks have been converted to driverless operation using ASI Mining’s Mobius traffic management and on-board automation systems to navigate the mine’s virtual map and communicate with other vehicles and with the Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Perth.

With the autonomous haul trucks running 24/7 in a dedicated autonomous operating zone, interacting safely with two excavators and numerous ancillary vehicles at intersections, waste dumps and load areas, the autonomous haulage system (AHS) fleet is meeting the desired safety and productivity metrics and achieving higher productivity rates than the conventional haul truck fleet, which was a key objective of the program.

“The ground-breaking automation work together with Roy Hill and ASI Mining over the past couple of years has been successful and very exciting,” says Epiroc’s President and CEO Helena Hedblom. “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.”

“Roy Hill’s in a strong position to continue its transition to autonomous haulage early this year with our teams on site and at the ROC in Perth now skilled in autonomous operations,” says Roy Hill Chief Executive Gerhard Veldsman.

For more information: https://www.epirocgroup.com/en