MIGS developing ground support methods and equipment for deep mines

Ground support methods grouping MIGS now has Vale Inco and the Amberg Group as new members.

TOULOUSE - 

Vale Inco in Canada and the Amberg Group in Switzerland have joined the Mining Initiative on Ground Support Systems and Equipment (MIGS).  

Nordic Rock Tech Centre AB (RTC) created MIGS in 2007 to develop ground support methods and equipment for deep mines. It is a grouping of major mining companies and global suppliers that have joined forces to increase underground safety and operational efficiency. The two new members further strengthen the MIGS consortium where projects are executed to improve safety performance, achieve higher advance rates in tunnelling and development work and to decrease costs. One key issue is to develop ground support systems for deep mines.

"The collaboration between experienced end-users and skilled suppliers, where experts from Canada, Finland, France, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland together prioritise issues and evaluate the project results create synergies well beyond that which a single player would be able to create," explains Göran Bäckblom, the MIGS Programme Director at RTC.

RTC (www.rocktechcentre.se) was created in 2005 to be an attractive partner for development work within rock and mining technology. Occupational safety is a prerequisite for underground mining. Mining companies and suppliers individually have large R&D Programmes for ground support systems and equipment, but the collaboration within MIGS generates synergies and increase the efficiency of the R&D work.

Since MIGS started in 2007 it has already executed a number of tasks, e.g. Guidelines for how to prepare a Request for Proposal on ground support equipment and execution of field tests in the 1,200 m deep Kristineberg mine in Sweden to benchmark methods to measure deformations of the underground openings.

New consortium member Vale Inco (www.valeinco.com) is a Canadian-based global organisation with operations and growth projects in 20 countries and a marketing network that extends to more than 40 countries. While primarily a nickel company, Vale Inco is also an important producer of copper, precious metals, and cobalt and a major producer of value-added specialty nickel products. At year-end 2008 Vale Inco employed approximately 12,000 people worldwide and with net sales of over $6 billion.

The Amberg Group is based in Switzerland with 300 persons employed worldwide; the group is involved as designer and supervisor of challenging underground infrastructures worldwide - from shallow tunnelling in urban areas to deep and long tunnels. Amberg Engineering has special competence in deep tunnels. The Amberg Group through Amberg Technologies develops and manufactures surveying, monitoring and investigation systems, instruments and software for underground construction. The Amberg Group is also owner of the Hagerbach Test Gallery effectively an underground laboratory and testing area in old Swiss mine workings near Sargans. (www.amberg.ch)

The existing MIGS members are:

- ANDRA, France. Responsible for the long-term management of radioactive waste produced in France. www.andra.fr

- Atlas Copco, Sweden. Leading global supplier of equipment for mining and construction. www.atlascopco.com

- Barrick Gold, Canada. Gold industry leader, with a portfolio of 26 operating mines across five continents. www.barrick.com

- BASF - Meyco. Switzerland. Leading global supplier of products and technology for shotcrete www.meyco.basf.com

- Boliden. Sweden. One of the leading mining and smelting companies in Europe with operations in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Ireland. www.boliden.com

- KGHM Cuprum, Poland. R&D subsidiary to KGHM Polska Miedź, ninth-largest producer of copper and the third-largest producer of silver in the world. www.cuprum.wroc.pl, www.kghm.pl

- LKAB, Sweden. One of the world's leading producers of upgraded iron ore products for the steel industry and a growing supplier of industrial minerals products to other sectors. www.lkab.com

- Normet, Finland. Supplier of equipment for construction and mining. www.normet.fi

- Sandvik, Sweden. Leading global supplier of equipment for mining and construction. www.sandvik.com

Contact Göran Bäckblom, Programme Director, Rock Tech Centre, +46-70-556 26 48 goran.backblom@rocktechcentre.se and the appended Background information.

John Chadwick is editor/proprietor of International Mining magazine - www.im-mining.com

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