The blasting expertise of BME’s AXXIS™ Product Support and Global Blasting Technical Services (GBTS), together with the drill and blast team at an open-cut metallurgical coal mine, successfully implemented complex pit design changes. This collaboration enabled the adoption of a more efficient blasting method, significantly enhancing operational efficiency.
This project was essential to overcome the limitations on excavation caused by the previous bench design philosophy implemented. Difficult geology in the lower 20m of the blast bench also contributed to poor fragmentation results, which further impeded performance.
By integrating production benches across multiple pits and increasing the blasted depth from 24m to 48m, the mine has significantly reduced both costs and cycle times. These improvements stem from faster overburden removal using excavators and haul trucks, streamlining the overall extraction process.
“The mine has since reduced downtime due to inefficient blasting and achieved the desired fragmentation which, together with optimised load and haul operations, has increased overall productivity,” said BME’s General Manager of Marketing and Technology, Nishen Hariparsad.