In the next few days, drilling for a new test centre called Innovative Exploration Drilling and Data Acquisition Test Center (I-EDDA-TC) will start in Örebro, Sweden.

At the centre, it will be possible to perform different types of exploration drilling tests and data acquisition. The test centre is a close collaboration between industry, research institutes and academia.

"With this test centre, we can continue our way towards being the competence centre within exploration drilling - and build networks within the industry," said Thomas Hallmén, general manager at Epiroc's surface and exploration drilling division. "It will create opportunities to cooperate with customers and universities as well as with researchers in order to improve our technologies and products for future requirements."

I-EDDA-TC will provide an excellent environment for the development of drilling, as well as related equipment and methods used for the exploration of mineral resources, such as borehole geophysics.

The goal for the future is to establish a leading test centre that supports and creates innovation. An important feature of the test centre is two boreholes, each 1km deep, with fully characterised core samples.

"Effective exploration drilling for mineral resources is an area where industrial innovation plays an important role," explained Bjarne Almqvist, project leader for I-EDDA-TC and researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences, Geophysics at Uppsala University. "Despite this need, there is a complete lack of test beds that allow industry to actively test novel drilling equipment. This new test centre will require a small effort for clients since the site will be ready for business."

At I-EDDA-TC, companies will be able to test in an environment that is well-known. They can also combine several tests at the same time, which is both effective and cut costs.

Almqvist said: "Our hope is that the test centre becomes a focus for both small and large companies that work within exploration drilling and related technologies."

The test centre will be built next to the Epiroc surface and exploration drilling division production centre in Örebro, Sweden. The test centre will be developed over three years and be available for customers in the beginning of 2022. The European Union is helping to finance the project through EIT RawMaterials.

I-EDDA-TC is a collaboration project between Uppsala University, Lund University, Luleå University of Technology, Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) and Epiroc's surface and exploration drilling division.