Borden Lake, located in Ontario, is part of a pipeline of organic growth projects in Goldcorp’s portfolio. In 2015, Goldcorp announced indicated resources of 1.6Moz of gold at Borden Lake.

As part of the development process, Goldcorp committed to making Borden Lake the world’s first all-electric mine, in order to ensure a higher standard of health and safety for employees and reduce both environmental impact and capital costs. Development at Borden Lake is scheduled to begin in early 2017. Goldcorp has selected Sandvik to provide a complete electric solution, including development equipment for the Borden Lake mine.

“We can provide a full solution for development equipment for the mine because of our breadth of offering,” says Dale Rakochy, business line manager, underground equipment, at Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology. “It’s a fully integrated battery technology where you don’t have to remove, handle or swap batteries underground, providing improved safety for operators and maintenance crews.”

One of the machines already ordered for this project is the Sandvik DD422iE drill rig which will be on display at MINExpo 2016.

By using electric energy from an onboard battery during tramming, the DD422iE produces zero emissions while manoeuvring between headings. This improves health and safety for miners working underground. Less diesel usage in a mine thanks to diesel-free drilling can ease ventilation requirements, while also reducing associated diesel logistics and maintenance expenses.

Using the mine’s existing electric infrastructure, the Sandvik driveline technology enables the battery to recharge during the drilling cycle. The battery will even recharge while Sandvik DD422iE is tramming downhill, using energy generated by the braking system. The long-lasting pack will power the drill efficiently throughout its lifetime.