The annoucement came during a presentation by chief mining engineer Rob McLean at the IMARC 2020, where he laid out the company's intent to turn the operation into a fully-electric mine.

The Swedish engineering group launched the 18-tonne LH518B in September. It is equipped with Autoswap, a patented self-swapping system for the battery pack. 

McLean told the audience that Kirkland is pursuing its goals of zero harm and a reduced environmental footprint at Fosterville by harnessing technological advancements to improve and optimise its processes.

He pointed to the Wi-Fi installation project at the mine which entailed setting up hundreds of acccess points underground, calling it an "enabler technology".

Kirkland plans to introduce a surface teleremote set-up in 2021, with a view to eventually operating loaders and production drills from the surface, McLean said. 

Since late last year, the miner has also been working with Mobilaris Mining Intelligence to implement its situational awareness products at Fostervillle, featuring tags on mobile equipment and workers' caplamps, providing live 3D location imformation.

The company is also implementing a smart ventilation project as it seeks to improve efficiency and monitor air quality. The second phase of this will be automated and involve ventilation on demand, McLean added.