Zero Entry Mining
Published: December 06,2023Zero entry mining represents a transformative vision for the mining industry, offering a path to overcome significant technical and social challenges while meeting the growing global demand for essential metals and minerals. It can eliminate human presence in hazardous mining zones, leveraging teleoperation, robotics, and fully autonomous systems. This ongoing initiative explores:
- Mine Design: Engineering new layouts optimized for remote and automated operation.
- Technology Stack: Integrating AI-driven navigation, robotic drill rigs, and tele-remote loaders.
- Operational Challenges: Addressing communication latency, underground energy infrastructure, and sensor reliability.
- Economic Feasibility: Evaluating the cost-benefit trade-offs of zero entry vs. traditional mining methods.
The roadmap of this project includes:
- A now-published, future-looking exploratory white paper that provides the reader with an understanding of the zero entry concept, exploring both the benefits and the risks
- A series of discussion papers
AN EXPLORATORY WHITE PAPER
This paper emphasizes that zero entry mining is not a novel concept but rather a natural progression of mining innovation, rooted in decades of evolving practices and technologies.
The paper also identifies key gaps to be filled to enable full zero entry operation and map a roadmap for the industry to move toward zero entry. Key to moving forward with zero entry mining is to understand the benefits and ensure the proposed approach captures these benefits as well as understanding the risks and how these can be mitigated.
Read it here.
DISCUSSION PAPERS
Following the publication of the first paper, a series of nine discussion papers is planned to address common challenges and opportunities in zero entry mining. These papers, developed in parallel, aim to spark industry-wide dialogue, encouraging knowledge sharing and exploration of new opportunities. Topics include:
Launching Q3 2025
- Mining Process
- Mining Methods
Future Papers
- Systems Engineering Approach
- Enablers and Barriers
- Interoperability
- Legal and Ethical
- People
- Business Case
- Brownfield Applications
BACKGROUND
There are attempts to remove people from operating areas or zones to gain some of the benefits of zero entry (safety in particular); however, this approach tend to be implemented on a section by section or situation by situation basis. It is still necessary for personnel to enter the mining zones at times including surveyors, geologists, or personnel who need to interact with autonomous haulage systems or auxiliary equipment (e.g. graders or water carts), to install services or carry out maintenance.
This zero entry concept is not necessarily new, being practiced in part or whole across other industries (i.e., salt mines, radioactive sites, oil and gas). Some of the building blocks or components of zero entry are already widely accepted in existing underground mining (e.g., operating tele-remote LHD equipment from a surface control room).
There exists some complex orebodies that necessitate truly “remote” operations in certain mining zones. These zones are referred to as zero entry zones because no human need ever enter the area, these zones include:
- Radiation issues
- Broken ground
Improvements in safety and productivity while achieving cost efficiencies have been identified from the deployment of autonomous equipment. Significant value is left on the table for mining operators, having to design mines to allow both automation of some tasks whilst also ensuring safe for entry of people.
Project Steering Committee
Andrew Scott – Symbiotic Innovations
Florian Oppolzer – Rio Tinto
Gavin Yeates – Gavin Yeates Consulting Pty Ltd.
Geoffrey Liggins – University of Western Australia & Motem Pty Ltd.
Graeme Mitchell – Consultant
Natalie Hawkins – Vale
Omeremeth Concha – Codelco
Paul Vallejos – Codelco
Peter Knights – University of Queensland
Ron Bose – XPS-Glencore
Get Involved
