Rio Tinto has opened its most technologically advanced mine. According to Rio-Tinto, its Gudai-Darri mine in Western Australia features “an unprecedented deployment of technology, much of it industry-leading.” This includes the use of robotics for the ore sampling laboratory as well as for distribution of parts in the new workshop.

Development of the mine has taken over three years, and required more than 14 million workhours.

From autonomous trucks, trains and drills, standard across many Rio Tinto mines in the Pilbara, to a full digital replica of the processing plant which allows teams to monitor and respond to data collected from the plant. The same digital asset data is used to provide a feature rich, interactive 3D environment for virtual reality training. These autonomous assets are monitored remotely from Rio Tinto’s Operations Centre 1,500 kilometres away in Perth.

With an expected life of more than 40 years and an annual capacity of 43 million tonnes, Gudai-Darri is planned to underpin future production of Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore blend product. It’s expected to increase iron ore production volumes and improve product mix from the Pilbara from the second half of this year. The mine is expected to reach capacity in 2023.

“Gudai-Darri represents a step-change in the deployment of automation and technology within our iron ore business and a fantastic demonstration of the talent, ingenuity and capability that exists in Western Australia, a region which is now known globally for its technical excellence and innovation,” said Simon Trott, Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive. “Gudai-Darri’s combination of data and analytics, machine learning and automation, will make this mine safer and more productive.”

“Gudai-Darri is our first greenfield mine in the Pilbara in more than a decade and a multi-billion-dollar investment in the State of Western Australia that will operate for decades to come.”

Bill Johnston, Western Australia’s Minister for Mines, Petroleum and Energy, said, “I’m impressed by Rio Tinto’s innovation and sustainability; this is a prototype of the mine of the future. Once the new solar farm is complete it will be able to power one-third of Gudai-Darri’s operational needs with renewable energy. This multi-billion-dollar investment in Western Australia, is great for the economy and its 40-year mine life will support thousands of jobs into the future.”