African Mining March 2022 | Page 12

• GLOBAL NEWS

Future Minerals Summit ( FMS ) in Saudi Arabia

Future Minerals Summit ( FMS ) in Saudi Arabia .

Executive chairman of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd , Robert Friedland , was interviewed ahead of the Future Minerals Summit ( FMS ) in Saudi Arabia that was held 11-13 January 2022 . Friedland spoke of his excitement at the development of the largely unexplored , mineralrich Arabian-Nubian Shield ( ANS ) region .

The Remote Operation Area involved 17 dozers , excavators , loaders , and trucks .

Suppplied by Rajant

He said : “ We think the [ Arabian Shield ’ s ] potential is limitless for diamonds , rare earth , lithium , copper , gold and other minerals we haven ' t even thought about . It ' s big . It ' s unexplored , and it ' s blessed by cheap energy , at the bottom of the world cost curve , with new infrastructure , and proximity to markets .”

The Ivanhoe Group concentrates on regions where it can make " super-large discoveries " because of a lack of previous exploration . Friedland has been involved in 59 countries over the past 20 years and describes Saudi Arabia ' s mineral potential as " enormous ". Because of the recent positive change in government policy , Friedland said he " couldn ' t be more excited about what is happening in the Kingdom ", and that " Ivanhoe would love to be part of it ".

Friedland also believes there is potential in the south of the Craton in Oman and Yemen , and across the fault into North Africa .

The Kingdom ' s Vice-Minister of Mining Affairs , His Excellency Khalid Al-Mudaifer , also recently referred to the ANS as a " new frontier for mining ". This part of the world , he said , will play a " vital role in meeting the exponential growth in global demand for the critical minerals needed in a low-carbon society ".

10 • African Mining • March 2022

A producer of iron ore located in Brazil required a solution to simultaneously manage and operate multiple pieces of heavy machinery inside high-risk areas of a dam without any human operators onsite .

Sitech Brazil , a partner of the mining company and Rajant Corporation , designed and supplied the solution . Both companies are global distributors of technology products promoting increased productivity through innovative Trimble and Skydrones solutions .

The Challenge The collapse of specific dams in Brazil required direct and immediate action to address high-risk conditions . For the local iron ore producer , reducing the number of people directly involved in the perilous process of dam maintenance and reconstruction was paramount . Sitech Brazil developed a solution to carry out the entire construction process without human presence in the risk area to increase safety . Remotely covering the whole area with simultaneous management of multiple pieces of heavy machinery was a tall order . According to Sitech Brazil Technical Manager Tiago Barros , “ Often , the work to be done is to sites with a lot of interference . The elevation also varies between the backhaul and the equipment .”

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