Mine of the Future
For future access to resources, we are looking beyond our current licence to operate and thinking about better ways of mining.
With our Mine of the Future™ programme we are demonstrating improvements to mining processes that include unprecedented levels in automation, and remote operations that will revolutionise the way mining has been conducted for more than 100 years.
Mine of the Future™ will help us improve our sustainable development performance in several areas. The programme is designed to create next generation technologies for mining operations that result in greater efficiency, lower production costs, improved health, safety and environmental performance, and more attractive working conditions.
- Innovation
- Engagement
- Results
To achieve our sustainable development goals, we often work in partnership with others outside Rio Tinto who possess specialist expertise.
To progress our Mine of the Future™ objectives rapidly, we have invested in the creation of the Rio Tinto Centre For Mine Automation, established in collaboration with the Australian Centre For Field Robotics (University of Sydney). This long term commitment is the largest commercial privately funded external robotics initiative in the world today.
At Imperial College in London, we have formed the Rio Tinto Centre for Advanced Mineral Recovery for research into improved underground block caving methods, faster tunnelling and enhanced metal recovery from the flotation process.
We have also joined with The University of Queensland to form the Rio Tinto Centre for Advanced Mineral Sorting at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre in Brisbane; and with Western Australia's Curtin University of Technology to form the Rio Tinto Centre for Materials and Sensing in Mining.
We are advancing Mine of the Future™ with the help of industry suppliers Komatsu and Atlas Copco. Our alliance with General Electric aligns its Ecomagination™ strategy with our Mine of the Future™ programme. It is aimed at delivering lower carbon solutions in support of our surface mining activities. A technology alliance was formed in 2010 with Codelco (Rio de Cobre) to explore areas of mutual interest.
In 2010, Rio Tinto expanded its Mine of the Future™ programme to develop new equipment and systems for deep underground mines. Aker Wirth and Atlas Copco will individually work with Rio Tinto to develop two new tunnelling concepts and Herrenknecht will work with the Group on the development of a new shaft boring machine.
