DRILL RIG BRINGS MINE ANOTHER STEP CLOSER TO FULL TIN EXTRACTION

Modernisation at South Crofty Mine near Redruth came a step closer with the arrival of a drill rig last week. The machine will be used to fulfil two important jobs as work towards tin extraction moved up a gear.

Cornwall County Council determined new conditions on the permissions for mining a few weeks ago in September. At long last, as a direct result of this, Baseresult can now dramatically increase the rate of tunnelling at the mine, which last produced tin in 1998. A second tunnel was started on Friday 20^th October - creating a need for equipment that can meet those new demands.

The single boom drilling rig will also help prepare the engineers currently working at the site for the new technology - about to be introduced - that will bring working practice at the mine into the 21^st century.

“Quite apart from the huge benefits this drilling rig brings in speeding up the refurbishment of Crofty, it introduces our present workforce to basic modern mining machinery,” said Chief Engineer and Technical Director of the mine, David Stone.

“One of the major reasons South Crofty stopped producing tin was that it operated with old technology, some of it had been around for 50 years. Now the authorities are satisfied with our working plans, we can begin to introduce the world’s mining standards to Cornwall, standards that will ensure a successful future for this mine.

“This compressed air powered rig is the first step to modernisation, the forerunner to the new electro hydraulic powered drilling rigs we will be introducing next. For now it will speed things up and give some essential experience to our existing miners.

“It’s taken a long time and a lot of red tape and this is just a small first step, but it won’t be much longer before we achieve our ultimate goal of remote computer controlled drilling and mucking (tunnel clearing).”

Both Mr Stone and Managing Director of South Crofty, Kevin Williams, completed extensive research with, amongst others, Scandinavian engineers recognised as leading the field of advanced mining technology before creating the technical plans for their mine’s future operation.

The end result will be a profitable tin producing mine, employing in excess of 200 local people, using remote broadband control, which in theory could be operated from anywhere in the world. 

31 October 2006