Austmine, Vedanta partner up for ore transportation

Austmine is partnering with Vedanta to find innovative solutions for improving the overall performance of ore transportation from underground mining to the surface at the Hindustan Zinc Rampura Agucha mine (RAM) and Sindesar Khurd mine (SKM).

Hindustan Zinc's Rampura Agucha mine is the second largest zinc mine and underground mining is carried out using long-hole open stoping with paste filling method.

Sindesar Khurd mine is a world-class underground silver mine utilising blast hole open stoping with filling. The ore is crushed at the surface and transported to the beneficiation plant for further crushing, milling, and flotation processes.

The overall challenge of ore transportation to the surface is divided into two major sub-challenges:

These sub-challenges focus on various operational impediments that require a combination of technology, engineering and equipment solutions to solve.

Conveyor belts:

Transfer chutes:

Hopper:

Winder system:

Shaft skips and infrastructure:

Suppliers are invited to submit their short-form solution to the challenge by 16 June 2023 for evaluation by Austmine and Vedanta.A shortlisting process takes place and successful companies are invited to participate in phase two.

Shortlisted suppliers will be invited to a technical briefing, where each supplier will be able to gain more information about the challenge from Vedanta. This allows suppliers to refine their proposed solution prior to pitching to Vedanta.

Following the technical briefing, suppliers will pitch their solution directly to Vedanta online via Zoom breakout rooms. This provides the opportunity to ‘sell’ the solution, gain feedback from operational teams and field questions about the solution.

Following the pitch session, a final shortlisting of suppliers takes place. The remaining suppliers are invited to submit a formal technical and economic proposal to solving the challenge.

Vedanta will select the best fit solution/s for the challenge and the supplier will work directly with Vedanta to trial the technology on-site and implement the solution.

EOI Submission Deadline – 16 June 2023

Technical Briefings – 7 July 2023

Pitch Sessions – 14 July 2023

Final Proposal Deadline – 4 August 2023

Note that the above is an estimate and timelines can change.

Submit a solution.