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Mine shutdown — lockout tagout The Kingspan Water Tanks advantage Greener Groundwork HK Calibration-Leading experts in calibration Connect with the best WT Hydraulics and Festo Join Forces to Revolutionise Mining and Industrial Automation Putzmeister Geokret Scanner Tecweigh-Custom engineered weightometers & other weighing solutions Doing it the Rightway Take control of your operations with PROTOBLAST Screening Solutions for Australian Mining Transforming pump performance monitoring Innovation and technology: pillars of efficient mining Specialised equipment solutions for mining and material handling, above and below ground Real training, real impact RINGSPANN-Your benefit is our motivation Specialised equipment solutions for mining and material handling, above and below ground Bruce Avery Transport Ringspann Control your fleet with Geotab Future Engineering Engineering solutions for field applications Hawk extra heavy-duty machinery SANDVIK Groundwave Drilling Services THE CHOICE IN SCREENING TECHNOLOGY Gold, gold, gold Put more and better data to work for you Introducing Megamec Eagle Forklifts Keep Your Wheels Turning Robowash – Automatic Parts Cleaning System Stop rollaways in their tracks Australian Floating Decks – Professional Services Next generation lighting with JLG SureLift: taking you to new heights in crane hire Providing reliable solutions to Whitehaven Industry-first Layflat Hose Technical Manual Launch Sergate and Toyota to the rescue Australian tough grader blades Vansite hire fleet now in WA Turn-key hire: Mobile Accommodation Camps The Ensham Experts Survive the drive Minesite ready vehicle specialists Toughness you can trust ARB StealthBar Keep your crew cool Next generation lighting with JLG Steuler expands your horizons Expertise and precision with CMI Trusted to power Australia’s toughest mines Whitehaven’s crane and heavy haulage professionals J&S Engineering – Integrity & Excellence The shovel-shutdown experts When Every Hour Counts Austral Technologies – Hits the spot when it comes to longevity Turning waste into wealth Henry Plant & Equipment – Drawing on 90 years of Experience to provide Earthmoving Services Nationwide Complete Civil & Mining Solutions (CCMS) RosterPro — Unlock your workforce ADT Security Motherwell Automation: The new SCADA This just in: The Buddie System Sydney Rope Supplies McLanahan Kado Muir’s online course for miners CKC Equipment Precision CNC Machining for mining Coal hard facts Unlock peak performance A new dawn for Ensham mine Ore inspiring: Rio Tinto’s boost to keep ore flowing PNG Expo’s unmissable return Lumsden Point development Freightplus: Bringing big things to the mining industry Australia’s future, fuelled by phosphate Mining Matters Greatland gears up for ASX Toyota: part of the FleetCrew Boddington’s gold-plated future Barton builds up for South Australian gold rush The sold out 2025 MRE Conference Not an automotive supplier Tough as tungsten Maskill undercarriage solutions Aussie jetters & hydroblasters… the pressure is on! Engineering Buoyancy – How Coerco redefines liquid control for mining success The Australian Mining Review June 2025 Edition Mining icons

Boddington’s gold-plated future

Boddington’s gold-plated future

Less than a two-hour drive south of Perth, operating at a scale that rivals international contenders, lies one of Australia’s largest mines. This is no run of the mill mining operation, a striking difference sets it apart.

A fleet of driverless trucks precisely navigate the perilous terrain carrying a payload of more than 230t, guided by sophisticated operating systems and devoid of human presence. This is not science fiction, this is Boddington gold mine.

Owned by Newmont (ASX: NEM), the site employs more than 2,000 people and produces more than 700koz of gold and 35,000t of copper annually.

Located 120km south-east of Perth in the Saddleback greenstone belt, the site’s project area encompasses 52,506 acres of mining tenure on multiple leases. Commercial production began in 2009 and by early 2011 the site had produced its first 1moz of gold.

In 2022, Boddington surpassed 1moz of annual gold production for the first time in its history, a milestone which was achieved while operating the inaugural AHS fleet. Boddington’s south pit is currently the deepest open pit mine in the world to deploy this technology.

Making history with AHS

In 2020, Newmont announced it would be commissioning a fleet of autonomous trucks from Caterpillar as it created its fully AHS. The company acquired 29 new Cat 793F AHS-enabled cat trucks and retrofit seven of its existing 793F trucks with AHS capabilities.

Newmont invested $150m in the project which, even amidst the challenges presented by COVID-19 and unusually severe weather in the region, was completed ahead of schedule and within budget.

Decommissioning its conventional legacy fleet in favour of complete autonomy has enabled the formation of non-segregated haulage networks with shorter, optimised haul distances at the site.

After only 12 months of operating the AHS fleet, the site surpassed its previous t/km performance record by 10%. By continuing to improve truck availability — by reducing downtime — while simultaneously increasing t/km, productivity continues to rise.

The implementation of the AHS fleet has reaped benefits that extend far beyond just productivity and operational efficiency. According to Newmont, site safety has also been dramatically improved by minimising worker interactions with heavy vehicles and reducing the risk of human error.

As autonomous vehicles strictly follow designated paths and adhere to operating constraints, the risk of vehicle collisions and fatalities has diminished.

Improving efficiency, reducing costs and enhancing safety with the introduction of autonomy also extends the sites operational life by enabling the extraction of more resources over longer operational periods.

Mines of the future become a reality

Driven by technology, workforce innovation and sustainability, mines of the future are no longer a fantasy. The astounding advancement of robotics and AI makes automation and remote operations accessible for the resource sector, reducing the need for human presence in these hazardous environments.

Boddington continues to incorporate cutting-edge technologies into its operations. Last year Newmont commissioned a fleet of Epiroc Pit Viper 231 and SmartROC D65 drill rigs, which will be operated tele-remotely, for the site. The introduction of the remotely controlled drill fleet brings Boddington closer to a reality of operations completely devoid of on-site human presence.

Newmont continues to leverage its commissioning experience and learnings at Boddington to implement similar operations across its other sites.

The company has entered a revolutionary strategic alliance with Caterpillar to reach electrification and automation goals for surface and underground mining infrastructures and haulage fleets at its underground Tanami mine in the Northern Territory.

Caterpillar is set to develop its first battery electric zero emissions underground truck to be deployed at Tanami next year. The project includes a fleet of up to 10 battery electric underground haul trucks, utilising first-of-its-kind battery electric autonomous haulage technology.

Newmont continues to work towards its emissions reduction goals at its Boddington site by exploring renewable energy, battery storage and solar opportunities.

In April this year, a collaboration between WA’s largest gold mine and its largest wind farm was formed when Newmont entered a long-term renewable power purchase agreement (PPA) with Collgar wind farm. Newmont has committed to purchase 100% of the electricity and green credits generated by the 222mw project which will supply 70% of Boddington’s total energy needs beginning in 2027.

Boddington gold mine is revolutionising the way the resource sector operates and leads by example with its early adoption of advanced technologies and its continuous work towards decarbonisation. With the mining industry evolving at an unprecedented rate, Boddington’s ability to integrate progressive technology and adapt to industry demands is what makes it a heavy weight in the global gold mining industry.