One of the richest underground copper deposits in the world will soon be accessed with the help of high-capacity gearless-driven conveyors from Thyssen Krupp (
www.thyssenkrupp.com); its Industrial Solutions business has won a contract worth millions of euros to supply a material-handling system for the new Oyu Tolgoi underground mine in Mongolia.
Thyssen Krupp will supply nine conveyors with a combined length of 9.5km, as well as seven transfer towers. The first production from underground is expected in 2020.
The Oyu Tolgoi mine complex is a joint venture between the Government of Mongolia and Turquoise Hill Resources, which is majority-owned by Rio Tinto.
Operating at a depth of nearly 1,400m beneath the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, the new underground material-handling system is planned to transport 95,000 tonnes of copper ore to the surface every day.
The main components are four high-lift conveyors, each equipped with 1.6m-wide steel-cord belts and dual 5,500kW gearless drives from Siemens. Further conveyors will feed the main incline conveyors and tie the new underground system into the existing process facility.
The Oyu Tolgoi mine began producing copper concentrate from an open-pit operation in 2013. These latest underground construction activities will transform it into one of the most significant copper mines in the world.