Thiess celebrates 15 years mining in Mongolia

As a number one world providers supplier, Thiess brings to its purchasers greater than 85 years of confirmed technical and mining experience with expertise throughout commodities together with metallurgical and thermal coal, iron ore, copper, nickel, gold, and diamonds.

Thiess delivers a full suite of providers to the mining trade, starting from opencast mining to advanced underground mining and rehabilitation providers.

Thiess’ historical past in Mongolia

Thiess’ historical past in Mongolia started in 2007, then working as Leighton Asia, to ship vital civil and particular objective building initiatives.

Since then, Thiess has efficiently accomplished numerous initiatives in Mongolia, together with on the Ulaan-Ovoo mine and Khushuut mine, and a renewable vitality challenge, Salkhit Wind Farm.

In the present day, Thiess offers mining providers in Ukhaa Khudag and is chargeable for the Oyu Tolgoi (OT) growth challenge. So far, Thiess has efficiently produced an output of as much as 10 million tpy of high-quality metallurgical coal, in keeping with worldwide requirements.

Certainty of supply

Thiess at present has a relationship contract with Power Assets to offer mining operations on the Ukhaa Khudag Coal Mine in Mongolia’s south Gobi Desert.

Starting as a greenfield challenge in 2008, the mine is now totally established and producing high-quality metallurgical coal used for steelmaking. Thiess has been capable of practice lots of of native staff, constructing and strengthening the nationwide workforce capability.

Thiess has additionally demonstrated its underground mining capabilities, in three way partnership with native contractor Khishig Arvin Industrial, delivering the primary underground decline challenge on the OT copper and gold challenge in Mongolia’s South Gobi Desert.

On 16 August 2021, the crew achieved an distinctive milestone on the boxcut and decline challenge, attaining the ultimate breakthrough within the conveyor decline tunnel, connecting the C2S conveyor to floor tunnel to the prevailing OT underground mine. The dedication of the challenge’s 240 staff additionally led to a exceptional security achievement of 3-million-man hours with no LTIs.

The development of the boxcut and improvement of conveyor to floor decline challenge is the primary in Mongolia’s historical past, with a decline consisting of dual tunnels increasing over 14.6 km at a gradient of 18% to a depth of 1300 m. One of many twin declines offers a safe entrance to underground mine for cell gear, mine employees and enabling servicing and upkeep, whereas the opposite facilitates the conveyor system for transporting ore mined from underground to floor.

Andrew Van Der Marwe, Venture supervisor on the OT web site highlighted the importance of the milestone.

“When two ends met, it was inside 100 mm of deliberate place. Supply of exceptional accuracy of the breakthrough was a results of diligently sustaining the tunnel profiles and conducting steady examine surveys by our nice survey crew.

“The OT survey crew did a superb job; from offering the management factors to start out with by way of to attaining the accuracy required to ensure an in depth tolerance breakthrough – it was an enormous success and a really correct end result,” Andrew stated.

The crew was challenged by border closures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted worker actions, together with expatriate staff from getting into Mongolia. Thiess’ nationwide crew of extremely expert engineers, technical employees and mining and building professionals mobilised to efficiently full the work.

Creating lasting worth

Thiess’ objective is to create lasting worth, and that is evidenced in its robust dedication to the communities the place the crew lives and works.

Over the previous 15 years, Thiess has invested over MNT 2 billion as a part of its robust dedication to the event of the local people in and round Ulaanbaatar metropolis, Ukhaa Khudag and Oyu Tolgoi challenge websites.

• In 2021, Thiess Khishig Arvin JV accomplished and handed over an all year-round purposeful, heated hothouse fitted with drip irrigation system and housing for nicely to ‘Uurtiin nogoon khoshuu’, an agricultural cooperative of Khanbogd soum.
• The Thiess crew additionally purchased pleasure to these in want, gifting presents to 200 youngsters within the Tavan Tolgoi mining territory over the Christmas interval. Books, stationary and educative video games had been among the many items shared to youngsters who’re remoted from colleges and libraries because of monetary stress and lack of infrastructure of their villages.
• Thiess has additionally labored with the Affiliation of Signal Language Interpreters in Mongolia, to higher help its folks residing and dealing with listening to impairments and guarantee an inclusive office. The interpreters work with the crew by way of the recruitment and induction course of, making a optimistic distinction and empowering staff day-to-day.

The federal government of Mongolia, Mongolian Chamber of Commerce and Commerce and authorities authorities have recognised the Thiess crew in Mongolia for his or her contribution to the state finances, variety of jobs created, its graduate scholarship applications and information and abilities transferred/shared with native employees. The crew has additionally acquired numerous efficiency awards, together with recognition in classes for greatest contractor and nationwide main employer, in addition to recognition as a TOP 100 taxpayer and greatest social insurance coverage contributor.

Learn the article on-line at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/03052022/thiess-celebrates-15-years-mining-in-mongolia/