Barrick Gold Company, the main gold and copper producer, has chosen Sandvik Mining and Rock Options to provide seven floor drill rigs to switch an ageing non-Sandvik fleet at its Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea.
The order, which was positioned in Q1 2025, consists of 4 Sandvik DR410i rotary blasthole drill rigs and three Leopard™ DI650i down-the-hole (DTH) drill rigs, in addition to related companies. Drill deliveries are anticipated to start in June and proceed by way of November 2025.
“Sandvik DTH and rotary drill rigs have confirmed to be each productive and dependable at our different operations throughout the globe,” stated Glenn Heard, Mining Govt at Barrick. “We sit up for persevering with our cooperation and deploying these value-adding floor drilling applied sciences from Sandvik.”
New Porgera Ltd (NPL) is 51% owned by PNG stakeholders, with Barrick and Zijin proudly owning the remaining 49%. NPL has appointed Barrick Niugini because the operator of the Porgera gold mine. Positioned at an altitude of two,300 m, Porgera initially started manufacturing in 1990 underneath Placer Dome, which Barrick acquired in 2006. Porgera was positioned on care and upkeep in April 2020 and resumed operations in December 2023.
The operation consists of each an underground mine and open pit and hosts an orebody with measured and indicated sources of 13.3 million gold ounces and inferred sources of 5.56 million gold ounces.
Sandvik DR410i is a compact, highly effective and technologically superior drill rig, designed for rotary and DTH holes from 152 to 254 mm (6 to 10 in). Leopard™ DI650i is a self-contained, crawler-mounted, clever DTH drill rig for demanding high-capacity manufacturing drilling, protecting gap diameters from 115 to 203 mm (4.5 to eight in).
Two of the Leopard™ DI650i drills at Porgera will probably be geared up with the reverse circulation (RC) sampling choice Sandvik launched for its flagship DTH rig in 2021. The RC drilling system, which is absolutely built-in into the Leopard™ DI650i platform, gives a dependable and correct methodology for ore physique identification and grade management.
All seven floor drills at Porgera will probably be related underneath Sandvik’s Distant Monitoring Service (RMS), which Barrick rolled out to its total world underground fleet of greater than 200 related Sandvik vehicles, loaders and drills throughout 2023. RMS has already decreased upkeep prices whereas growing uptime throughout Barrick’s Sandvik fleet.
The floor drilling funding comes simply months after Barrick partnered with Sandvik to provide vehicles, loaders and drills for Porgera’s underground operations. The primary underground models had been delivered in 2024 and deliveries are anticipated to proceed by way of 2028.
“We’re excited to develop our partnership with Barrick from underground to the floor operation, the place we’ll present our newest applied sciences and collaborate to optimise productiveness and price efficiencies,” stated Mats Eriksson, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Options.
Sandvik Mining and Rock Options and Barrick prolonged a worldwide framework settlement in late 2023, enhancing the long-term partnership between the OEM and mining main.
Sandvik’s current entity in Papua New Guinea will additional increase native capabilities and the workforce to help the rising Porgera fleet. Current in-country developments embrace transferring right into a extra everlasting industrial advanced and ongoing growth of in-country elements provide, part restore and return and in-field service capabilities. The event of particular capabilities to help Porgera consists of site-based technical companies to help buyer information switch, in-country elements and rock instruments provide and a modular part program. The undertaking will probably be supported by a collaborative change administration program to make sure profitable supply and implementation of the fleet.
