Oil sands mining big Suncor says it’s persevering with to drive innovation within the Canadian power trade. The corporate stated just lately it has now efficiently deployed the world’s largest autonomous ultra-class haul truck fleet at a single mining web site.
All ore at Suncor’s Base Plant close to Fort McMurray, Alberta, is now moved by these autonomous haulers – the bitumen is loaded by shovels onto the vehicles and transported to extraction vegetation solely by way of driverless AHS-equipped vehicles that are primarily 400 ton class Komatsu 980E diesel-electric drive fashions.
“We’re consistently in search of methods to push the boundaries of innovation inside our trade,” says Suncor’s President and CEO Wealthy Kruger. “We now have rolled out this expertise in such a giant means as a result of – fairly merely – it makes us a greater operator. AHS not solely will increase security and reliability however improves the general effectivity of our manufacturing.”
Suncor says it has been utilizing autonomous haul vehicles (AHTs) at its Base Plant web site for operations since 2018, however the variety of autonomous haulers has grown exponentially during the last 12 months.
Base Plant’s Millennium Mine rolled out 15 AHTs in Could 2024, rising the fleet to 91 by the tip of the 12 months. Ongoing enhancements, which elevated truck efficiency on varied pit and highway configurations and in all seasons, allowed for a continued deployment all through 2025. In complete, Base Plant now has virtually 120 AHTs throughout its two built-in mines.
“Suncor was an early adopter of AHS expertise in oil sands mining, and others proceed to comply with our lead,” says Suncor’s Govt Vice President – Oilsands, Peter Zebedee. “That is all about consistency. Having a big AHS fleet positions our mine to ship protected and regular manufacturing, additional cementing Suncor’s place as a world-class mining operation.”
The corporate outlines that as a substitute of drivers bodily steering the vehicles, AHS software program locations the management within the palms of central management room operators who optimise how the vehicles carry out throughout the mine system. With a state-of-the-art AHS command centre and options that improve situational consciousness, together with collision and impediment detection, AHS allows protected, seamless and predictable deliveries whereas lowering incidents, accidents, and disruptions to manufacturing.
“We now have full visibility on all AHTs and autonomous-enabled assist tools on web site, exhibiting real-time location and motion of the operations,” says Zebedee. “This enables operators to handle visitors circulation proactively, adapt to driving circumstances and cut back put on and tear on the tools – finally resulting in decrease upkeep prices and downtime for our vehicles.”
Suncor says integrating AHS all through Base Plant was a big enterprise and was achieved with onerous work and dedication from groups throughout the corporate.
“From our deployment groups to our discipline operators and dispatchers, all the mining organisation had a big half in driving our success,” says Kruger. “That is one more instance of the Suncor staff’s dedication to driving operational excellence.”
Suncor’s Base Plant could have geared up 140 AHTs by the tip of this 12 months and the corporate isn’t achieved. Given the success at Base Plant, Suncor continues to construct autonomous expertise into its future mining technique, with plans to proceed its incorporation at different Suncor mines within the coming years.
