Advanced technologies could extend life of Burgundy Diamonds’ Fox project

SUDBURY, ON — Burgundy Diamonds’ recently released Life of Mine Plan Update has included the use of Railveyor® as the preferred material haulage system for its Fox project in Canada’s Northwest Territories, considerably improving the value of this deposit.

This highlights the importance of advanced technologies in building more efficient, resilient mining operations, according to Tas Mohamed, CEO of Railveyor, based in Canada’s mining centre Sudbury, Ontario.

The updated pre-feasibility study (PFS) reconsiders the underground resource at Fox with the implementation of the Railveyor technology, which offers lower operating costs and reduced infrastructure requirements when compared to traditional haulage methods. The PFS notes that Railveyor has the advantage of handling run-of-mine material, negating the need for an underground crusher. The light rail track can be easily extended as the mine deepens, making it amenable to sublevel retreat (SLR) mining – which the PFS has preferred to the original incline caving method.

For mines seeking improved margins and long-term sustainability, innovative systems are playing an increasingly important role in reshaping feasibility outcomes, said Mohamed.

“In today’s mining landscape, the ability to operate efficiently and responsibly is more important than ever,” she said. “We are proud to support operators like Burgundy Diamonds in exploring solutions that make deeper ore zones more accessible, significantly improving the overall economic viability of the operation.”

This focus on innovation comes at a time of growing industry reflection, according to Charles Nyabeze, VP of Business Development and Commercialization at Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA).

“We need to collectively start thinking differently about how we develop and operate mines; it is time to support technology development and adoption in mining,” said Nyabeze. “This is how we get to a low carbon economy, how we make mining sustainable, and how we save jobs.”

As a MICA partner, Railveyor continues to collaborate with mining companies across the globe to help achieve those goals, he explained. At Agnico Eagle’s Goldex Mine, the Railveyor system has enabled access to ore that was previously unreachable due to ventilation and geometry constraints—resulting in a seven-year extension to the lifeofmine. Fully electric, autonomous and operating on demand, Railveyor has been shown to reduce energy usage and ventilation requirements while lowering overall emissions; these benefits align with the industry’s push toward net zero carbon emissions and cost-effective production.

“As mines like Burgundy look to the future, feasibility studies that incorporate forward-looking technologies offer a path toward safer, cleaner, and more economically sustainable operations,” Mohamed concluded.