Oyu Tolgoi’s new landmark

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27/01/2020 09:27
Towards the end of last year, an important event took place to turn over a new leaf in the history of modern mining industry in Mongolia. It was the completion of Production Shaft, one of the key infrastructure facilities of the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project, with its headframe tower rising to the sky. Looking over the Khanbogd’s vast plain, two distinct landmarks catch eyes. First and foremost is the Sun blessed Mt. Khanbogd, proudly commending. This sacred mountain, created by God, contains the best of minerals, human history, culture and legends. God only knows how and when it was created and what it took. Not far away from the sacred mount is the Oyu Tolgoi’s new landmark – catching eyes and rising high – created by human intelligence and hard work. It looks mesmerizing, especially at dawn and dusk. May I ask for your forgiveness for daring to compare these two “creations”. But, it is said that things don't just happen by accidents.

This magnificent tower is the first of its kind in the Southern Gobi Desert, embodying the modern mining industry technology and standard. A road to such achievement wasn’t smooth. If not stopped in 2013, shortly after its start, its construction could have been completed in 2016. Misunderstanding and distrust between stakeholders resulted in such stop and a bitter lesson. But, a decision to resume underground development in 2016 now resulted in successful completion of this facility.

Such a complex facility, comprising the best designs, engineering solutions and equipment in the world has been accomplished by our national engineers, technicians and workers, something that everyone should be proud of. Construction of Production Shaft – from restart of sinking through to equipping – has taken three years and four months. Close to 50 national companies and 2,500 people worked safely for approximately 2.6 million hours to complete this facility – an outstanding achievement by any means – admit experts.

These numbers prove an emergence of world-class occupational health and safety standard and safety culture in the underground and surface construction and development in Mongolia. Skilled and experienced expats have played an important role in this development. Mongolian engineers, technicians and builders, who have completed this massive, yet delicate task, have acquired knowledge and skills to work on underground development projects anywhere in the world, according to experts. I’m hopeful that the time will come when such intangible assets, emerging in the heart of the Gobi Desert, understood and acknowledged they have more value over money and things alike.

Let me share a few details on this magnificent facility. Construction of this new landmark has required 7.8 thousand cubic meters of dry cement, all of which were sourced from MonCement and MAK Cement, a simple example of Oyu Tolgoi’s national procurement policy to support local content over cheaper import products. Likewise, 4.8 million tonnes of metal structures, 15.4 thousand meters of metal pipes and 317.5 thousand meters of cables were used.

This vertical structure stretches 1284 m below ground and 96 m above ground, with a diameter of 10 m. Total height of this facility is 1.3 km, equivalent to 15 of Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar towers – 14 below ground and 1 above ground. From this point of view, one can compare this landmark to Khanbogd Mountain, in a sense that both of the landmarks are living and functioning structures, deep rooted to the mother earth.

Production Shaft has two hoists, one for service and one for production. Service hoist has a double-deck cage to transport 300 people at a time and travel 1.3 km distance in 2.5-minutes time at a speed of 10 m/s. In comparison, elevators of Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar tower travel at a speed of 3 m/s.

Production hoist has two skips, each to hoist 60 tonnes of ore and travel at a maximum speed of 16.4 m/s. It is the largest friction hoist system in the world. Invented in 1877 by a German engineer Frederick Koepe, friction hoist is the most common type of hoist used in underground mining and is referred to as Koepe hoist. The production hoist, installed at Oyu Tolgoi underground mine, uses two of the world’s largest Koepe winders. They are 6.7 m in diameter and weigh about 56 tonnes. Another vital part of the system are 32 kilometers of steel wire ropes, equal to the distance between Amgalan suburb bus terminal and Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar.

Commissioning of the Production Shaft enables additional crews, materials and equipment to be transported and operate underground, accelerating and improving both safety and productivity of the underground development. Moreover, it will enable transportation of ore, which is to be extracted from the underground mine, to the surface. To date, all transportation needs of the underground development had been handled by Service Shaft alone, which has a cage for 60 people only. Thus, from now on, underground development has a “spare horse”, which will ensure increased reliability, speed and productivity. A traveler with a spare horse will travel longer.

In addition, Mid Ventilation Shaft is already operational and two more ventilation shafts are currently under construction. Oyu Tolgoi will have five shafts in total to support life-of-mine operations. Formerly, these shafts were simply numbered, i.e. Shaft 1, Shaft 2, and so on – a typical problem of a pioneer. In consultation with the Former President P.Ochirbat, Sc.D. B.Laikhansuren, Sc.D. Ch.Tegshsaikhan, Consulting Engineer N.Algaa, and Head of National Council on Language Policy, Linguist N.Narangerel, we introduced a new naming convention, renaming the underground mine shafts in regard to their functions, i.e. Service Shaft, Production Shaft, South Ventilation Shaft, Mid Ventilation Shaft and North Ventilation Shaft. As two heads are better than one, the new naming convention is much better, I hope. The shafts, along with other infrastructure facilities will spring up one after another as planned in the coming years.

Oyu Tolgoi Mine Complex, including Open Pit and Underground Mines, associated infrastructure facilities, accommodations, employee wellbeing, sport and recreation facilities are under development in accordance with comprehensive plans, which form parts of the company’s 10-year development strategy, approved in 2018. As part of the plan, “Mazaalai” Food Processing and Service Center, Khanbogd - Oyu Tolgoi paved road, “Chandmani” Underground Operation and Service Center, and Central Heating Plant Expansion have been commissioned to operation to date. The strategic plan includes expansion and transformation of Khanbogd soum into a modern town, where small and medium enterprises to be developed and 60-70 percent of the permanent employees to be hired from.

The Democratic Revolution brought us a free market economy and opened a door to foreign investment and technology from third-neighbor countries. Oyu Tolgoi is a result of extensive investment from third-neighbors and is a pioneering mega project in Mongolia. Pioneers face challenges. But, Oyu Tolgoi family, known as strong, well-educated, hardworking and highly-disciplined miners, who strive for safety, is quietly working day and night, no matter what the natural and social weather, to create value to the local community and to make Khanbogd an example of good fame and bright future. What is worth doing at all is worth doing well.

The future of Umnugobi is in the hands of the new generation born and raised there. The three millionth citizen of Mongolia was born there, and I believe it wasn’t a coincidence. The four millionth citizen of Mongolia might be born in Khanbogd as well. They are to develop the country and make Mongolia known to the world better. Then and there, the Gobi will be known to the world with its prosperity, not with dinosaur fossil. Such a dream will bring a free-trade zone, Mongolia-China manufacturing, trade and tourism centers, and geo parks based on dinosaur, flora & fauna heritages in the heart of Galba Gobi, which will welcome youngsters from Ulaanbaatar, the provinces of Bayan-Ulgii and Sukhbaatar, one after another, by bullet train, as well as tourists from Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Beijing, “pouring down” at the Khanbumbat Airport, next to Oyu Tolgoi, to rejoice. Oyu Tolgoi will play a part to make this dream come true, which will depend on long-term well-directed policy and well-advised cooperation by and between the shareholders.

Mount Khanbogd is believed to have its own deity in the form of a charming woman wearing a green silk dress and riding a white camel, according to the belief of the local people. The new landmark, manifested herein will hopefully please and win the favor of the deity, since Oyu Tolgoi as a whole was born in Khanbogd, to bring the Umnugobi region to the 21st century development. Only time will show Oyu Tolgoi’s true contribution to the development of the Gobi Desert, as a famous Latin phrase goes “Tempus consilium dabet” or “Time will show”. The humble writer’s intention is not to add fuel to any debate, but to mention the facts.

It makes one feel pleased to hear that the locals are taking as a good omen, for these two “creations”, one by God and another by homo sapiens, standing in neighborhood.




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