The Hermes deposit will be mined as a conventional open pit operation. Mined material will be transported by truck along a 65 kilometre haul road to the Plutonic Gold Mine where it will be processed.

The five open-pit mines operated there by Vancouver-based Teck Resources have contaminated local and U.S. waterways with toxic selenium. Teck has leases in the region that cover 340 square kilometres.

Production at the new open-pit mine will start soon and last four years, he said. Thiess, an Australian-based mining company, has signed a deal with Vale to lead mining operations at the site.

A look at the impact of adapting Automated Haulage Systems (AHS) to a typical open pit mine considering the initial investment, ramp-up delays, impacts of operating costs, productivities, ramp ...