Nutrien has reached a significant milestone by using automation to cut a cumulative 25 million ore tonnes.

In a news release the company says the collaborative effort to bring automated mining to Saskatchewan began at Lanigan in 2017 and has expanded to Cory, Vanscoy, Allan and Rocanville.

Nutrien says the innovation is part of their commitment to safety because it reduces the exposure of operators to hazardous conditions. Automation also mean productivity because it eliminates downtime during shift changes while fostering safer mining in areas where the geology is challenging.

Shannon Rhynold, Vice President, Engineering, Technology and Capital & Operations Strategy, Potash says, “We are now on a journey of significant growth, having doubled our tele-remote ore produced each of the last three years. We are on pace to achieve this goal again in 2024 and aim for 40-50% automated ore mined by the end of 2026.”