The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
The Centre of Excellence in Mining Innovation wants to go deep — as in more than 2.5 kilometres below the surface — and on Wednesday, got a strong hand in getting there.
CEMI was announced as a winner of the business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence program, receiving $15 million for its Ultra-Deep Mining Network proposal. Greg Rickford, federal minister of state for Science and Technology, announced the four winners during a press conference in the Vale Cavern at Science North.
“This is a fine example of exactly the kind of collaboration we like to support through the Business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence program,” said Rickford, MP for Kenora.
“It will bring together members of the business and research community to help solve critical challenges that affect the international competitiveness of Canadian mining companies.”
Those challenges aren’t small ones, either. A lot of mineral wealth remains out of reach because it’s too costly, too unsafe, or the technology simply doesn’t exist to mine it.
But it’s hoped that the Ultra-Deep Mining Network will help change that.
“Innovative tools will improve the safety and productivity of ultra-deep mines that produce gold, nickel, copper and other specialized materials,” Rickford said. “It will facilitate technology commercialization and offer participating members the opportunity to carry out prototyping and testing of new products at actual mine sites.
“It’s appropriate, then, that it would be here in Sudbury.”
Douglas Morrison, president and CEO of CEMI and network director of the Ultra-Deep Mining Network, spoke to the track record of CEMI, highlighting achievements in key areas of hard-rock metal mining: High-stress conditions, mine productivity and mine construction, as well as exploration and environmental sustainability.
“With the (Ultra-Deep Mining Network), we will continue to establish collaborative networks with industry, academia and small to medium enterprises, enabling us to play a central role in the kinds of innovations necessary for the global mining industry,” Morrison said.
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