Saudi Arabian mining company Maaden and Swedish-based technology company Hexagon have partnered to launch the Middle East’s first ‘digital’ gold mine, Maaden announced on Monday.
The Mansourah Massarah mine, located in Makkah Region, is the newest, largest, and most technologically advanced gold mine in Saudi Arabia.
Under the agreement, Hexagon’s life-of-mine technology solutions will be deployed at the gold mine, combining sensor, software, and autonomous technologies to enhance efficiency, productivity, quality and safety across the mine’s operations.
‘This partnership strongly aligns with our digitization strategy, as we work to use the vast amounts of data that we mine to make our mine safer and more efficient,’ the Executive Vice President of Base Metals and New Metals of Maaden, Duncan Bradford, was quoted as saying in the statement.
The mine, which is equipped with cutting-edge mining, processing, and environmental sustainability technologies, is known to have gold reserves of almost 7 million ounces as of the end of 2023 and a nameplate production capacity of 250,000 ounces (oz) a year.
The site reached a major milestone for the first gold in September 2022, producing over 11,982 oz.
In December, Maaden revealed that a significant gold resource potential had been found located 100 kilometers from the Mansourah Massarah gold mine with similar geological and chemical properties.
The company said the drilling results identified a potential strike of 125 kilometers with significant potential to become a major world-class gold belt in Saudi Arabia.
