ProActivo | PDAC 2021 Edward Alarcón, Corporate Manager of Information Technology at Hochschild Mining, explains how technology can promote a more sustainable, autonomous and socially beneficial mining.
During his presentation at PDAC 2021, the Corporate Manager of Information Technology at Hochschild Mining, Edward Alarcón, indicated that the company has been executing efforts to modernize the mining activity in our country, in favor of the environment and the social development of nearby communities, to your plants.
“We are on our way to the digital mine. We have the technology for gamification, blockchain, among others. We are focused on bringing these technologies to mining practices. We also have a digital agenda. Between 2021 and 2023 we want to use more artificial intelligence in many processes. We want to use more scientific data that allows us to be more informed and make better decisions. Using drones inside the mines is something that we are going to look for in the coming years ”said Alarcón.
The Hochschild Mining representative added that their objective is to “wake up in a better world” and that the results will begin to be seen in the coming years. “We also aim to use autonomous electronic equipment, robots, among others. The use of renewable energy is also something very necessary for this objective ”, he specified.
Regarding sustainability, Alarcón affirmed that it is a very important issue for Hochschild Mining since they always look for a way to benefit the communities surrounding their projects. “Our relationship with the communities is very good, we are connected with various communities that live close to our mines thanks to technology. We provide them with free Internet, which has had a great impact on the education of those communities. We are also looking to work with local companies that are close to them, ”he said.
With regard to environmental care, he pointed out that it has projects to reduce the carbon footprint. “For such a project we received international recognition: EcoScore. We have a pilot for a mineral classification plant, this will allow us to have a plant that is more efficient ”, he highlighted.
Finally, Alarcón said that 2020 has been very important for automation projects. “We have been developing projects to work inside the mines to have better control of drills and trucks and also for security controls. The same will happen with the main systems. We have ISO 27001 for our cybersecurity since 2008 ”, he concluded.