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Ban Houayxai Underground

The Underground Department ensures the timely, safe and cost-effective development of Phu Bia Mining’s new underground decline project.

The BHX Underground Exploration Decline commenced in H2 2023, this is part of PBM’s growth programs to target and bring online further mineralisation in the future beneath the northern end of the existing open pit.  

The Ban Houayxai Underground Department is responsible for establishing highly-skilled and efficient operational and technical service teams who support PBM’s potential underground operations at BHX. 

 

The BHX Underground Mining Department mine is responsible for the safe and efficient development of the exploration decline project, including the following: 

Safety: Implementing and enforcing strict safety procedures to protect workers in the inherently hazardous underground environment. 

Planning and development: Designing and planning the underground mine layout, including tunnels, mining areas and ventilation systems. 

Development: Overseeing the operational aspects of underground mining equipment, ensuring quality control and meeting production targets. 

Maintenance: Maintaining and repairing underground mining equipment to ensure smooth operation. 

Ground control: Ensuring the stability of the underground workings to prevent rockfalls and other hazards. 

Environmental management: Minimising the environmental impact of underground mining activities, such as managing water discharge and waste disposal. 

 

The BHX project utilises various technologies for efficient and safe underground mining, including: 

Development jumbo: For efficiently excavating tunnels with minimal environmental impact. 

Load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicles: Transporting ore from the mine face to haulage trucks. 

Ground support systems: These include surface blast monitors, rock bolts, shotcrete and mesh to ensure the stability of the underground workings. 

Ventilation systems: To maintain adequate air circulation and remove dust and fumes from the mine. 

Monitoring and surveying equipment: Monitor ground movement, track production progress and ensure worker safety. 

 

Underground mining faces unique challenges compared to open-pit operations, including: 

Safety: Managing the inherent risks of working underground, such as rockfalls, gas explosions and dust inhalation. 

Ventilation: Maintaining adequate air circulation to remove dust and fumes and ensure worker safety. 

Ground control: Preventing rockfalls and ensuring the stability of the underground workings. 

Logistics: Efficiently transporting personnel, equipment and ore within the confined spaces of an underground mine. 

Geological complexity: Adapting to unforeseen geological conditions encountered during mining. 

 

As the BHX Underground project develops into a potential operating mine, BHX will consider innovations in underground mining with technologies like: 

Autonomous mining equipment: To improve safety and efficiency by reducing reliance on manual operation in hazardous environments. 

3D modelling and simulation: To plan and optimise mine design, improve safety assessments, and predict potential challenges. 

Real-time monitoring systems: To monitor ground stability, air quality, and other critical parameters for proactive risk management.

Ban Houayxai Extension

The Ban Houayxai Extension Mine Development (BHEX) Department is part of the continued resource development of gold-silver deposits which are currently, or will be, processed through the BHX Process Plant. The Project will result in an increased life of mine for the Ban Houayxai Operation.

BHX Extension Open Pit is located 5km from the existing BHX processing plant and is a satellite open pit mine currently in development and study approvals; it is expected to deliver first ores to the nearby BHX processing plant in H1 2026. 

The BHEX project has the following major features: 

Two open pits, a smaller northern, and larger main.         

Waste rock dump and quarry for road base materials. 

Primary mine access haul and ancillary roads.  

Reservoir crossing bridge to link the new pits to current operations. 

 

The BHEX project is one of the early stages of mine development. In the initial stage earthworks are required to set up the area for large scale mining with the PBM Mining fleet. Reporting to the Manager – Mine Development the team of 50 personnel consists of Machinery Operators, Supervisors and Team Leaders all with specific skills and experience in civil construction and earthmoving. The fleet consists of 10 excavators, ranging from 20 to 50 tonnes, five articulated dump trucks (ADTs) and associated ancillary equipment. 

 

The BHEX Project consists of the following activities; 

Construction of mine earthworks, including:  

Haul roads connecting the pits to the waste dump and the bridge. 

Ancillary road construction. 

Preliminary waste dump foundation and under-drains. 

Surface water management & infrastructure 

Earthwork support for the bridge construction – camp site, batching plant pad, bridge abutment access and excavation, laydown pads and the required coffer dam construction. 

Development of a rock quarry for road base to weatherproof the mine. 

Installation of a basic site office and a Light workshop (daily, short term). 

Develop water and power supply. 

Establish access to first ore for the BHX process plant. 

Ore is scheduled to be delivered to the process plant by H1 2026 

In addition, the team provides support to other departments requiring earthworks projects like mineral resources development (MRD), Mining, Geology and Geotechnical departments. The services provided range from road construction, road maintenance, drill pad access and pad construction. 

Formed in late 2022, the team prides itself in the professionalism of its outputs that are achieved by safe and efficient work practices and standards. The nature of the work results in the BHEX Team facing a wide variety of challenges. The team have risen to every occasion, and this has helped to shape and define a team that is agile, adaptable and innovative in finding solutions. For example, the climate in central Laos means the operations face heavy rainfall and high humidity in the wet season, to long periods without rainfall as well as a temperature range from the low teens to the high 30s centigrade across the year.

This has meant at different times the team has had to: 

Allocate resources and implement ideas to repair washouts on the North link road to re-establish access. 

Manage varying water levels in Nam Ngum 2 (NN2) reservoir to keep barges operational at ports. 

Manage operators, team leaders and supervisors undertaking earthworks in steep terrain. 

Manage surface water during wet season including water treatment as and when required. 

Construct box cut portal for Underground Exploration Drive. 

As a dynamic team, well versed in innovative thinking and problem solving, the Mine Development team maintain the required flexibility to support the operation and company as a whole, while remaining focussed of achieving the primary objective of delivering the BHX Mine Extension on time and on budget. 

Processing Project Development

The Processing Projects Development Department manages the new processing plant projects from Engineering through to Commissioning at both Phu Kham Copper-Gold and Ban Houayxai Gold-Silver mines. These projects either extend the life of Mine or are transitioning to technology to reduce operating costs.

Once any of PPD’s projects are approved to proceed, the project team takes ownership of Cost Control, Risk Management, Operational Readiness, Overall progress schedules, Development of Contingency Plans and any corrective actions necessary to ensure the successful delivery of these projects on time and within budget.

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