Highland Mining Corps

This is located on the northern edge of the Qaidam Basin, surrounded by the Kunlun Mountains, Altun Mountains, and Qilian Mountains. The water vapor in the Indian Ocean cannot bring rainfall, and the monsoon in the Pacific cannot bring warm winds.

Here are sandstorms in spring and autumn, ultraviolet rays in summer, cold winds in winter, and the endless Gobi Desert……

This is close to China's first Mars simulation base, with bare skin on the ground, mountains partially covering gullies, spring breeze not abundant, birds rarely arriving, snow capped mountains towering in the clouds, and beacon towers standing at the top of the mountains.

Looking up at the beacon tower, it seems that one can feel the patriotism of the ancient people during their military campaigns.

This is the gold mine project of Qinghai Dachaidan Mining Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Yintai Gold Group, located at an altitude of 3700 meters.

In order to better fulfill the mission of "serving shareholders and returning to society", a group of mining professionals with dreams have gathered here.

There is also a young team here, with an average age of 34 and a minimum age of 24.

Whether they come from bustling cities or leisurely rural areas, they gather together for a common goal - the Mining Department of Qinghai Dachaidan Mining Co., Ltd.

Mining is not as simple as digging a pit or a hole.

Whether it is open-pit mining or underground tunnel mining, it is a massive systematic project that requires a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources.

From feasibility study to development and utilization plan, from preliminary design to safety facility design, from construction organization management to completion of the six major systems; From development to mining, from mechanical and electrical equipment to system ancillary facilities, every link requires professional technical support and a large amount of financial support.

The mining department aims to achieve safer, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly mining methods with a reasonable amount of funds, which can fully transform resources and create greater value for the company and society.

Overcoming difficulties and repeatedly building new achievements

Since the acquisition of the El Dorado Gold Project in Canada by the Yintai Gold Group, the mining department has been involved in the Qinglonggou Open-pit to Underground Mining Project. Subsequently, the department initiated the Qinglonggou South Shaft Project, the 323 Open-pit Project, and the infrastructure and planning work for the open-pit and underground mining projects in the II-III mining zone.

Mining infrastructure projects involve complex and multifaceted affairs. From drafting reports to establishing continuous mining capabilities, it involves handling a large number of documents and drawings, formulating various budgets, participating in various bidding processes, as well as coordinating construction management and overseeing engineering quality inspections.

The initiation of four independent mining projects one after another implies a considerable workload for the department.

The traditional nine-to-five work schedule is no longer sufficient to meet the demands.

Soldiers come to block, but when faced with strength, they become strong.

The more tasks there are, the faster the department operates. The young members of the mining department always manage to unleash more potential when faced with challenges. They are constantly honing their skills through various practical experiences.

When launching the project to transition from open-pit to underground mining in Qinglonggou, the construction philosophy of the winning bidder company was relatively traditional. Despite having advanced equipment, their construction approach lacked mechanization experience, relying heavily on manual labor tactics. Consequently, the labor productivity was low, with less than 300 meters of monthly excavation progress. Such progress fell far short of meeting the requirements for the selected plant to resume operations on schedule.

In order to improve the construction level, mining engineering technicians spent a continuous month on-site observing the construction, dining and living alongside the workers. This allowed them to gather first-hand information about the on-site operations. Based on this information, they made improvements to the construction process. After the improvements, the time required for the supporting process was reduced from 12 hours to just 3 hours. As a result, the monthly excavation footage steadily increased to 1000 meters, reaching a peak of 1100 meters at one point.

They achieved a record of excavating and supporting 135.5 meters in a single month, ultimately completing the initial construction phase of the project 13 months ahead of the original 26-month schedule.

Here, you can see their figures as they delve into the frontline, experiencing the warmth of receiving video calls from their families during their late-night work sessions under lamplight. You can also witness their camaraderie as they return to the dormitories together under the starry sky. Their shared goal acts as the bond of their emotions, and unity and cooperation serve as their winning strategy.

Through their collective efforts, the introduction of mid-deep hole trucks, three-dimensional laser scanning devices, and remote unmanned control loaders in the open-pit to underground mining project at the Qinglonggou gold mine ensures both production safety and efficient production capacity. This progress aligns with the international trend in mining towards mechanization, automation, and intelligent unmanned operations.

The Qinglonggou open-pit to underground development project was completed on schedule, achieving an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons by early 2019. This ensured the resumption of the selection plant and fulfilled the commitments of YinTai Gold in the capital market.

The vertical shaft project in the south has completed all shaft lining, and the installation work is about to begin. Meanwhile, the 323 open-pit project is stripping overburden at a rate of 700,000 cubic meters per month.

With their collective efforts, they have successfully overcome each challenge, proving themselves unbeatable.

Continuous learning, courage to innovate

The mining team is not only a united and hardworking team, but also a team that learns and innovates. In the past two years, under the overall deployment of the company, they have participated in various external learning and software training activities, greatly improving their on-site practical and innovative abilities.

For example, when facing the landslide of the open-pit slope in Qinglongtan mining pit, everyone actively gave suggestions and proposed the treatment process of flexible passive protective net and slope grouting.

Compared to the rectification measures taken by local safety supervision departments, this process is more feasible in construction.

After implementation, it was fully recognized by the local safety supervision department, and the company saved more than 2 million yuan in safety investment as a result.

In the 2018 innovation project evaluation of Qinghai Dachaidan Mining Co., Ltd., the mining department won two second prizes and two third prizes.

The projects "Optimization of the Three-Dimensional Software for the Underground Development System Engineering in Qinglonggou" and "Treatment of Consolidated Landslides in the Qinglonggou Open Pit" were awarded second prize. "Application of RXI-200 Passive Protection Nets in Slope Treatment of Qinglonggou Open Pit" and "Replacement of Sand and Gravel Aggregate with Crushed Waste Rock in Qinglonggou Open Pit" received third prize. These innovations have helped the company save construction costs. For example, the optimization of the three-dimensional software for the underground development system in Qinglonggou alone saved the company more than 6 million yuan in excavation costs.

In order to maximize the recovery of the thick and large ore body in the northern mining section of Qinglonggou, they applied for the first time in China the vertical deep-hole retreat dry-fill continuous mining method, and published three papers in mining professional journals.

At the technology achievement appraisal conference held by the Science and Technology Department of Qinghai Province, this mining method was evaluated as an internationally advanced achievement.

Relaxation with moderation, relaxing the body and mind

It's true that life in the mines can be monotonous, especially in the remote desert areas. To enrich the leisure time of employees, apart from occasional barbecue events, sports competitions, and cultural performances organized by the company, the department also arranges activities like digging wild onions, making dumplings, and cultivating small gardens with flowers and vegetables based on the situation. Through these leisure activities, employees not only relax their bodies and minds but also strengthen their friendships.

Epilogue

This progress is truly inspiring! Achieving the completion of projects and the successful application of innovative achievements while ensuring inherent safety marks a substantial achievement resulting from the team's efforts and collaboration.

Currently, Qinghai Dachaidan Mining Co., Ltd. maintains its leading position in modern mining standards nationwide, thanks to the team's enthusiasm for learning and drive for innovation. With their ongoing pursuit of excellence, we believe they will reach even greater heights in the future.