TerraCom’s Blair Athol operation in Central Queensland can lay claim to an explosive milestone, as the first open-cut coal mine to trial Orica’s WebGen 200 Surface primer.

WebGen technology allows groups of in-hole primers to be wirelessly initiated by a firing command able to pass through hundreds of metres of rock, water, and air.

WebGen Commercialisation senior manager Rhys Patterson said Orica was excited about what the future held with its WebGen 200 generation technology as its progressed towards commercial release of WebGen 200 Surface, expected in early 2023.

Alpha trials for the WebGen 200 Surface primer have recently been carried out in the USA, Chile and now in Australia – with Blair Athol being the first coal mine globally to put the the new generation technology to the test.

“TerraCom is pleased to be at the forefront of this technology with our valued partner Orica,” TerraCom managing director Danny McCarthy said in a social media post marking the trial.

“We welcome innovative ways and techniques to make our workplaces safer and of course, more productive.

“We appreciate the efforts of everyone involved from our team on the ground at Blair Athol to everyone at Orica for their commitment to a safe and successful trial.”

Orica said WebGen 200 would be available in four product variants and include a wider range of booster weights – opening new segments, applications and opportunities in both surface and underground mining. 

The complete product range now includes the WebGen 200 Surface, WebGen 200 Surface Pro, WebGen 200 Underground Pro, and WebGen 200 Dev.