The expansion of the mine required a network and communications architecture that was quick to build, scalable, and could be monitored and managed in a sensible way.
Agnico Eagle – Kittilä Mine
Kittilä is the largest gold mine in Europe, producing approximately 6,000 kilos of gold per year. Around 16 kilometres of new tunnel is dug out every year.
Agnico Eagle employs a total of almost 1000 people at the Kittilä, and given the current ore reserves and present rate of production, the mine is expected to operate until at least 2035.
Even in the early stages of the mine’s development, the company was aware of the challenges posed by setting up parallel telecommunication systems (e.g., for the office, automation, surveillance, and controlling access).
With further expansion, the mine has required a network and communications architecture that was quick to build, scalable, and easy to monitor and manage in a sensible way.
Based on a common network infrastructure
The present telecommunication system is based on a common network infrastructure. To connect office network equipment with automation systems and other IoT devices, telecom platforms have been built to a scale that will meet all these needs. The network essentially leverages the performance of existing equipment and combines this with the potential of virtualization.
Virtualization allows for an overall reduction in the number of physical devices in the network and facilitates and simplifies the management and maintenance of those that remain. A standardized architecture and models of device that are tailored to customer needs will also make it easier to manage the whole network and make it more robust in the face of present-day security threats.
As a result of Mintly and AgnicoEagle’s ongoing long-term collaboration, we have achieved, above all, a manageable, secure, and scalable telecommunications architecture for the future. It also has a redundancy safeguard and works very well – especially the automation network, which is essential to maintain production.
Sami Ruopsa
IT & automation general supervisor at Agnico Eagle's Kittilä Mine
The know-how and skills of Agnico’s staff are also kept up to date, through continuous on-site training. This ensures a well-maintained and functioning telecommunications environment for gold production.
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