Agnico Eagle: Automation and cybersecurity at the core

The expansion of the mine required a network and telecommunications architecture that was quickly deployable, scalable, and manageable, with monitoring and management feasible in a sensible manner.

Agnico Eagle — Kittilä Mine

Kittilä Mine is Europe’s largest gold mine, producing 6,000 kilograms of gold per year. Approximately 16 kilometers of new tunnels are excavated annually.

With current ore reserves and production levels, the mine is expected to operate at least until 2035. Agnico Eagle employs nearly 1,000 workers at the Kittilä Mine.

During the early stages of production, the mine noticed challenges posed by parallel communication systems: office communication, automation, surveillance cameras, access control, etc.

The expansion of the mine required a network and telecommunications architecture that was quickly deployable, scalable, and manageable.

The foundation is a shared network infrastructure.

Now, the communication system is built on a shared network infrastructure. To connect the devices of the office network, automation systems, and other IoT devices to the network, telecommunications platforms have been constructed to scale to all these needs. The network extensively leverages the performance of existing devices and the capabilities available through virtualization.

Through virtualization techniques, the overall number of physical devices is reduced, which facilitates and simplifies the management and maintenance of network active devices. Standardized architecture and device models meet the needs and provide easier management of the whole system, allowing better response to the security challenges faced by today’s telecommunications networks.

Agnico’s staff expertise and skill level are maintained through continuous collaboration and training. This ensures the ongoing functionality of the communication environment, providing a solution to the needs of gold production.