Semirara Mining mulls new safety protocols

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE File photo shows the Semirara open-pit coal mine where five workers went missing and never found after a landslide in February 2013. A similar episode happened on Friday at the same site in the DMCI-owned Semirara Mining and Power Corp in Antique. RAFFY LERMA

Hit twice by a deadly landslide in its coal mine in Antique in a span of two years, Consunji-led Semirara Mining and Power Corp. is devising new mining safety protocols for the rainy season and acquiring a new radar to detect slope stability.

These are among the new measures that Semirara is working on to prevent mining accidents in the future, Isidro Consunji, chair and president of Semirara’s parent conglomerate DMCI Holdings told stockholders on Wednesday.

Consunji said that Semirara would add de-watering wells to improve its drainage system and install more “piezometers,” devices that measure water pressure or water levels below the earth’s surface.

“These are a few things that we are working on with DOE (Department of Energy) to prevent accidents from happening,” Consunji said in his report to stockholders.

Suspended operations
Since the latest mining accident in the Panian pit occurred on July 17 that killed nine people, Semirara suspended the operations of all its mining sites, even those in areas not affected by the landslide. It also stopped its coal exports even as at the time of accident, there was a stockpile of 800,000 tons of coal. The stockpile has now gone down to 500,000, which is good for a month’s worth of
inventory.

Semirara produces 800,000 tons of coal per month valued at around P1.6 billion. The Consunjis are hoping the suspension order on the affected mine site will not be in place for a long time. In the 2013 accident, operations were suspended for a little over one month.

Consunji also disclosed that Semirara had already purchased a new slope stability radar (SSR) but the accident unfortunately happened before it was delivered.

Semirara purchased the SSR from Australian technology provider GroundProbe for $500,000 plus an annual maintenance fee of $70,000. This new equipment was scheduled to be handed over to Semirara on Thursday.

Revolutionary technology
According to GroundProbe, SSR is a “revolutionary technology” that would assist mining productivity and safety especially in open pit mines. Strategically positioned radars detect and prewarn of slope instabilities that could endanger operating personnel and equipment and disrupt operations.

Based on GroundProbe’s website, SSR uses a new antenna technology which scans 180 degrees of a mine every two minutes, allowing mine personnel to work in large areas of their mine.

The low profile antenna technology detects sub-millimeter movement anywhere on the wall slope, allowing mine operators to accurately detect and predict future collapses, even in high wind operations.

Previously, Consunji said Semirara was using a robotics system that identified slope movements on the top but was unable to detect movements at the bottom.

On mining protocols, Consunji said there should be a different system for the wet and dry seasons. For the rainy season, redundancy systems will be strengthened alongside new measures to prevent loss of lives in cases of landslides, he said.

Preventing loss of life
“No matter what you do, you can’t prevent landslides,” Consunji said.

Asked what the government had asked Semirara to do, he said: “government just wants to make sure that we create steps to prevent loss of life.”

With the Panian mine about to deplete its reserves in one and a half years, Semirara is now working on a new mining site, the Narra mine, which is expected to be in full production by the middle of next year, Consunji said.

Meanwhile, Consunji said Semirara was at varying stages of coal exploration, planning and development at Bobog pit, West Panian area and Himalian area, all in Semirara Island.

In 2014, Semirara spent P1.57 billion for some advance stripping and mine development.