The Çöpler Gold Mine in Erzincan province, Turkey, has invested in a TETRA system to provide secure voice and data access across all of its mining fields and operations.

The mine is owned by Alacer Gold Corp. Canada/Australia, which is an intermediate gold producer with a portfolio of long-life mines. Alacer’s operations produced a total of 421,204 ounces of gold in 2011.

Çöpler Gold Mine is an open pit mine with current proven and probable reserves of 4.4 million ounces.

The mine required certain key features, which included man down and emergency call features, SCADA and telemetering applications, data and security alarms, and blast alarms with audible and text notifications. Base stations also needed to work in harsh environmental conditions with temperature ranging from -40 to +60藲C.

Turkish company ATEL Telekomünikasyon provided the system and it chose infrastructure, including dispatcher applications, from DAMM.

This consisted of DAMM’s TetraFlex solution, chosen due to it being a rugged, reliable and easily scalable system which met the requirements of an open pit mining operation. 

The outputs of the existing analogue gas sensors in the mining field now provide data through the TETRA network to the SCADA system and respective monitors placed in the centralized command and control centre. 

The system also offers group and private calls, DMO and TMO calls and emergency calls and the TetraFlex Network Management System allows easy access to the configuration and surveillance of the entire network and all subscribers (modems and terminals).

Christian Bak, area sales manager for DAMM, commented: “With the Cöpler Gold Mine, DAMM has provided another reliable and solid infrastructure for mining operations. Based on DAMM’s strong presence in the Australian mining sector and combined with an excellent reputation in the market place – Alacer Gold Corp activities in Turkey underline our commitment to a demanding segment.”