Agnico Eagle Mines LTD. orders Powertrunk TETRA network for Meadobank mine
The order to PowerTrunk follows the recommendation of BBA, an independent Canadian consulting engineering firm, who was contracted by Agnico Eagle
Only 170 km (100 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, in Canada’s northernmost Nunavut region, lies the Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (NYSE:AEM, TSX:AEM) Meadowbank Gold mine. It is there, where the average yearly temperature is -15ºC, that PowerTrunk, Inc. has been awarded the contract to deploy its digital TETRA land mobile radio system in support of the mine’s operations.
The Meadowbank mine is Agnico Eagle's first Low Arctic mine and their largest gold producer. The facilities depend on annual warm-weather sealift from Hudson Bay for transportation of the bulk of supplies and heavy equipment. A small airstrip and all-weather roads are also used for transporting employees who work on a fly-in, fly-out basis.
“Having a TETRA system at Meadowbank will greatly improve the security of our workers as well as simplify the maintenance and management of the radio system,” said Philip Quessy, Eng, General IT Supervisor AEM. “We agreed to work with PowerTrunk because we believe that they have the expertise and efficient team to manage this kind of project, and that their products are designed to meet the challenges of our harsh Arctic environment.”
The order to PowerTrunk follows the recommendation of BBA, an independent Canadian consulting engineering firm, who was contracted by Agnico Eagle to conduct a feasibility study and to define the requirements of a new radio system for another AEM exploratory gold mine located in the same region.
“As part of the feasibility study for the project, BBA recommended PowerTrunk’s TETRA technology because its multiple functionalities meet Agnico Eagle’s needs. Due to the timing of the projects, this recommendation was applied to Meadowbank first. We’re proud that, thanks to this project, our expertise is contributing to technological advances in the Canadian mining industry.” said Gilles Leonard, Telecom, IT and Networking Systems Architecture Expert at BBA.
The PowerTrunk TETRA system at Meadowbank will consist of two site base stations operating in the UHF frequency band and include several PowerTrunk HTT-500 portable and MDT-400 mobile radios which will be used to support the open pit mine operations and related logistical activities.
“We are very happy and proud to have been first recommended by BBA, a highly respected firm in the market, and then selected by Agnico Eagle to meet their new communication needs at Meadowbank,” said David Torres, PowerTrunk Vice President of Sales, Canada. “This award continues to cement PowerTrunk's position as the leader for TETRA deployments in North America.”
