and in fact is now in the mine construction phase, where Energold has completed over 60 000 m of mainly diamond core drilling but also some infill revese circulation (RC) drilling. Right now, Energold is preparing to recommence drilling in February 2018 to hopefully expand the resource. In addition, the company is going to be drilling for the same client on another prospect, in Côte d'Ivoire, and will be looking to maintain this relationship, as well as its many other client relationships, into the future.
The Series man-portable fleet Part of an overall fleet of 230 drilling rigs, Energold’s fleet of modular, man-portable, minimal impact drill rigs is the largest in the world, and its teams are highly experienced in the delivery of projects in a wide range of environments. Drill programs have been undertaken at high altitude locations, in tropical bush or jungle sites, on frozen environmentally sensitive marshes or within village locations. This wealth of experience and continued development enables the company to deliver projects safely, cost effectively and, where possible, ahead of schedule.
Drilling in Finland Faster. Deeper. Safer.
The company also operates traditional diamond core drilling rigs, such as the CS1000 and CS14, as well as a number of RC and air core drills to provide flexibility for its clients.
Small in size and big on performance The company’s portable rigs can easily be packed into a 20 ft container along with a complete down-the-hole tooling package for shipping by sea, or, alternatively, crated for airfreight purposes. This enables Energold to respond quickly and deliver the same high standards to any drilling project worldwide. The rigs themselves are modular in design, which provides flexibility for moving purposes, and the drills still deliver over 100 horsepower. This enables them to drill to 150 m in H-size (63.5 mm core), 550 m in NTW-size (56 mm core) and 800 m in BTWsize (42 mm core), subject to the prevailing ground conditions. They utilize 1.5 m rods that are generally easier to transport than 3 m rods, particularly in man-portable situations. The depth capability of the rig is maximized by using thin wall (TW) NTW and BTW rods and barrels, which also has the benefit of producing slightly larger core diameters than standard wireline (WL) NWL or BWL. The capabilities of the rigs not only mean production is maximised but also help Energold’s teams ensure they maintain the highest technical standards of core recovery and directional stability. All projects utilize modern industry standard survey and orientation techniques, and Energold is also able to provide directional drilling or wedging where required. The rigs have mud mixing systems as standard and can be set up with mud collection and recycling, wherever required, for even lower environmental impact or where the water supply is limited. The portable rigs are produced in house by Energold’s UK-based manufacturing subsidiary, Dando Drilling. Energold acquired Dando Drilling International in 2011 as part of a diversification strategy that also included an energy company, Bertram Drilling and an infrastructure drilling company, Cros Man, undertaking Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD). The aim of the Dando Drilling acquisition was to expose the Group to rig manufacturing opportunities in the water, mineral and geotechnical markets
Trailerized Series rig at work in Germany while also allowing the Group to continue developing and manufacturing its own drills in-house.
The Series III manportable on Mount Nimba, Guinea In 2010, the company was awarded a contract for the provision of a single portable Series III drilling rig to work at the steep and precipitous Mount Nimba project in Guinea – the Société Minière de Forage Guinée (SMFG) project. The single portable drill was established on the project in mid-2010. Throughout the rest of 2010 and into 2011 the company managed to establish good drilling performance and reliability. Minimizing access requirements at the property, which had environmental restrictions placed on it due to its location within the confines of the Mount Nimba Nature reserve, was a key benefit for the client. The portable drill further demonstrated its ability to adhere to the strict safety framework of the client, joint venture (JV) partners BHP Billiton and Newmont Mining. In mid-2011 Energold expanded the operation to four diamond core drilling machines. The requirement was for an expansion of the existing program, which involved moving into a new area of friable iron ore that required larger diameter core samples and provided technical drilling challenges to ensure sample quality and 9