Perth, Australia – September 2029 – Rio Tinto, a global leader in mining and metals, has achieved a 70% reduction in underground mine gas accumulation incidents and 38% lower ventilation system maintenance costs at its West Angelas iron ore mine near Perth after deploying the ABB CP651-WEB control panel. The upgrade, completed in Q3 2029, replaced the mine’s outdated ventilation control systems, which struggled with real-time air flow monitoring and remote equipment management—posing life-threatening risks to 500 underground workers.

The Challenge: Ventilation Failures & Safety Risks in Underground Mining

Rio Tinto’s West Angelas mine, one of Australia’s largest iron ore mines, operates 24/7 with underground tunnels extending 5km from the surface. The legacy ventilation control systems presented critical operational and safety challenges:

• Gas Accumulation Risks: The legacy systems relied on periodic manual gas sampling to monitor methane (CH₄) and carbon monoxide (CO) levels in underground tunnels. Gas accumulation was detected 2-3 hours late on average, leading to 3-4 evacuation incidents annually—each costing €50,000 in lost production.
• Inefficient Ventilation Control: Ventilation fans (20 total, 500kW each) were operated at full capacity continuously, regardless of tunnel occupancy or gas levels. This led to excessive energy consumption, with ventilation systems accounting for 40% of the mine’s annual energy bill (€4.2 million).
• Remote Maintenance Barriers: Ventilation fans and dampers are located 1-3km underground, requiring technicians to travel 1-2 hours to reach equipment for troubleshooting. This delayed fault resolution by 3-4 hours, exacerbating gas accumulation risks during fan failures.
• Compliance Documentation Burden: Meeting Australia’s Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act and Mine Safety and Inspection Regulations required detailed logging of ventilation parameters and gas levels. Manual documentation took 12 hours daily, with human errors leading to 2 safety audit findings in 2028.

“Underground mine safety depends on reliable ventilation and real-time gas monitoring, but our legacy systems were putting our workers at risk,” said Steve Johnson, Rio Tinto West Angelas’ Mine Operations Manager. “We needed a rugged, remote-capable control solution that could monitor gas levels in real time, optimize ventilation energy use, and streamline compliance reporting.”

ABB CP651-WEB: Rugged Control for Underground Mining Environments

After evaluating solutions from Rockwell Automation and Schneider Electric, Rio Tinto selected the ABB CP651-WEB control panel for its IECEx explosion-proof certification, long-distance communication capabilities, and energy optimization features. Key features addressing Rio Tinto’s pain points include:

• Real-Time Gas & Ventilation Monitoring: The CP651-WEB (IECEx Zone 1 certified) connects to 45 underground gas sensors (methane, CO) and 20 ventilation fan sensors, providing real-time data on gas levels (accuracy ±1% LEL for CH₄) and air flow rates. It sends instant alerts via secure radio communication to surface control rooms when gas levels exceed 1% LEL, cutting detection time from 180 minutes to 3 minutes.
• Intelligent Ventilation Optimization: The panel uses AI-driven algorithms to adjust fan speed and damper positions based on real-time tunnel occupancy (via worker RFID tags) and gas levels. It reduces fan capacity by 30-40% in low-occupancy zones, cutting ventilation energy consumption significantly.
• Remote Maintenance & Control: Surface technicians access the panel via a secure underground communication network to monitor fan performance, adjust parameters, and troubleshoot faults remotely. This eliminates 80% of underground technician visits and reduces fault resolution time from 3.5 hours to 45 minutes.
• Automated Compliance Reporting: The panel automatically logs gas levels, ventilation parameters, and maintenance activities, storing data for 5 years (meeting WHS requirements). It generates pre-built mine safety reports in 1 hour daily, eliminating manual errors and audit findings.
• Mine-Rugged Design: The CP651-WEB features a shock-resistant, dust-tight, and waterproof enclosure (IP67/IECEx Zone 1), withstanding underground vibrations, dust, and water ingress. It operates reliably in -10°C to 65°C, adapting to the mine’s extreme temperature fluctuations.

Results: Enhanced Mine Safety & Energy Savings

Five months after deploying the ABB CP651-WEB, Rio Tinto’s West Angelas mine achieved remarkable improvements:

Metric	Before ABB CP651-WEB	After ABB CP651-WEB	Improvement
Annual Gas Accumulation Incidents	3-4	1	70% Reduction
Ventilation Energy Costs	€4.2 Million/Year	€2.6 Million/Year	38% Reduction
Daily Compliance Documentation Time	12 Hours	1 Hour	92% Reduction
Underground Maintenance Visits	20/Month	4/Month	80% Reduction
Fault Resolution Time	3.5 Hours	0.75 Hours	79% Reduction

“The CP651-WEB has transformed underground mine safety and efficiency,” Johnson said. “During a recent methane leak in a remote tunnel, the panel detected the gas accumulation in 2 minutes, automatically increased ventilation flow, and alerted the surface team—avoiding an evacuation and €50,000 in lost production. The energy savings alone will recover the investment in 18 months.”
Emma Davis, ABB’s Australia Product Manager for Mining Controls, noted: “Mining operations require control systems that are tough enough for underground environments and smart enough to protect workers. The CP651-WEB’s explosion-proof design and remote capabilities make it a game-changer for mine safety and sustainability.”
Rio Tinto plans to deploy the ABB CP651-WEB across 6 additional iron ore mines in Western Australia by 2032, targeting a 75% group-wide reduction in gas accumulation incidents and 35% lower ventilation energy costs.