PowerROC T50 gives mighty performance in tropical Indonesia

June 29, 2016

Sandy and abrasive rock is a complex challenge for copper miners on Indonesia’s remote Wetar Island. The awakening of ‘a beast’ has taken high performance drilling to the next level.

Among the thousands of islands that make up Indonesia’s tropical archipelago, few tourists find their way to the outlying Wetar Island in the remote parts of Maluku Province.

Surrounded by coral reefs and characterized by mountainous peaks, Wetar Island is home to just 9 000 inhabitants and the only way of reaching it is by boat or landing craft from a handful of mainland ports.

Here, on the north-central coast of the island, mining contractor and equipment rental company PT Madhani Talatah Nusantara has been tasked with developing the resource at the Wetar Copper Project – a copper ine which has a projected 10- year lifespan and a high copper grade of 2.4% Cu.

The Wetar Copper Project is owned by PT Batutua Tembaga Raya, a subsidiary of Finders Resources Limited. In its endeavor to reach new sections of the mine’s orebody, a powerful drilling solution capable of handling complex ground conditions was required.