No introductions were necessary at the Anglo Woodsmith Liaison Group Forum meeting at Hawsker with Anglo’s Technical Review of Woodsmith ongoing, the ground crew appearing to have been on an extended tea break, due to little surface activity.  However below the surface mining is ongoing at all sites across the project.

At Wilton there are no surface changes and the concrete processing site for lining the MTS is working as fast as the conveyor can deliver the segments required for the TBM.

Stella-Rose, after being put into stand down for overhaul and refurbishment in February this year is now back in action and has passed the 19km mark ie beyond Lockwood Beck and making it’s way steadily through the vault lines on to Ladycross and towards Woodsmith.

All logistical challenges are being met ie during the service of the TBM the Lockwood shaft was connected into the MTS. The MTS build is being fitted with conveyors, air con booster fans, energy utilities and comms.     

Options are being left open to run another TBM from Woodsmith but while progress is being monitored such as waste out, grease pumps in and mechanical part breakdowns a decision for a second TBM it is not expected before the Technical Review is sprung.  A 200m horizontal cavern would need to be dug out to fit a further TBM at Woodsmith and Stella-Rose should arrive sooner than the cavern can be built. 

The underground crew at Woodsmith are busy with two SBR’s on site digging the production shaft and service shaft at 120m and 173m below ground with the MTS shaft being blasted to 166m there is an expectation to meet the MTS level by the end of this year. Boreholes are also being remediated. 

The Ladycross ventilation shaft site has been gelled, piled and grouted to protect the ground before shaft sinking starts in November to the MTS level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR_e9y-bka0

At Lockwood the cuttings lagoon has been backfilled and rather excitingly they are gearing up to use this shaft for the crews to get lowered into the MTS tunnel via an installed people bucket, rack allum cage. Thus sparing the specialist TBM workforce from fatigue management having to travel from Wilton along the tunnel to reach the forward excavations.

Over 1300 people/crew are working at all sites along the project with 75% being local ie within one hour of the site and the Social Economic impacts are being updated for presentation.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9X1C7pTu-M

Compressed air..

Ongoing S106 projects include ‘Birds on the Edge’ …  “The s106 contributions for these projects will continue for the planned life of the mine allowing us to deliver many long term projects which benefit residents, visitors and businesses, and allow us to work with landowners and large organisations to generate even wider reaching improvements.”

A few complaints received were for parking and noise. Anglo Woodsmith were not approached to redress the ‘perception of fears’ raised by ‘Egton on Ouse’ saga but are expected to meet any concerns sensitively and appropriately;-0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTWRXkYtzMM

Best not mention Scarborough Fab Lab...

https://scarboroughengineeringweek.com/