Automation takes flight: How autonomous drones are powering sustainable mining practices

Mining companies today are coming under increased pressure from investors, regulators, and local communities alike to enhance ESG credentials and reporting transparency. Many have already begun their digitalisation journey to improve efficiency, but the next step should be to leverage Industry 4.0 technologies and tools to strengthen ESG performance and accountability.

Drones are a great example of this. Automation remains a compelling driver for digital transformation, with drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) among the most versatile tools when backed by a robust digitalisation strategy. Once deployed primarily to improve productivity and efficiency, drones are powerful assets for achieving ESG objectives. They can help to safeguard ecosystems, enhance environmental transparency, and support safer, more sustainable mining practices.

Revolutionising data collection and delivery for efficient and sustainable operations

Traditional ground-based survey methods are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and often require the use of heavy machinery or light aircraft, which can disturb sensitive terrain and contribute to emissions. In contrast, autonomous drones can rapidly capture high-resolution aerial data across large or difficult-to-access areas, reducing survey times from days or weeks to mere hours.

Multiple flights can be made leveraging a variety of payloads, including LiDAR sensors and photogrammetry software, to create highly accurate 3D models and maps of a site. Data streamed and processed in real time can better inform site acquisition decisions. Geologists gain access to clear HD images from any angle to more accurately identify terrain richer with mineral deposits, reducing the need for unnecessary drilling or digging in low-yield locations.

As mines enter production, drones equipped with similar payloads can form part of a comprehensive approach to tailings management. Used for routine inspections, they deliver a detailed time-lapse picture of conditions to inform maintenance activities. One-off flights can be triggered when environmental data from sensors exceed thresholds, allowing workers to rapidly assess any damage and reduce the potential impact on the environment.

Other environmental and infrastructure inspections, both above and below ground, can be managed, as can inventory management and security patrols. 3D models and aerial surveys allow for better modelling and planning, for example, tracking dust and water levels, as well as vegetation changes over time, or calculating stockpile changes. These insights can be used to prove compliance with environmental regulatory requirements or integrated into the supply chain to inform suppliers, customers, and logistics companies.

Environmental and worker protection at speed

When used to inspect the earth and underground tunnels between blasting, drones reduce the time and hazards associated with manual checks. Used in conjunction with static environmental sensors, they can provide early alerts to the presence of toxic gases, ensuring workers can evacuate and better manage a site to avoid incidents.

Drones can also be equipped with noisemakers or loudspeakers to scare wildlife away from areas where blasting activity will occur. Used in conjunction with geofencing technology, alerts can trigger drone flights to investigate and warn potential trespassers of hazards or transmit images back to workers to keep them better informed of any situation.

Drone inspections reduce the time that workers spend outside in extreme temperatures, climbing high structures, traversing unsteady ground or entering hazardous locations, resulting in reduced stress and fatigue. They can assist in an emergency, locating fallen workers, or delivering equipment and medicines to them faster. A reduction in heavy vehicle activity means less wear and tear on the ground and vehicles, lower fuel consumption, and reduced operational costs. The result is safer, more sustainable, and more efficient processes that support both workforce welfare and asset longevity.

Drone implementation as part of a wider digitalisation strategy

To fully unlock the benefits of drones for productivity, worker safety, and ESG improvements, mining operators need industrial-grade drones designed for harsh mining conditions. Keeping them continuously connected across vast mine sites requires a robust digitalisation platform, underpinned by private 4G/5G wireless and industrial edge computing.

A unified and robust digital platform enables mining operators to connect disparate equipment, including drones, anywhere across their sites, so that data collected can be integrated into workflows to enhance environmental stewardship without compromising productivity. That information can be processed on-site in real time and shared across multiple use cases to improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

For example, when leveraging a unified digitalisation platform, data from environmental sensors or geolocation alerts can automatically trigger drone flights to investigate and inform other use cases or personnel. Mine operators gain the greatest intelligence from both above and below ground to make better operational decisions, monitor ESG progress, and make reporting more transparent to satisfy stakeholder needs.

The evolution of drones for a future of sustainable mining

Industrial drones powered by private wireless and edge computing don’t just enhance today’s mining operations but lay the groundwork for intelligent, autonomous and transparent operations. With a unified network enabling intelligent automation, real-time insights, and seamless data flow, mining companies can continue evolving their digital capabilities, productivity, and sustainability performance for years to come.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/07112025/automation-takes-flight-how-autonomous-drones-are-powering-sustainable-mining-practices/