Our drill and blast team are currently working at Glensanda quarry in Lochaber, Scotland, one of Europe’s largest quarries. We work closely with Aggregate Industries to optimise production and ensure construction runs efficiently.

Project Highlights:

• We are part of an ongoing drill and blast project at Glensanda Quarry in Lochaber, Scotland.
• As the quarry needs 7m tonnes of granite blasted per year, we blast rock 2-3 times a week.
• We use several digital software packages to work efficiently, accurately and mitigate risk.
• In 2019, we completed the UK’s largest single blast, generating 542,142 tonnes of rock .
• We employ several local shot firers, to help us understand the unique Lochaber conditions.
• Working closely with Aggregate Industries, we’ve increased rock output by 25% over 3 years.

Large-scale blasting

The quarry requires 7 million tonnes of blasted granite per year, so our team blast 2-3 times per week, which produces around 100,000-150,000 tonnes. In December 2019, our team completed the UK’s largest single aggregate blast fired in the modern era, generating around 542,142 tonnes of rock .

Digital efficiency

We use several digital software packages to model the ground, create the blast design and control the drilling. This allows us to work efficiently, accurately and risk averse, minimising time on site and ensuring we do the work right first time. This saves time for the team, and money for the client.

Challenging conditions

The quarry operates at an elevation between 400m and 600m above sea level, so the team have to operate in varying weather conditions, including low cloud and snow. With 600,000 tonnes of rock needed every month, the team must continue operating at all times – in all conditions.

To help us do this, we hired and trained a number of local shot firers, bringing important local knowledge to the team. This enabled better planning and minimised delays, as we were able to better predict the weather and foresee environmental challenges.

Optimising performance

Over the past three years, we’ve developed a number of other innovations to optimise the blasting process, including efficient drill rigs and advanced digital techniques. Our developments have increased rock output by 25% per tonne of explosives, creating a far greater return for Aggregate Industries.

As we carry on our work at Glensanda, we’ll continue pushing for innovation in explosives, and blast design to optimise the blast process – with the aim to reduce our client’s costs, and our collective carbon footprint.