The challenge

Westwood Mine operates in a seismically active underground environment where large stopes often need to be blasted in multiple stages. Under conventional blasting methods, this can require personnel to re-enter active mining areas to reload or reconnect blast holes between firing events.

These re-entry activities can increase exposure to ground-control risks and limit operational flexibility. Westwood needed a safer way to manage staged blasting while maintaining production performance.

The solution

Working together, IAMGOLD and Orica implemented WebGen™ wireless initiation technology across the operation. WebGen™ enables blast holes to be pre-charged and fired remotely without the need for wired connections.

By fully charging stopes before the first blast, Westwood could safely carry out multiple blast stages without requiring personnel to return to hazardous areas between blasts. The technology also provided greater sequencing flexibility with up to 60 days of sleep time.

The result

The implementation of WebGen™ helped Westwood reduce exposure to hazardous areas while maintaining production continuity. The ability to preload stopes and remotely initiate blasts gave the operation greater control over sequencing and blast execution in challenging ground conditions.

Following implementation, Westwood reported a 143% increase in recovered ounces compared with 2022 and a 45% increase in diluted tonnage in 2024 compared with 2023.

The impact

WebGen™ transformed how Westwood approaches underground blasting. By removing the need for personnel to re-enter stopes between blast stages, the operation improved safety while creating new opportunities to manage seismic risk, optimise extraction sequences and support production objectives.

The introduction of WebGen technology at the Westwood Mine has improved our production and enhanced the safety of our workers. Especially since we are a mine where ground constraints must be controlled, this technology allows us to continue blasting without exposing workers to hazardous areas after the first blast on the site for subsequent blasts.

— Dany Lavoie Mercier, Principal Production Supervisor, IAMGOLD Westwood Mine