The Gold Fields, St Ives Gold Mine (SIGM) uses Orica’s WebGen™ wireless initiation system to realise safety, productivity, and cost benefits at its underground operations. This wireless initiation system uses magnetic induction to wirelessly transmit an initiation signal in lieu of a physical connection. The absence of any in-hole or surface wiring allows stopes to be broken down into firings of any size, shape or sequence, to be charged in one campaign, and then fired off independently on demand without the need to ever re-enter the stope. This ‘pre-charging’ of stopes enables new novel mining methods while increasing safety and productivity in more traditional extraction styles. Wireless initiation was first introduced at St Ives for the safety and productivity benefits it brings by eliminating personnel exposure to the brow. The use of wireless initiation has since broadened to include designs that achieve: • Reduced development: eliminating costly lateral development in transition and transverse stopes. • Optimal slot placement: relocating the rise and slot to the optimum point for stope performance without concerns for ground support rehab, re-entry and personnel. • Eliminating hole cleaning: stope pre-charging negates requirements for mechanical hole cleaning, ensuring continuity of production while reducing exposure to stope brows. • Operational flexibility: pre-charging blasts calculated to optimum void ratios and increasing recovery with better blast geometry, particularly on small, narrow stopes. • Improve ore recovery: Expanding stope shapes to include stranded ore, reverse firing and changing firing directions to throw blasted material around corners. As of August 2024, these applications have eliminated 330 m of development, unlocked scheduling, generated stope turnover gains, realised production uplift and reduced production ore unit costs across 32 stopes and 69 individual blasts. The mining methods enabled by the wireless initiation have been fully incorporated into the mine’s production schedule and Orica continues to support Gold Fields in its journey to unlock safer, more reliable and cost-effective production from the St Ives asset.