The Department of Energy has awarded the University of Arizona $20 million to update its San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory.
The San Xavier facility is a real-world training laboratory designed to test new technologies before they are implemented in commercial mines. The funds will be used to add underground space, electronics, and a microgrid, the UA said in a press release.
The funding comes just a month after the Department of Energy announced it would invest $100 million into strengthening the mining workforce in the United States. The initiative, called Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT), aims to double the number of graduates in mining and supply chain programs in the next two years.
This marks the second round of federal funding for UA since the announcement of the PROSPECT launch. The department was awarded $1.7 million for research into extraction efficiency just two weeks ago.
The University of Arizona is one of 14 accredited mining schools in the country, and aims to be a national hub for mining research and education.
