Nutrien Aurora positioned for long-term success with dragline moves

Nutrien's phosphate facility in Aurora, North Carolina is a key part of how we’re Feeding the Future. The site has more than 1,200 employees and contractors who work together to mine, refine and produce phosphate – a key nutrient the world relies on to grow food, raise livestock and produce vital chemicals.

In operation for 60 years, the site has transitioned through several mining blocks to meet the rising global demand for phosphate. Its latest move to a new mining area, about 1.5 miles from the previous location, is expected to extend mining operations for the next 20 years.

To access the phosphate ore buried beneath layers of earth, the site uses draglines, machines so large they resemble a building. Over the course of 2024 and early 2025, the site successfully moved all three of its draglines, and while these massive machines might look like permanent fixtures on the landscape, they are ingeniously designed to ‘walk’ to new sites.

One step at a time

“The walk is very slow, with each step proceeding in six-foot increments,” explains mining superintendent Tyler Cvetan, whose team oversaw the project. “Our largest dragline weighs in at nearly nine million pounds and has a boom that can reach 300 feet. The dragline’s bucket alone is the size of a two-car garage and can lift more than 70 cubic yards of ore at a time.”

The precise planning and execution required to move these giants ensured that mining production at the original location continued seamlessly, even while the new mining area was being developed. The walk required meticulous navigation and numerous infrastructure adjustments across land, highways, utilities, and railroad tracks.

Safety first

Tyler and his team worked with geotechnical engineers to ensure the ground could support the machines’ weight every step of the way, which included constructing an elevated earth walkway from pit to pit. Production engineer Matthew Schuckenbrock lived and breathed the project for well over a year, serving as the main coordinator in relocating residential and high voltage power lines that power the plant, relocating phone and fiber optic lines, and working with the railroad to get the design of the railroad crossing approved and all legal documents in place. “We also worked with local authorities on the highway crossing and temporary detour to ensure everyone’s safety and minimize inconvenience to our neighbors,” says Matthew.

Collaboration is the key to success

Nutrien’s Transportation, Distribution and Logistics team was critical to the project’s success, as was the guidance and support from the safety team, engineering group and operations throughout the site. “The relocation of our draglines to the new mine site has unlocked an exciting new chapter for us at Aurora. I want to thank everyone for their collaboration, expertise and dedication which made the project a success,” says Tyler.

The site will now begin reclaiming and restoring land to forests and wetlands.

See this video of the dragline move