LANZHOU -- A 5G-powered unmanned driving system has been put into use in northwest China's Gansu province, according to its developer.

The system, jointly developed by Jinchuan Group Co Ltd and the Gansu branch of China Telecom, was rolled out in a mining site of Jinchuan Group, which is located in the city of Jinchang.

As the electric locomotives, signal base stations and dispatching and monitoring platforms at the site were connected by 5G signals, workers were able to conduct remote monitoring and operate the locomotives directly from the central control room.

The system can reduce the number of on-site operators by 24 and cut annual labor costs by about 2.66 million yuan ($393,000). Also, the site's transportation capacity can be increased by 390,000 tonnes a year.

"The system not only improves the transportation capacity and reduces the safety risk for personnel, but also makes the mine more automatic and intelligent," said Wu Shuanjun, who heads the mining site.