WORLD PROSPECTS
Vale opts for Epiroc's Batteries as a Service
Epiroc says the world’s first Batteries as a
Service (BaaS) agreement has been finalised
in Canada, with Vale and the mining OEM
partnering on this new approach for utilising
battery technology in mining operations.
Along with the BaaS agreement, Epiroc will be
providing Vale with 10 battery-electric vehicles for
two Canadian mine sites. These machines will
include four Scooptram ST14 loaders, two Boomer
M2C drill rigs, two Boltec MC bolting rigs and two
Minetruck MT42 trucks. The miner will also acquire
three of Epiroc’s charging cabinets and seven
charging posts for equipment support, the
company said.
Vale has previously said it hopes to have upward
of 20 battery-powered vehicles operating within its
North Atlantic operations (Creighton, Coleman,
Copper Cliff, Garson and Thompson mines) by the
end of 2020.
As mining companies continue to strive for
sustainable productivity and zero emissions, the
fast evolution and development of different options
within the field of battery technology can be
extremely challenging, Epiroc says.
With BaaS, Epiroc works directly with the
customer to define a battery plan that suits the
needs of their operation. The lifespan is guaranteed
and the battery status is carefully monitored to
ensure predictive maintenance with reduced
downtime, according to the company. If a customer
wants to increase or decrease their capacity, they
can adjust their plan and the service will be tailored
to meet their requirements.
As part of an ongoing sustainability
commitment, Epiroc will remove old batteries from
site and replace them with new batteries. These
older batteries are then used for secondary
applications and will be recycled at the end of the
process, the company says.
The delivery of the battery equipment to both
sites will occur over the course of 2020 and into the
March quarter of 2021, according to Epiroc.
“A key component to the success of this offering
is the flexibility it allows our customers,” Shawn
Samuels, Product Manager Rocvolt, Epiroc Canada,
said. “We take ownership of the battery itself and
automatically replace and update the units as
needed, which means the mine site can breathe
easier and continue to focus on heightened
production.”
Jason Smith, General Manager Epiroc Canada,
said: “We value and look forward to continuing our
successful partnership with Vale as we move
towards a zero emissions future in mining together.
We both recognise the positive impact a successful
battery service implementation can have on
operations, so our mutual confidence in one
another is well placed.”
www.epiroc.com; www.vale.com
CSI and Metso’s NextGen crushing plant to go to BHP Mt Whaleback mine
CSI Mining Services (CSI), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Mineral Resources Limited, has
been awarded a milestone contract to design,
construct and operate the latest “NextGen” crushing
plant at BHP’s Mt Whaleback iron ore mining operation
in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
The contract award includes the supply,
construction, installation and operation of CSI’s
NextGen crushing plant, which will replace the existing
CSI crushing plant at Mt Whaleback. This new scope
builds on a 13-year working relationship with BHP and
allows CSI to extend its history of safe and successful
operations on the site since 2012, CSI said.
BHP has an option to extend the initial five-year 12
Mt/y contract for a further two years, according to the
company.
Back in November, Mineral Resources Ltd told
investors at its annual general meeting that it had
designed a 15 Mt/y capacity portable crushing plant
and planned to develop it in joint venture with Metso.
The NextGen crushing and screening plant was
expected to come with low capital and operating costs,
in addition to significant flexibility with its portability. It
is assembled in modules and, compared with fixed
crushing plants, provides for sustained reliable
performance over time with the flexibility required to
meet clients’ changing and challenging production
demands, according to CSI.
CSI and Metso have established a partnership to
develop and market the NextGen plant worldwide, CSI
said.
Mineral Resources Chief Operating Officer, Mike
Datamine brings Snowden into its fold
Grey, said: “This contract extension and expansion at
Mt Whaleback is a tribute to the fantastic work CSI has
been providing for one of our key blue-chip clients for
many years now. It is also testament to our team for the
innovation and customer focus they have built into the
NextGen design.
“We look forward to the successful construction,
installation and commissioning of the new plant at Mt
Whaleback and are confident this will be the first of
many opportunities for this ground-breaking approach
to deliver safe, reliable production for the hard-rock
crushing industry.”
He added: “CSI is already the world’s largest
crushing contractor and NextGen will help us
maintain our position as the partner of choice for the
mining industry.” CSI will oversee construction of the
NextGen plant modules, both in Turkey and at its
Kwinana, Western Australia workshop, with
assembly of the plant completed on site at Mt
Whaleback. www.mineralresources.com.au;
www.mogroup.com
Datamine, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vela
Software, has acquired mining consultancy
and software business Snowden. As part of the
transaction with Datamine, the Snowden brand will be
retained, it said, with the company explaining: “We are
dedicated to maintaining consistent high levels of
expertise and support that you have come to expect
from Snowden.”
Supervisor is a complementary solution to
Datamine’s existing resource estimation suite, offering
a simple intuitive interface and workflow, advanced
local and global estimation optimisation functionality
and compatibility with all major mine planning
software packages.
Reconcilor provides a robust system to identify
differences between grade and tonnage estimates,
plans and actual mine production. The Reconcilor
solution is highly complementary to Datamine’s
inventory tracking and metal balancing solutions, with
several customers already using the combined
systems.
Tarrant Elkington, Global Manager, Snowden, said:
“Snowden has a proud 33-year history, evolving from a
geological consulting company to a diversified
advisory consulting, software and training business.
This acquisition marks the next step on our growth
journey.”
He adds: “The software expertise and global
footprint of Datamine offers tremendous opportunities
for the growth of our business and to improve the
experience of our clients. For example, we will now be
able to offer in-country support to our supervisor
clients in South America. And we can easily and costeffectively
expand our consulting business to other
countries. This is a great day for our business, and our
people, and we look forward to exploring the synergies
that Datamine offer.” www.dataminesoftware.com
6 International Mining | JULY/AUGUST 2020