WORLD PROSPECTS
Wärtsilä and Schneider Electric tackle lithium mine grid access
Technology group Wärtsilä and Schneider Electric say they have together developed a “ unique , end-to-end power system reference design ”. It is aimed specifically at lithium mine operations where there is no access to a grid supply of electricity . The design provides for an economically viable total expenditure that covers the complete process , including consulting , project design , the power infrastructure , equipment delivery , installation and commissioning .
The solution contributes to sustainable lithium production by optimising the efficient delivery and use of energy , and by leveraging microgrids and enabling renewable energy sources . The overall objective of this collaborative development is to provide high efficiency power solutions with a minimal environmental footprint for the mining industry .
The design concept expands to the lifecycle of the mine and it links the availability and performance of the power generating plant to a mine ’ s productivity . Shared business case incentives , based on key performance indicators for the power generation , reduce operational cost and enhance power availability , supporting thus a mine ’ s production targets . Predictability of parts and maintenance costs reduces the need for working capital .
“ The increasing global demand for lithium needed for battery storage applications is putting pressure on mining operations to be as efficient and cost-effective as possible . The power supply is a key element in this , and together we have designed a solution that harnesses the strengths and experience of our two companies . It will not only guarantee a reliable energy supply , but will do so with economic and environmental benefits that will raise the efficiency of the mining operations ,” said Jean Nabb , Director , Strategic Partnership , Wärtsilä Energy , and Vivek Kapoor , Vice President & Regional Segment Leader , Mining , Minerals and Metals Segment at Schneider Electric , in a joint statement .
Wärtsilä and Schneider Electric signed the framework co-operation agreement for the development of the design for mining energy solutions in March 2020 . The parties aim to optimise customer benefits in mining projects by offering solutions based on mutually complementary technologies . The business white paper ‘ Recommended power generation and electrical distribution for high altitude lithium mine ’ was published in June 2021 .
Schneider ’ s purpose is to empower all to make the most of energy and resources , bridging progress and sustainability for all . On its mission to be the digital partner for sustainability and efficiency , Schneider drives digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies , endpoint to cloud connecting products , controls , software and services , across the entire lifecycle , enabling integrated company management , for homes , buildings , data centres , infrastructure and industries . www . wartsila . com ; www . se . com
BHP moves to the cloud
BHP has selected Amazon Web Services
Microsoft , through its Azure platform , will host ( AWS ) and Microsoft as long-term cloud BHP ’ s global applications portfolio . This will providers to help improve safety , enable BHP to leverage its existing Microsoft productivity , and reliability across its globallyoperated assets . reduce its reliance on regional data centres , it
licences and SAP applications portfolio and help to
The collaborations with AWS and Microsoft will said . support two distinct parts of BHP ’ s operations , it Microsoft says its multi-year strategic said . partnership with BHP will build on its existing AWS will power BHP ’ s digital transformation by Microsoft Cloud foundations with Office 365 , providing capabilities in data analytics and Dynamics 365 and Azure , and will enable BHP to machine learning to rapidly deploy digital improve safety , productivity and sustainably at its solutions globally to improve operational frontline operations across Australia , the Americas performance . and globally .
It added : “ Microsoft will help deliver strong digital capability , data support and security , which will help BHP accelerate its journey to cloud , transitioning its global applications including SAP , in a
portfolio move to Azure . This represents the transition of up to 17,500 TB of data to Azure .”
BHP plans to transition applications from its regional data centres , corporate offices and operational sites as well as its SAP HANA environment to Microsoft Azure over the next three years , Microsoft said .
BHP Chief Technical Officer , Laura Tyler , said collaborating with two world-leading cloud providers highlighted the importance of cloud to support BHP ’ s digital transformation .
“ Digital technology is in everything we do at BHP , from how we connect to our customers and partners every day to how we extract and find resources more safely and sustainably ,” she said .
“ We are leveraging next-generation technologies like cloud , machine learning , and data analytics to solve complex business problems and unlock value even faster .
“ Cloud is the foundation to our plans , and it will enable us to deploy digital solutions to the frontline quickly and at scale . Cloud will dramatically reduce the amount of hardware on sites and reduce costs .
“ We are thrilled to have AWS and Microsoft on board to ensure we have a strong foundation to accelerate our digital transformation plans and lift capability across the business .” www . bhp . com ; https :// aws . amazon . com ; https :// azure . microsoft . com
6 International Mining | JULY 2021