INTERVIEW
Setting the standards in mining
Siemens conveyor GCD in place at Cuajone copper mine , Peru
cooling , leading to greater standardisation of our solution . Another relatively recent change that will allow us to grow this market further is that before we worked exclusively with thyssenkrupp and while our close relationship with them continues , we are now in a position to work with any major conveyor system OEM or contractor and in fact are already doing so .
Powering some of the world ’ s largest mining conveyors , grinding mills , hoists and trolley assist truck fleets , Siemens has an enviable reference list and depth of experience . Paul Moore spoke to Christian Dirscherl , VP for Mining , Excavation and Transport about its multiple market successes and continued potential going forward
Q Starting with large conveyors with gearless drives , Siemens has a unique set of application examples – can you give a brief overview and thoughts on how you have been able to achieve this depth of experience ? A Our list of gearless drive installations for large overland and underground conveyors continues to grow including a number of the world ’ s leading copper mines : Antapaccay , Las Bambas , Escondida OGP1 , Quellaveco , Oyu Tolgoi , Cuajone plus a copper mine in Tibet , China . Quellaveco , Oyu Tolgoi and the project in Tibet are all still in the installation and commissioning phase . In terms of contract wins – the continuity of our major orders – seven world class gearless driven conveyor projects in less than ten years – has been a factor . Plus we have continued to set records both for the power of the systems –
Q Has the pandemic had any effects ? A There have been some difficulties and delays as would be expected due to COVID-19 – there is a lot of specific expertise involved in these types of mining infrastructure projects so travel restrictions have had an impact – near the start of the pandemic , as an example , Mongolia had imposed a 25-day quarantine . Plus there are often restrictions on travelling between regions within the same country and on top of that many mines have restricted access to contractors and suppliers . Currently , for Oyu Tolgoi we are providing services remotely while at Quellaveco we have teams onsite . The pandemic has also slowed activity in terms of new feasibility / prefeasibility studies though with the current high price of copper there are several major projects now on the horizon .
Christian Dirscherl , VP for Mining , Excavation and Transport , Siemens
Cuajone and the mentioned copper mine in Tibet are both 2 x 6,000 kW and Oyu Tolgoi is 8 x 5,500 kW – and the climatic extremes – the minesite in Tibet at over 5,000 m altitude . Plus , it has involved many of the world ’ s top tier miners with very exacting performance and safety standards – Rio Tinto , Glencore , MMG , Southern Copper ( Grupo Mexico ) and BHP . Also I would mention the continuity in our team – many of the same experienced Siemens people have worked on several of the projects together . And having a series of projects has allowed us to make continuous improvements in areas like
Siemens has a unique set of gearless conveyor drive references unmatched in the industry
Q As an example can you highlight the scope of the Quellaveco project ? A The new thyssenkrupp conveyor at Anglo American ’ s Quellaveco advanced development copper mine in Peru will transport 127,500 t / d of
ROM copper ore to the stockpile adjacent to the copper concentrator . The conveyor will get from
one valley to another through a 3.2 km long tunnel . Our input includes twin 5.5 MW gearless drives operating at a design tonnage of almost
114 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2021