MINE POWER
In Chile , Hitachi Energy has been helping Codelco upgrade and modernise its energy automation system at El Teniente storage is definitely a key technology for any mine .”
According to Zafuto , demand for energy storage is tied to three areas : backup generation , grid hardening and electrified vehicle charging .
Even with this rising storage demand , improvements in storage technology and cost , and a need to decarbonise operations , Zafuto considers renewable energy adoption to still be in the very early stages , “ especially for kickstarting a new project with 100 % renewable energy .”
He added : “ The adoption of renewables for mines is about what makes the most sense from a financial standpoint . All mines want to create the best operational efficiencies and that ’ s driving most of the renewable adoption .
“ Many mines that currently run on diesel have a lot to consider before transitioning to renewable energy . They ’ re asking themselves questions like : ‘ How do I replace the 1 million litres of diesel storage I already have ? Where do I put my renewable energy site ? Do I even have the right permits ?’
“ It ’ s a lot to juggle , but with the right hardware , software and knowledge from partners , mines can adopt renewable energy in a way that helps their bottom line .”
This is where Zafuto sees Hitachi Energy having a differentiated offering to others on the market with site-tested and proven packages for mine power , on top of hardware , software and long-running expertise .
“ We offer not just microgrids themselves , but all the controls required to efficiently operate them like MicroSCADA , sensors , digital substations , BESS , field service management solutions and more ,” he said . “ Then we also help to future-proof these sites , especially with the autonomous vision many mines have , which requires a robust communication network as well as a high-quality energy network .”
This has seen the company deploy power solutions at all kinds of mines – from open pits to underground operations around the world , including in Canada and Australia , he added .
In Chile , for instance , Hitachi Energy has been helping Codelco upgrade and modernise its energy automation system at El Teniente , providing its MicroSCADA X solution to control and manage the power grid at the operation , which comprises 27 electrical substations – seven of them located on the surface and 20 inside the mine .
Zafuto concluded : “ Mines face some of the toughest electrification challenges of any industry . They need to figure out how to get electrical infrastructure where they need it in some of the toughest terrains and close tricky holes in their communication networks .
“ What we need to focus on is holistic , integrated solutions for mine power . Mines want to electrify . They want to go autonomous . We need to create a grid of the future for mines that takes all of this into account and prepares them for whatever comes next , too .”
A future-proofed power pathway
Wärtsilä Energy believes it can help here , with pathways that help identify and implement the solutions needed to decarbonise a mine ’ s power system that take into consideration long-term planning and CO 2 emission reduction targets .
First , it conducts power system modelling and dynamic simulations to understand the power system , based on which a practical decarbonisation roadmap is created . This can include fuel conversions , energy storage integration and adding more renewables into the system .
Implementation of this roadmap and continuous optimisation of a mine ’ s energy system and all its assets is then carried out using Wärtsilä ’ s GEMS Digital Energy Platform .
“ The service is carried out in long-term partnership with the customer and is outcomebased , with Wärtsilä ’ s success tied to the customer ’ s gains ,” the company explained .
In terms of ‘ low-hanging fruit ’ for decarbonisation , mining companies are upgrading their existing plants to improve their operating efficiencies and , in turn , reduce their greenhouse gas emissions .
Suraj Narayan , Sales Director , Australia & Oceania at Wärtsilä Energy , says he is continuing to engage with mining companies looking for these types of solutions , knowing they can provide an interim step on the way to achieving wide-ranging emission reduction goals .
“ In cases where a Wärtsilä plant was procured in the late 1990s or early 2000s , we could provide an upgrade package that looks at improving the engine efficiency and reducing its specific fuel consumption ,” he told IM . “ Any efficiency gain in this context also leads to a knock-on reduction in greenhouse gas emissions .”
For example , at Nevada Gold Mines ’ operation in USA , Wärtsilä will upgrade the performance of a captive power plant supplying electricity , with the upgrade estimated to increase the facility ’ s power output on each generating set by 8 %, support operational reliability , ensure availability during peak periods , increase efficiency and allow less constant operation of the engines . This will , in turn , lower the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere .
For companies and operations further down the decarbonisation line and with access to LNG , Wärtsilä is also converting its diesel-powered engines to run on this type of fuel , which is less carbon intensive than , say , heavy fuel oil .
It is this same philosophy that will stand Wärtsilä in good stead for whatever low- or nocarbon fuels become dominant in the future , according to Narayan .
“ As we have demonstrated in the past , we can manufacture engines for use with diesel and then , as other fuels become available , convert the same diesel engine with a retrofit package ,” he said . “ We expect to be able to do the same in the future regardless of the fuel type .”
This has been proven recently at WEC Energy Group ’ s 55 MW A . J . Mihm power plant in Michigan , USA , where , in collaboration with WEC EPRI and Burns & McDonnell , Wärtsilä successfully tested hydrogen blended fuel using an unmodified 18 MW Wärtsilä 50SG gas engine .
The tests , completed in October , saw up to 25 % hydrogen ( by volume ) mixed with natural gas , demonstrating the capability of the plant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions .
Of the tests , Wärtsilä said : “ This is the largest internal combustion engine ever to operate continuously on a hydrogen fuel blend ,
62 International Mining | JANUARY 2023