MINING TRUCKS
Hitachi Construction Machinery ( diesel ) trolley trucks ( 39 EH3500AC-II and two EH3500AC-3 rigid dump trucks ) at the Kansanshi copper and gold mine , already has much of the infrastructure required for full battery dump trucks in place .
Going forward , Hitachi Construction Machinery Group says it will continue collaborating with customers while leveraging their expertise in the development of ( diesel ) trolley trucks , as well as their extensive delivery record , to accelerate the development speed of the full battery dump truck , thereby contributing to the achievement of virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions from mining machinery .
Fabiana Cavalcante , Global Head of Mobile e- Power , ABB Traction told The Electric Mine 2024 in May in an interview with IM : “ This partnership with HCM , an OEM , to develop a new machine ... is for an optimised solution for a battery trolley , fully electric configuration . The machine is already in Zambia .. and in the next month we will start the dynamic [ charging ] commissioning so this is really exciting .”
Vale and Caterpillar collaborate on BEV trucks & ethanol studies
Moving on from hybrids to battery electric , Vale and Caterpillar have signed an agreement to test battery electric large trucks and energy transfer systems , as well as conduct studies on ethanolpowered trucks . The aim is to support Vale in achieving its goals of reducing scope 1 and 2 ( direct and indirect ) carbon emissions by 33 % by 2030 and zeroing its net emissions by 2050 .
Haul trucks powered by batteries are being developed by Caterpillar . A battery powered truck with capacity of 240 tons will be tested by Vale at its operations in Minas Gerais . Caterpillar is also developing energy transfer solutions for trucks , which will be tested at the mining company ’ s operations in Pará over the next few years .
The two companies will also begin a joint study on a dual fuel solution for haul trucks operating on ethanol and diesel fuel .
Diesel emissions from mine operations account for 15 % of Vale ’ s direct CO 2eq emissions . Among mine equipment , the haul truck is the biggest consumer of diesel and therefore the biggest contributor to emissions . For this reason , investing in initiatives to decarbonise mines and establishing strategic collaborations are fundamental to Vale ’ s goals .
“ We are developing a portfolio of options to decarbonise Vale ’ s operations , including electrification and the use of alternative fuels in the mines . The most viable solutions will be adopted ,” says Ludmila Nascimento , Vale ’ s Energy and Decarbonization Director . “ We believe that ethanol has great potential to contribute to the 2030 target because it is a fuel that has already been adopted on a large scale in Brazil , with an established supply network , and which requires an active partnership with manufacturers . We stand together to support them in this goal .
“ There have been significant advances in the development of electric truck technology in recent years and these innovations will play an important role in bringing our net emissions to zero by 2050 ,” explains José Baltazar , Vale ’ s director of Engineering for Mine and Plant Operations . “ We are offering our mines in Brazil as a testing ground , with their very specific characteristics , in order to contribute to achieving our goals and building a cleaner mining industry .”
Denise Johnson , Caterpillar ’ s Resource Industries group president , adds : “ Voice of customer is a critical element of Caterpillar ’ s product development process , and Vale has been a key voice throughout our long history of collaborating on technology and product deployments . We look forward to continuing that collaboration as we launch the next generation of our iconic mining solutions to support our customers ’ operational and environmental objectives .”
BHP ’ s Early Learner is bound for Jimblebar
On June 11 , members of BHP ’ s Operational Decarbonisation team visited Caterpillar ’ s Tucson Proving Ground to witness the CAT 793 batteryelectric haul truck ( BEHT ) in action . The first Early Learner CAT 793 BEHT is on its way to BHP , crossing hemispheres and making its way ‘ down under ’ before rubber hits the haul road at the Jimblebar iron ore mine in Western Australia ’ s Pilbara in October 2024 .
BHP Vice President Operational Decarbonisation , Dan Heal , said : “ It ’ s incredibly exciting to be here in Tucson seeing this batteryelectric truck in action . Not only do these trials
BHP ’ s team at Caterpillar ' s Tucson Proving Grounds - their first Early Learner BEV 793 is now enroute to Australia
represent an important step on BHP ’ s operational decarbonisation journey , but the technical outcomes could help to inform how we approach these challenges moving forward . As we progress towards potential deployments , we need to consider how we plan our mines , manage power demand , charge equipment , the skills we will need , and most importantly , safety .”
BHP Vice President Global Mining and Services , Sebastian Greco said : “ Taking action requires us to challenge the market to approach technology development differently . It requires the industry to innovate and adopt new collaborative methods , to identify solutions through studies and proof-of-concept trials , and it requires us to learn together as we go . Securing the first CAT Early Learner batteryelectric haul truck is a reflection of the ongoing collaboration between BHP and Caterpillar and we are thrilled to be working together on this trial .”
In preparation , BHP ’ s Jimblebar mine is completing upgrades to site electrical transmission and distribution to enable high power charging infrastructure .
The mining group stated : “ At BHP , we are taking action to decarbonise our operations , by seeking to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions in three keyways : diesel displacement , fugitive emissions elimination , and electrification . We have a plan to reach our operational GHG emission reduction medium term target and long-term goal at each of our operations . Our strategy aims to decarbonise our mining equipment and operations by switching from diesel to renewable electricity or more sustainable , lower emissions fuel sources .”
42 International Mining | JULY 2024