MINING TRUCKS
BHP and Rio Tinto ’ s big BEV truck testing collaboration announcement
Related to this , days after the conclusion of The Electric Mine 2024 conference in Perth , Western Australia , BHP and Rio Tinto confirmed they are to collaborate on battery-electric haul truck trials in the Pilbara .
The collaboration reflects the individual commitments made by BHP , Rio Tinto , Caterpillar and Komatsu to support BHP ’ s and Rio Tinto ’ s shared ambition of net zero operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 , they say .
As part of the collaboration , two CAT 793 haul trucks will be trialled from the second half of 2024 , and two Komatsu 930 haul trucks tested from 2026 at mine sites in Western Australia ’ s Pilbara region .
Caterpillar and Komatsu will each provide one truck to both BHP and Rio Tinto for these trials . BHP will trial the Caterpillar trucks , while Rio Tinto will trial the Komatsu trucks . Outcomes of the trials will be shared between BHP and Rio Tinto .
These trials represent the first stage of battery-electric haul truck testing at BHP ’ s and Rio Tinto ’ s Pilbara operations .
Ongoing testing , development and refinement of truck and battery design is anticipated with each manufacturer . This will inform the approach for testing a larger number of haul trucks and the potential deployment of battery-electric haul truck fleets into each company ’ s operations .
BHP President Australia , Geraldine Slattery , said : “ Operational decarbonisation relies on breakthroughs in technology and partnerships like this will help drive our industry forward . We are thrilled to work with Rio Tinto , Caterpillar and Komatsu on these trials .
“ Replacing diesel as a fuel source requires us to develop a whole new operational ecosystem to surround the fleet . We need to address the way we plan our mines , operate our haulage networks and consider the additional safety and operational considerations that these changes will bring . This is why trials are so critical to our success as we test and learn how these new technologies could work and integrate into our mines .
“ We ’ ve already seen a step-change reduction in Scope 1 and 2 operational greenhouse gas emissions through switching some of our supply to renewable electricity , and we are looking to build on that progress through development of battery-electric technology to reduce diesel usage across our operations .”
Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive , Simon Trott , said : “ This collaboration brings together two leading global miners with two of the world ’ s biggest manufacturers of haul trucks to work on solving the critical challenge of zero-emissions haulage .
“ There is no clear path to net zero without zero-emissions haulage , so it ’ s important that we work together to get there as quickly and efficiently as we can . Testing two types of battery-electric haul trucks in Pilbara conditions will provide better data , and by combining our efforts with BHP we will accelerate learning .
“ As we work to repower our Pilbara operations with renewable energy , collaborations like this move us closer to solving the shared challenge of decarbonising our operations and meeting our net zero commitments .”
Komatsu ’ s GHG commitment & Power Agnostic plan
Komatsu set up the GHG Alliance to bring together mining industry leaders to work toward a shared goal of delivering zero-emissions equipment solutions . Alliance members have since been working to advance Komatsu ’ s power agnostic truck concept for a haulage vehicle that can run on a variety of power sources including diesel engine , battery and even hydrogen fuel cells with both static and dynamic charging capabilities . Members of the alliance include Antofagasta Minerals , BHP , Boliden , Codelco , Freeport-McMoRan , Grupo Mexico , Kinross , Rio Tinto and Teck amongst others .
Dan Funcannon , Komatsu SVP Surface Haulage told IM ahead of The Electric Mine 2024 : “ Komatsu is working with select customers to test different technologies . The first pilots of Power Agnostic Diesel are planned for Q1 2025 and Power Agnostic Battery for Q2 2026 . The battery pilots will first be introduced in a
Repowering to reduce emissions
Repowering to achieve lower emissions is an important focus for Rolls- Royce Solutions and together with its Chile-based distributor Detroit Chile SA , it has helped lower emissions associated with Anglo American ’ s Los Bronces haulage operation thanks to a strategic engine repowering project on its 30-strong fleet of Komatsu 930E haul trucks .
The project for Los Bronces , a copper mine in Chile , originated with the mining company looking to comply with incoming emission guidelines for mine operations , as well as Anglo American ’ s own plans to make operations increasingly sustainable over the long term .
For the fleet at the Chile mine , the company was looking at engines to repower the trucks that would meet the emissions targets without compromising performance . Together with Detroit Chile SA , the company found what it was looking for in the mtu Series 16V 4000 C05 , which , in addition to significant emission savings , also offered other benefits for operations in the South American mine , Rolls-Royce says .
This project kicked off back in January 2018 , with all 30 trucks in the fleet having now been equipped with mtu engines . An operating time of around 24,000 hours was calculated for each engine and , up to today , this fleet has surpassed 720,000 cumulative operating hours .
“ Another and undoubtedly the biggest benefit of this repower project is the cleaner operation of these engines , or the tremendous reduction of emissions ,” Rolls-Royce says . “ To comply with local emissions regulations , the previous engines required to add a selective catalytic reduction ( SCR ) system to meet Tier 4 emissions . This includes additional maintenance and extra failure points that impact truck operation , the use of Diesel Exhaust Fluid and the potential for the catalyst to become
contaminated at any time through regular operation of the truck , requiring replacement of the catalyst .
“ Since the mtu engine meets Tier 4 emissions without the SCR system , this results in less downtime , less maintenance and lower operating costs .”
With the mtu Series 16V 4000 C05 engines , Anglo American is cutting CO 2 , particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions , according to Rolls- Royce . These engines comply with US EPA Tier 4 regulations , they consume less fuel than Tier 2 engines and still deliver the same power as previous engines .
Since the start of the repower project in January 2018 , around 9,960 t of CO 2 , 91 t of particulate matter and over 3,000 t of nitrogen oxide have been eliminated , according to Rolls-Royce . As a result , the mining haul trucks meet local emission targets and bring Anglo Americans operations at the Los Bronces mine closer to the goal of net zero . mtu Series 2000 and 4000 Tier 4 emission reduction technologies include a common rail injection platform , advanced electronics , twostage turbocharging and exhaust gas recirculation
Rolls-Royce said : “ An important factor in the decision for our solutions was the holistic approach : together with Detroit Chile SA , we were able to provide engines , repower kits and ongoing comprehensive service that gets the most out of the mtu engine .
“ The first of the trucks recently achieved over 24,000 hours of operating time , in mid-2023 , and is still operating as expected . This proves the project is a strong , sustainable milestone not only for Anglo American , but also for other mining companies . The future has already begun and together , we are providing a cleaner future for the world .”
JULY 2024 | International Mining 43