THE ELECTRIC MINE 2023 REVIEW
ABB ’ s Max Luedtke drew comparisons between the reasons to electrify mines today and when ABB started its own electrification journey with clients , some 130 years ago
it comes to , in this case , facilitating greater interoperability and standardisation in charging systems for mine haulage .
During the presentation , ‘ The CharIN Mining Taskforce – towards greater interoperability and standardisation in charging systems for mine haulage ,’ the two outlined a case for potentially replacing circa-25 billion litres of diesel that is emitting circa-69 Mt / y of CO₂ , through the use of electric trucks . This could see a more than 90 % reduction in emissions based on renewable energy procurement , according to the Rocky Mountain Institute .
Increased interoperability and collaboration between all parts of the electric truck supply chain are key to realising these gains .
“ The development of charging infrastructure needs to happen in parallel to the development of battery-electric trucks to ensure a complete haulage system ,” Mulcahy said . developing a regulatory framework for batteries in Europe that can ensure sustainability of the entire value chain over the long term .
‘ Long term ’ starts as early as this decade though , with battery suppliers having to take
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By adopting green mining practices , we can change the mentality of ‘ not in my back yard ’ and get greater acceptance for mining in the public space
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part in a ‘ Carbon footprint transparency ’ program by July 1 , 2024 , and being separated into “ performance classes ” by January 1 , 2026 . All of this is before a ban of the worst performing suppliers comes into force as of July 1 , 2027 , and battery suppliers are forced to increase the content of recycled material in their products .
“ The European Battery Directive is going to change the landscape of mining and put new key performance indicators on commodities that were previously traded on price alone ,” Svedlund said . “ Copper with less carbon content is going to command a higher value than the alternative , for example , because of these incoming regulations .”
As Svedlund said , mining companies cannot simply ignore these changes and write off a large market like the European Union . They will have to adapt to this new reality , accepting that recycling companies able to process metal will become bigger competitors in the future .
Epiroc ’ s battery supply partner , Northvolt , verified Svedlund ’ s assessment , with Peter Blomquist , Director of Business Development , explaining at the event that the company was scaling up its battery recycling efforts to secure at least 50 % of the battery raw materials it needs from recycling by 2030 . It wasn ’ t all scaremongering . Svedlund acknowledged an opportunity for mining companies to play in this rapidly expanding electrification market if they chose electric equipment reinforced with renewable energy inputs . This , he said , could also change the relationship with local and national communities for the better .
“ By adopting green mining practices , we can change the mentality of ‘ not in my back yard ’ and get greater acceptance for mining in the public space ,” he said .
Expect more from BEVs
In the underground mining sector , the reasons to ‘ go electric ’ have been apparent for decades .
As Brian Huff , VP New Technologies , Load and
A material transition
The type of collaboration Curran and Mulcahy continue to push for will be crucial for the industry achieving its 2035 , 2040 and 2050 sustainability goals , however , as Erik Svedlund , Senior Zero Emission Manager at Epiroc , made clear , there were parts of the supply chain that would be placing demands on mining companies much sooner than that .
In a presentation titled ‘ The green transition is a material transition ’, Svedlund highlighted the European Battery Directive ( now the European Batteries Regulation ), all geared towards
Hundreds of delegates joined two evening receptions , hosted by Komatsu ( Day 1 ) and Caterpillar ( Day 2 )
22 International Mining | OCTOBER 2023