THE ELECTRIC MINE 2023 REVIEW
Production support progress
The leading providers of battery-electric underground production support vehicles – Normet and MacLean Engineering – were also out in force at The Electric Mine 2023 .
Samu Kukkonen , Technology Director at Normet , outlined the modular nature of the company ’ s SmartDrive platform , which he said provided safety , flexibility and energy-efficiency benefits .
He highlighted this with several case studies involving the Utimec MF 500 Transmixer SD travelling on inclines , flatter hauls and declines at operations across the globe .
Kukkonen included a slide on how the company ’ s solutions have spread significantly since announcing the launch of the platform in 2019 , with units operating across four continents . The number of machines operating at underground mine sites would accelerate further , he said , with a solid SmartDrive pipeline ahead of Normet over the next few years .
MacLean had a presence on both stages of the event on Day 2 , with Maarten van Koppen ’ s joint presentation with Gertjan Bekkers , VP Mines Technical Services , Torex Gold (‘ Planning for an electric MacLean fleet at the Torex Media Luna project ’), complemented by a deep dive into the company ’ s outlook on electric vehicle deployment in underground mines . van Koppen , VP Product Management at MacLean , talked the audience through how Torex and MacLean had come up with an integrated plan at the Media Luna project , in Mexico , to deploy a battery-powered fleet that included BT3 boom trucks , EC3 emulsion loaders , GR5 graders , FL3 fuel-lube trucks , ML5 multi-lift tools , SL3 scissor lifts and TM3 transmixers .
Charging considerations – where to plot the charging bays and how many chargers would be needed – how to integrate all battery-electric vehicles ( from others including Sandvik and Rokion ) into the power mix , how to go about conducting the first BEV implementation in Mexico , and ensuring adequate warehousing of parts stock in the country were just some of the aspects the partners addressed .
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We ’ re now getting to a phase where we are seeing fleets successfully operate reliably ; we ’ re seeing the value and our customers are seeing the value
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“ It is important that we work with the other OEMs as well … to make sure that Torex gets the value that they are after with electrifying their fleet ,” van Koppen concluded .
In-the-pit emission reductions
Solutions that don ’ t require batteries will also take a prominent role in the mines of the future – whether that be , underground , diesel-electric equipment or a variation of conveyor technology ; or , on surface , in-pit crushing and conveying ( IPCC ).
There were numerous IPCC-focused companies at the event looking to challenge the legacy perception from the mining community that this technology was expensive and inflexible , while highlighting the proven carbon reduction benefits that have been known about for decades .
Joel Bauer , Mine Planning Engineer at FLSmidth , was one industry proponent , spelling out the investment case for using a predominantly in-pit conveyor-based mining setup to reduce energy consumption , CO 2 emissions and the net present cost ( NPC ).
“ The savings come from the conveyor belt ,” Bauer said . “ If you want to move one tonne of ore in the truck , you have to move 2.6 tonnes in total ( including the associated truck movement ). In contrast , in belt conveyors … if you want to move one tonne of material , the total weight of movement is just 1.2 tonnes .”
When factoring in the reduced friction and dead weight advantages offered by these conveyors over truck haulage , this allows for a
Glencore ’ s Enrique Caballero outlined the company ’ s plan to test trolley assist technology at Lomas Bayas in Chile during Day 1 of the event
54 % reduction in total moved weight , Bauer explained .
And it gets even more compelling when looking at the specific energy requirement and carbon emissions per 100 m lift , according to Bauer , who highlighted that this route could bring down energy use and CO 2 emissions by around 90 % compared with the diesel equivalent .
Even when making the same specific energy requirements and carbon emissions comparison with battery trucks , the conveying option came out on top with a 67 % improvement in energy and CO 2 emissions .
On the cost front , Bauer admitted IPCC solutions came with a higher initial price tag than diesel or electric trucks , but he focused on his case study ’ s potential NPC reduction of up to $ 800 million , cash cost reduction of $ 0.18-1 / t and payback period of as little as two years .
After hearing such compelling numbers , an obvious question came in from the audience : Why don ’ t we see more IPCC applications in mining ?
Branco Lalik , Bauer ’ s colleague and VP of IPCC Systems for FLSmidth , said it was a case of inadequate early-stage planning from the openpit mining community , explaining many customers did not engage with the likes of FLSmidth at a stage where the full benefits of a truly integrated IPCC system could be realised .
Bauer was followed on stage by Leif Berndt , Director , IPCC at Metso , who also addressed that audience question : “ For the highest energy saving and ESG factor gain , you need to offset extra or early overburden to create the space for a ROM pad and conveyor ramp with lower conveying costs than trucking cost .” This , of course , requires early planning and engagement with OEMs and engineering firms .
Berndt homed in on the mobility and flexibility elements of the OEM ’ s IPCC solutions , focusing specifically on the Foresight™ semi-mobile primary gyratory station ( SMPG ).
He explained that the asset life of more than 25 years offered by this SMPG allowed mining operations to stay flexible ( mobile ) and optimise the mining setup as years go by . These units are relocatable at a cost of circa- $ 6 million including the pocket , Berndt said , which
26 International Mining | OCTOBER 2023