THE ELECTRIC MINE 2023 REVIEW
the CEO saying the sector required a new generation of trolley assist technology that could offer 8 MW-plus power transfer charge and drive , as well as the cost and flexibility elements many mining companies required . This was covered with the company ’ s in-development BluVein XL solution , according to Oliver .
Trolley assist was undoubtedly the technology mentioned most at the show , featuring in practically all surface sessions .
This included real-life case studies involving speakers from Copper Mountain Mining ( and ABB ) and Liebherr – the former a 1-km-long line with seven pantograph-equipped AC haul trucks running in British Columbia , Canada , and the latter a 5-km-long installation with a 180 ° switch back running seven 100 ton trucks at the Erzberg iron ore mine in Austria – to battery-trolley presentations and showcases from Siemens and ABB , to simulation and modelling sessions featuring the likes of Stream Systems and RPMGlobal .
Joy Mazumdar , VP – Product Management , Mining Equipment at Wabtec , said : “ Trolley is that bridge ; you may not be able to have a 100 % battery-powered truck immediately that runs for the whole shift , but definitely combining battery with a trolley will get you there ( in terms of emissions reductions ) until the point where this technology is standardised .”
Dave Goddard , then Senior Industry Expert ,
Digital Mining and Automation at McKinsey and now with Hexagon ’ s Mining division , agreed , saying that trolley assist represented a “ quite attractive ” interim step regardless of what longterm solution mining companies were considering to achieve their net-zero targets . This point was reinforced earlier in the conference by Enrique Caballero , Manager Technology Fleet , Glencore Copper , who explained that the company was testing this technology first at Lomas Bayas in Chile .
Speaking of trolley assist , Goddard said : “ I believe it is a no regret move in most mining operations .”
Soon after the event concluded , BHP ’ s Alejandro Tapia revealed that the miner had committed to trolley assist to advance fleet decarbonisation in Chile – starting with diesel trolley then advancing to battery trolley , with implementation targeted to start at Escondida , in 2028 , and Spence , in 2029 .
A forward focus
The Electric Mine 2023 was undoubtedly a major success . Situated in the heartland of US copper country and in one of the hottest ( no pun intended ) mining truck innovation hubs in the world , the event acted as a barometer for the accelerated electrification moves the industry is taking . It also pulled more than 730 attendees from all over the globe .
Next year , 2024 , the event will head Down Under to Western Australia for The Electric Mine 2024 . Many key supporters have already been confirmed for the event , running from May 21 to May 23 , at the Crown Perth .
The first keynote presenter has also been secured , with Paul Lucey , Worley ’ s Principal of Mine Electrification & Technology , set to provide an early morning wake-up call to the 800-plus attendees expected in Perth , with a talk titled , ‘ Exploring electrification to 2035 : there are no silver bullets .’
He will be joined by numerous high-profile speakers from mining companies , mining OEMs and mining service providers over the three days .
The format of the 2024 event is also changing to reflect the level of industry maturity across surface and underground mining , with the two streams running in parallel over all three days : one dedicated to surface mining and the other focused on underground mining .
As with all International Mining Events , there will be plenty of networking options , including a Welcome Drinks event on the evening before Day 1 ( May 20 ), the official event dinner at the worldfamous Optus Stadium ( May 21 ), as well as an outdoor equipment showcase on the afternoon of Day 2 ( May 22 ).
Be sure to put those dates in the diary now !
IM
You ’ ve read all about it , now watch it !
The Electric Mine 2023 was jam-packed full of great content from close to 90 of the world ’ s leading mine electrification experts .
Access the 68 presentations and panels , plus accompanying PDFs , via our virtual venue for a discounted price of US $ 500 for a limited time only by using the discount code EM250 . Follow this link below for more information :
theelectricmine2023 . vcubewebevents . com
OCTOBER 2023 | International Mining 29