GLOBAL NEWS
GLOBAL NEWS
Mine of the future – electric
Speaking at IMARC in Melbourne, Australia, Goldcorp president and
CEO David Garofalo says the shift to battery electric vehicles is close to a
tipping point for industry.
Goldcorp’s Borden project is
set to transform the mining
industry by replacing all
diesel mobile equipment with
electric vehicles, to deliver
environmental, health and
safety and economic benefits.
The electric mine is
expected to deliver a 70%
smaller carbon footprint, than
conventional technologies.
It will also reduce noise
pollution, reduce the risk of
hydrocarbon spills and fires,
reduce or eliminate exhaust
fumes resulting in lower
capital and operating costs.
Speaking at the
International Mining and
Resources Conference
(IMARC) in Melbourne,
Australia in October,
Goldcorp president and
CEO David Garofalo says
the shift to battery electric
vehicles is close to a tipping
point for industry. There are
far-reaching benefits and
not just for surface and deep
mining but similar industrial
industries like cement and
construction.
“The technology will soon
meet the needs of larger
applications now that Borden
has chosen to make all-electric
a reality,” says Garofalo.
Garofalo says safety
performance and risk
www.quarryonline.co.za
reduction is an integral
element of the vision. “Using
diesel in an underground
operation is a risk inherent
in the mining industry. We
manage and mitigate it as
other mining companies do,
but we know that by removing
it we remove a source of heat,
fire and emissions from where
our workers are and lower the
risk profile of our operations,”
he says.
In addition to electric
vehicles several other
technologies are incorporated
into the mine design. “Borden
is a ‘connected mine’ with
real time knowledge of where
people, equipment and work
is being done at all times.
This enhances safety and
productivity.”
Goldcorp has partnered
with like-minded suppliers,
the Canadian government
and others to commercialise
clean technologies, reduce
GHG emissions, modernise
the regulatory regime
and improve the social
acceptability of the industry.
“Provincial and federal
governments have played
a significant role in the
acceleration of adoption of
clean technologies and the
modernisation of industry,”
he says.
QUARRY SA | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019_11
QUARRY SA | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019_11