Electrification In Mining: Separating Myth From Fact

As the world continues to move away from combustion engine vehicles, machines, and equipment that emit harmful carbon emissions and towards cleaner power sources and drivelines, the mining industry is embarking on its own electrification journey. While the push for more sustainable mining operations often comes with a commitment from major OEMs to achieve carbon-neutral status within the next few decades, it is easy to lose sight of what mining operations prioritise every day – moving more materials, lowering costs, and improving safety.

Delving into the story of electrification in mining, it is important to consider what this transition to cleaner energy means for the ‘boots on the ground’. For mine operators, the electrification story is a little different than what is often heard in the public domain. The more pressing story for these ‘doers’ is about making a dramatic step change in production, mine design, and vision to achieve the output needed at a lower cost, while driving zero harm.

The electrification trend in mining operations holds significant promise. It aligns with sustainability goals for any mining OEM with the potential to transform mine operations, making them more productive and profitable. This shift can be a game-changer, offering a brighter future for the industry.

But, with any mega-trend that an industry adopts, there are often flawed perceptions or even misinformation that can muddy the waters. In mining operations, these ‘myths’ can lead to unnecessary and unproductive resistance that, in the long term, can cause the company to lose ground to competitors that see the value of electrification more clearly.

For mining personnel, managers, and leaders, six pervasive electrification myths are worth busting. Seeing the move to cleaner energy based on the facts will help operations set a clear and decisive path towards electrification – one that will help unlock the true promise of this evolving technology.

Myth #1: It is possible to replace diesel equipment with electric, and it will operate the same way

The hard fact is that electrification is not ‘plug and play’ for mining operations. Many considerations must be addressed before adding electric or battery-electric machines and equipment to a fleet.

One of the first factors that requires extensive planning is creating an infrastructure that can effectively support battery-electric machines in a fleet. Of course, the nature of newly enhanced infrastructure will depend on the specific battery-electric machines and equipment that have been procured. Machine range on a single charge, voltage required, and whether the machines will be charged statically or on-the-go via a dynamic charging solution, are all variables that apply.

Another infrastructure consideration for surface mining sites with the right topography is the potential use of trolley-assist lines to support diesel-electric haulage trucks with electric power lines overhead. Komatsu has seen some customers experience substantial fuel savings and carbon emission reductions with mine sites that use trolley-assist system lines, particularly on uphill gradients where the energy expenditure is greatest.

Getting electrification right is a disciplined process that does not happen overnight. Success requires a systematic long-term approach that includes several key steps:

• Discovery: Gather information about your power options, battery technology, machine choices, and the data about your mine – production needs, power access, any regulatory concerns, and future development plans.
• Evaluation and planning: Look at the energy requirement of new battery-electric or trolley-assist equipment and determine the needed infrastructure changes, along with initial capital costs.
• Deployment: Once the charging or trolley-assist infrastructure is in place and new battery-electric machines are onsite, training and change management (getting your whole team on board) is essential.

This is a preview of an article that was originally published in the September 2024 issue of Global Mining Review.

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Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/environment-sustainability/27122024/electrification-in-mining-separating-myth-from-fact/