International Mining

Codelco, Toyota & Mitsui collaborate on sustainable mining vehicles #Copper mining giant CODELCO – Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile has signed a MoU with Japanese companies Toyota Chile S.A. and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. for “a strategic collaboration in the development and testing of sustainable mobility solutions in its mining divisions.” It says this agreement seeks to promote competitive and environmentally responsible mining, minimising its #carbonfootprint through #electrification. The initiative aims to generate synergies between Toyota Motor Corporation’s expertise as a leader in the development of zero and low emission vehicles, #Mitsui Chile’s experience in strategic alliances and #Codelco’s extensive track record in managing world-class mining operations. The statement does not mention if the cooperation will be limited to #lightvehicles or if it will also explore larger mining equipment sustainability such decarbonising mining dump trucks. The project contemplates the intention of sharing knowledge, carrying out studies and pilot tests in the field, “which will allow evaluating the performance and adaptability of zero and #lowemission vehicles in Codelco’s divisions.” Thanks to this agreement, Toyota Chile and Mitsui Chile “will obtain a comprehensive vision of the technical needs that this type of vehicles require in the mining environment, considering factors such as energy consumption, distances travelled and times of use, thus accelerating the development of technologies in line with industry conditions.” “The agreement not only opens the door to new technologies for electromobility in mining, but also allows us to advance in our purpose of being a pillar of the sustainable development of Chile and the world. At Codelco, we are committed to innovating and leading the change towards more responsible operations with the planet, promoting alternatives that generate both environmental and social value and, in this line, collaborations with third parties are essential to successfully accelerate changes for mining. of the future,” highlighted Felipe Lagno, Corporate Manager of Innovation and Technology at Codelco. “At Toyota we see only one enemy, which is #carbonemissions. Therefore, this agreement allows us to advance our goal of #carbonneutrality by 2050, taking advantage of all our capacity as leaders in the zero and low emissions segment that we will make available to Codelco, to together generate sustainable mobility within mining operations,” indicated Takuya Takahashi, CEO of Toyota Chile. “This partnership has meaning that goes beyond this particular project. It serves as a collaboration model that highlights the value of aligning with partners who share Mitsui Chile’s commitment to sustainable development, especially in #decarbonisation,” said Kazutaka Shiba, President and CEO of Mitsui Chile. #theelectricmine #futureofmining #mineofthefuture

Rio Tinto to trial battery swapping at Oyu Tolgoi on wide body mining trucks As outlined in a statement shared with the Chinese media by Rio Tinto to coincide with a project celebration ceremony meeting, the Tier 1 miner and China’s State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC) green energy company SPIC Qiyuan are collaborating to pilot battery swapping technology at the Oyu Tolgoi LLC / Оюу толгой ХХК #copper mine in #Mongolia. The two-year project will showcase a full #batteryelectric truck ecosystem, featuring eight 91-ton Tonly Heavy Industries brand wide body trucks, 13 batteries (each 800 kWh), and a #batteryswapping station, allowing for quick energy replenishment and minimising downtime. Jonathon McCarthy, Chief #Decarbonisation Officer at Rio Tinto, was quoted saying that Rio Tinto and SPIC are cooperating to carry out application pilots for China’s existing cutting-edge technologies and innovations and evaluate their potential to help Rio Tinto reduce operational #carbonemissions. “This pilot project will help us explore the application of pure electric battery swapping technology, which can provide greater flexibility and reduce downtime compared with current fixed charging technology.” He added that this work will complement ongoing pilot projects for the #electrification of very large mining trucks in the #Pilbara region. Han Zhiwei, Chairman of SPIC Capital Holdings Co Ltd, said that through cooperation with Rio Tinto Group, SPIC has successfully introduced leading green transportation innovations to the international market and looks forward to more cooperation opportunities in the future to apply China’s innovations. According to the release, these trucks will be responsible for performing tailings dam repair and surface soil transportation tasks, and will be operated and maintained by the #OyuTolgoi mining team. The truck is designed to run for eight hours per charge, and the battery replacement process takes about seven minutes. By minimising energy replenishment and outage time, the vehicle attendance rate can be improved. The first truck is scheduled to arrive at the Oyu Tolgoi mining area this year & the remaining seven trucks & charging and swapping infrastructure will be put into use in mid-2025. Battery swapping is already relatively common in China for wide body mining truck fleets. Ren Hua, GM - Global Mining Machinery Business Division at China’s leading mining equipment OEM XCMG Group, recently told International Mining at MINExpo 2024: “Our primary solution remains stationary plug-in charging, but we are also developing dynamic charging technologies. We have delivered a number of battery swapping solutions for wide-body trucks, allowing battery packs to be swapped from both sides or the top. Although battery swapping is more challenging for larger rigid trucks, we are actively conducting studies to adapt this technology for them as well.” #futureofmining #theelectricmine #mineofthefuture #BEVs #roadtonetzero

We can't wait to hear Nestor's insights from Antamina! The Peruvian mine - one of the largest copper/zinc mines in the world - has recently had its MEIA approved, allow the extension of operations from 2028 to 2036 in the Áncash region. The MEIA outlined the changes at Antamina going forward; the mine area will be increased by 25% and the open pit will be deepened by additional 150 m will be deepened. This will see up to 173,000 t/d of ore being extracted, with a waste movement of up to approximately 742,000 t/d. All of this will come with some important decision-making for the future mobile equipment fleet... #NetZeroMining #TEM25 #TheElectricMine25 #mineelectrification

Tailored mine tailings management solutions   Weir is helping miners rethink, reduce and repurpose their tailings with tailored solutions that are efficient while ensuring TSF stability and environmental safety.   Join an International Mining-hosted webinar on 25 November at 8 AM CET to hear expert insights from Weir’s Erik Vlot, Global Manager Tailings and Backfill, and Job Kruyswijk, Slurry Solutions Manager, where they will present the company’s transformational flowsheets.   Learn how Weir can help your operation recover more water, reduce energy consumption and significantly increase the amount of valuable minerals recovered from tailings, ensuring minimal waste heads to the Tailings Storage Facility.   Join us in three week’s time and make a difference to your mine and the environment. Date: 25 November Time: 8 AM CET (UTC 1) Online: https://lnkd.in/eDiFe4kd Secure your place now! #tailingsmanagement #sustainablemining #sustainablesolutions

Evolution Mining to evaluate fleet as part of emissions reduction pathway Evolution Mining, like many of its gold mining peers, has made a commitment to emissions reduction by 2030 on the way to achieving ‘net zero’ status by 2050. This relates to Scope 1 & 2 emissions compared with its FY20 financial year baseline. Evolution’s recent FY24 Annual Sustainability Report shows the company’s progress on this journey, demonstrating it is almost halfway to achieving the 2030 goal of a 30% reduction, with the circa-12% reduction in emissions in the last year against the adjusted FY20 baseline. The company’s emissions reduction pathway includes leveraging partnerships, including a new one with Caterpillar Inc.’s Pathway to Sustainability program, as part of its broader focus on emissions reduction. It is also investigating is the use of diesel-electric loaders, with its Cowal operation in New South Wales having added an “XE Caterpillar” vehicle - thought to be a Cat R2900 XE 18.5-t payload machine - to its fleet. Plus, Evolution Mining has engaged Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions as part of its fleet transition plans, with the potential of carrying out a trial on DL422iE battery-electric longhole drills at its Red Lake operation. All of this comes on top of its existing battery-electric vehicle work at Red Lake with Epiroc battery-electric loaders. Read the below for more information... #mineelectrification #minedecarbonisation #netzeromining Cat Mining

XEMC 220 ton all electric mining truck commissioned at Anjialing coal mine On October 11, China Coal #Pingshuo Group’s #Anjialing coal mine in #Shanxi took delivery of an all #batteryelectric XEG220E 200 t class mining truck manufactured by Xiangtan-based Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (XEMC) under its IGREENCLE CO., LTD #greenenergy mining equipment brand. Zhou Jianjun, Chairman of #XEMC was present along with Chen Jian, Chairman of China Coal Pingshuo Group. Igreencle is a JV led by XEMC together with SPIC Qiyuan & others. There are now two XEG220E trucks running in China, one with China Coal Pingshuo & the other at another China Coal operation. XEMC said the XEG220E all electric mining truck “is another innovative example of XEMC’s series of green energy-saving equipment. The advent of new products has given customers more choices in achieving greener production, and XEMC has also won the recognition of customers with excellent product quality and performance.” At the ceremony, China Coal Pingshuo Group also signed a procurement contract with XEMC for 16 sets of 100 t class XEG120E all electric trucks, with a total contract amount of over 100 million yuan, which equates to over US$14 million. Anjialing has already been operating a XEG120E for over a year successfully in tests. The XEG120E mining truck is also seeing some success elsewhere in the world – two were delivered to GRUPO AIZ in Brazil plus there are six operating with copper mine #Chinalco and in Russia, coal miner #Stroyservis is running 10 of them. Igreencle General Manager Jimmy JI told International Mining that like the XEG120E, the XEG220E uses #lithiumironphosphate (LFP) batteries but a new generation with a longer life cycle. The truck has 2,911 kWh of #batterypower, uses plug in charging with full charging in 50 minutes and is capable of running for 6 to 8 hours between charges. The XEG220E specifications say the truck can be delivered either with XEMC 5XEG25 or Wabtec Corporation 5GEB25 AC electric wheel motors. It is estimated that each single XEG220E vehicle can reduce CO2 emissions by more than 1,500 t per year, plus can save customers about 5 million yuan a year in operating costs due to the lack of diesel cost but also reduced maintenance. XEMC says that traditional 220 ton diesel mining trucks consume about 4,000 litres of fuel per day, while the XEG220E consumes 12,000 kilowatts of electricity per day, saving nearly 40% in cost. XEMC adds that in the process of development, to adapt the truck to the road conditions of large open pit mines, it “comprehensively analysed the propulsion system, hydraulic system, ventilation system, air-conditioning system and other systems’ energy consumption; completed the design of the high-voltage distribution box and the high-voltage, high-power power battery pack; plus developed a high-voltage, high-current fast charging system.” #futureofmining #theelectricmine China National Coal Group Corp. China Coal Energy Co., Ltd.

The Electric Mine 2025 Earlybird! The 20% discount on all tickets will only be available for a short period, so make sure to book your place now! #TheElectricMine2025 #TEM25 #mineelectrification #NetZeroMining

SPONSORED POST: Batteries to BEVs HATL has developed its own wide body battery mining trucks for open-pit mining ranging from the 60-t-class HC90EA and HC90EB, to the 70-t-class HC105E and 85 t HC135E. The largest model has a battery capacity of 704 kW/h and motor power/rated peak of 560/800 kW. All the models use a 6 x 4 configuration. HATL also offers a 20-t-class underground BEV truck, the HC33E. The HC105E has seen wide success including at the Shaoguan polymetallic mine in Guandong, which includes underground and surface operation; plus the Fengkai granite quarry in Guangdong. Other projects using the HC105E are the Mozhu Gongka copper-molybdenum mine in Tibet province at over 5,000 m where each HATL truck can reduce CO2 emissions by 0.77 t per day. At the Shanghang gold-copper mine in Fujian the trucks have achieved over 95% availability in challenging conditions. HATL trucks are also used at the Hengyang iron ore mine in Hunan Province. Find out more about how the company - formed in December 2020 when Hongda Blasting Engineering group company limited and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) formed the joint venture - has achieved these feats in the online profile 👇 #batteryelectric #widebodytrucks #minehaulage #HATL

SPONSORED POST: Mapping the unknown: Capturing survey-grade 3D models with autonomous robots Chief surveyors across the mining industry are increasingly relying on mobile Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) capture devices and autonomous solutions to efficiently and transparently keep track of underground workings, explains Trevor Olson, Business Development Representative for Exyn Technologies in this online profile. Given the importance of mining and the inherent dangers and challenges involved in the work, it’s no surprise that the industry has embraced drones and other autonomous systems. The ability to travel deep into dark and dangerous mines to extract resources, collect vast amounts of data and keep workers safe has made drones a central component of today’s industry. As uncrewed technology continues to advance and the need for mined resources remains high, it’s clear that the industry will find new and better ways to integrate these systems. Find out how Exyn is facilitating these developments in this online profile 👇, - featuring insights from a case study with Dundee Precious Metals Inc. #autonomousmining #miningdrones #minemapping #Nexys

SPONSORED POST: A proactive approach to haul road management Haul roads are the backbone of any mine site and impact vehicle downtime, and manually managing them can hinder operational efficiency. Developed in collaboration with three mines around the world, MICHELIN BETTER HAUL ROAD is a digital solution designed to enhance safety and efficiency in mining operations. MICHELIN BETTER HAUL ROAD provides a solution that allows mine managers to keep a close eye on this critical infrastructure. By monitoring haul roads in real time, operators can swiftly identify incidents such as debris or road damage that may arise. The system then allows them to register the issue within the app or through dispatch with the web, track its status via the app or web, and efficiently assign a repair team to address and resolve the problem. Find out all about MICHELIN BETTER HAUL ROAD in the profile below 👇 #mininghaulroads #miningtyres #mineoptimisation MICHELIN Mining