The business case for zero emissions mine fleets is not quite there yet, but miners of all sizes are preparing to hit the ground running once it is – and the race to electrification is about to heat up.
The Sandvik DL422iE longhole drill was successfully trialled by Barminco at the Nova Operation and is now an important part of the fleet
IMAGE COURTESY TOREX GOLD
while the company’s battery truck is planned for joint customer trials with BHP and Rio Tinto in 2026, he has been working closely with them on the planning due to the long lead times involved, particularly for infrastructure and electricity. “One of the key insights for us has been just how much effort goes into setting up the necessary power infrastructure and the associated costs,” he says. “It’s not just about the truck – it’s the entire ecosystem around it.” COSTS OF PREPARING MINING INFRASTRUCTURE The first major consideration for miners is ensuring sufficient electricity supply on-site. “It’s not uncommon for a mine to have limited power availability,” Mascarenhas notes, adding that static chargers can require up to 6 MW each, while trolley lines may need as much as 12 MW. Upgrading the amount of power going into a mine requires large investments in transformers and other electrical infrastructure, such as cabling, reticulation, poles, and wires, which the industry doesn’t always anticipate.
“The temptation is sometimes to be a little bit fixated on the machines because that’s effectively the thing that we’re changing. But the supporting infrastructure, the energy density, from generation to distribution to charging location: all of those things require investment,” says Darren Kwok, Head of Mining Electrification and Technology at global mining services firm Perenti. In his view, the conversation around capital needs and the understanding of electric fleets’ return on investment is still in its early days, which is limiting widespread adoption. Some miners—particularly smaller operations—are waiting to take action because of the lack of definitive results from existing trials. MMG’s Rosebery Mine in Tasmania is connected to a hydropower grid, meaning it benefits from large amounts of clean electricity. In 2023, the mine began bringing in diesel-electric loaders from Caterpillar and expects to convert the whole loading fleet by 2028. Rosebery Manager, Maintenance Craig Singleton says the mine is also waiting for the delivery of its first battery-electric production drills. However, for larger equipment, MMG is adopting a “fast follower” approach.
ANDREW FLYNN MMG ROSEBERY
BRIAN BOITANO LIEBHERR AUSTRALIA
CRAIG SINGLETON MMG ROSEBERY
DARREN KWOK PERENTI
GERTJAN BEKKERS TOREX GOLD
KEVIN MASCARENHAS KOMATSU AUSTRALIA
IN THE RACE TO FLEET DECARBONISATION, MINERS’ FORMATION LAP IS WELL UNDERWAY
B HP’s Vice President of Climate Graham Winkelman said it best last July when he told investors that the pathway to net zero would “not be a straight line”. Fleet decarbonisation is not a linear journey, but it is progressing steadily. In 2024 alone, at least three high-profile electric vehicle trials were announced around the world: Rio Tinto and BHP agreed to test Caterpillar and Komatsu haul trucks in the Pilbara, First Quantum Minerals
introduced a Hitachi Construction Machinery dump truck at its Kansanshi mine in Zambia, and Vale signed an agreement with Caterpillar to test a 240-tonne electric truck in Brazil. Operational results from these trials won’t be made public for some time, but learnings are already trickling in – in some cases, before trials even start. Kevin Mascarenhas, National Product Manager, Sustainable Mining at Komatsu Australia, explains that
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