| Work Detail |
PRESENT. Battery electric equipment offers a number of advantages in mining operations: they reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce operating costs, improve health and ensure the safety of workers. Along these lines, Epiroc organized the Power Change Days in 2018, a space where the second generation of battery-powered equipment was presented with the objective of contributing to sustainability in mining through these equipment.
Last years Power Change Days featured the second generation of 14 and 18-ton battery chargers, 42-ton truck and the family of medium-sized drills, which includes front drilling, production drilling and rock reinforcement platforms .
“Some of the initial doubts of having batteries in underground mining begin to disappear, as customers understand how Epiroc maintains the focus on safety throughout the development process of its Electrical Equipment to Battery: from cellular chemistry, manufacturing quality , construction of the battery and the Battery Management System, ”said Franck Boudreault, the companys Global Electrification Product Manager.
He stressed that the number of orders received for Battery Electric Equipment are almost aligned with the production capacity of Epiroc. He revealed that they have sold equipment in Australia, Canada and Finland. While loaders and trucks are the most demanded, interest in drills with battery technology has drawn attention.
“Drilling is a perfect first step for battery electrification since it does not require any infrastructure for customers (charging on board while connected to the power grid). This explains why half of the orders received from Battery Electric Equipment are for drilling rigs, ”said Boudreault.
Regarding field tests in world-class operations, the expert said they provided the first battery-powered Electrical Equipment models to the Kittilla mine in Finland, owned by Agnico Eagle.
On the other hand, he indicated that the testimony of his first clients will be the best argument for the use of this technology. “Seeing is believing and many of our clients are waiting for the first successful test to be encouraged to use Battery-powered Electrical Equipment. Our machines are used intensively and in a confined environment, two good reasons to switch from fuel engines to electric motors. I have a feeling that we have not yet discovered all the benefits of electrification in underground mining. Our clients will tell the story, ”he said.
Epiroc argues that the key to growth is to have an appropriate business model. In the case of the Swedish multinational, it is called BaaS (Service Batteries). With this, customers do not have to deploy large investment budgets, they are guaranteed the right batteries for their applications and they have a perfect prediction of the operating cost. Being green is not just about getting rid of diesel, it is also having intelligent battery management throughout its life, something that BaaS takes into account in a very professional way. |
