More than 60% of Batchfire Resources’ pre-strip mining fleet is now made up of electric drive dump trucks, after six new Komatsu 930E-5 ultra-class vehicles arrived at its Callide coal mine operations in Queensland, Australia.
The latest investment in six haul trucks maintains Batchfire’s policy of growing the proportion of electric drive machines within its overall fleet capacity, it said. The two draglines operating at Callide in central Queensland are electric powered.
Passing the 60% electric drive milestone significantly reduces the amount of carbon dioxide generated during pre-strip mining activities, according to the company. The new Komatsu 930E-5 dump trucks come with around 8% less emissions intensity than the older diesel-mechanical models being phased out, it said.
In addition, these new dump trucks will enhance productivity and deliver improved safety outcomes for Batchfire’s team of experienced operators, it said.
“Continuing to reduce the Callide Mine’s environmental impact and carbon footprint is a key priority for Batchfire Resources,” Allan Fidock, CEO of Batchfire, said.
“Batchfire is an agile business which places sustainability at the heart of our operations. We are constantly seeking new opportunities to reduce our overall emissions and this is reflected in our procurement policy.
“The Komatsu 930E-5 provides us with clear advantages in emission control, productivity and safety so investing in this market-leading model is the right solution for our business.
“In addition to these new machines, we expect to add a further three 930E-5s in the coming months, allowing us to phase out some of our older diesel-mechanical drive models.
“Maintaining our fleet’s high standards of reliability and efficiency, while increasing the size and capacity of the machines we operate, will result in productivity gains that benefit our entire business and emissions reductions that benefit the world in which we operate.”
Fidock emphasised that the procurement of diesel-electric drive machines was one aspect of a broader sustainability strategy at Batchfire.
“Our dedicated ESG and Development team is working with the board to strengthen ESG practices and identify opportunities to further reduce our emissions,” he said.
“This includes progressing the renewable energy projects, which are a central pillar of our transitional energy business model.
“We have also reduced fuel consumption across the diesel-mechanical drive and diesel-electric drive pre-strip and coal mining fleets by investing in MaxMine and other smart solutions. This data-driven approach to operations has improved our operations efficiency.”
MaxMine’s sensors and cloud-based processing system (MaxCube) extract and process 10,000 times more data from mining equipment and operator behaviour than incumbent systems, according to the software company, driving efficiencies and productivity.
The coal that Batchfire produces for the domestic and export market is the lowest fugitive emission energy coal mined anywhere in Queensland, according to the company, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in power generation within Australia and overseas.