Turkey’s Nuh Cement has already innovated in mining fleet electrification via converting its diesel hydraulic shovels to electric operation with cable reels and electric motors. With the aim to save another 1 million litres of diesel fuel annually it is now converting its diesel-fuelled dump trucks to battery electric. It began the electric truck transformation project in 2019 which was recently formally launched in 2022 on May 27, at Istanbul Çırağan Palace.
In the project Nuh Cement, working jointly with ABB, is converting 10 mainly Euclid/Hitachi dump trucks with an average 160 ton capacity, which have completed their 30-year service life, from diesel engine power to electric. The images of the initial concept truck showed a Euclid R85 B. Nuh Cement says it is proud of signing one of the first mining truck battery conversion projects of its kind in the world, the only similar project being the e-Dumper project that saw a Komatsu HD605 65 t truck converted to battery for Ciments Vigier SA by Kuhn Switzerland AG and Lithium Storage GmbH.
Within the scope of the project, Nuh Cement aims to reduce initial investment and operating costs of its mining activities, and to increase transportation efficiency and performance. The agreement stated: “Nuh Cement and ABB have made progress in the technical studies of the E-Dump Truck project and have agreed on 27th May 2022 on the ‘Conceptual Design’ of the project.”
The project summary showed the following ABB truck components being used – X90 Mobile Controller, AXME Auxiliary Motor, BORDLINE® platform solution for traction and auxiliary inverter and DC/DC converter, BORDLINE® Energy Storage System and Traction Motor.
The company stated: “When we convert all haul trucks to electric, we expect to save approximately 1 million litres of diesel fuel per year. We aim to prevent 2,450 t of carbon dioxide emissions annually by converting all haul trucks in the project to fully electric vehicles. In addition, the regenerative energy generated when haul trucks go downhill will recharge the batteries.” Nuh Cement CEO, Kamil Gökhan Bozkurt, stated that it is reducing costs and environmental impacts with projects that focus on low-carbon and alternative fuels; he added that the dump trucks, which carry 4.5 Mt of limestone per year in its Çimnak Co quarries, will set an example for both the mining and cement industries.
Stating that its carbon footprint will be erased with the project, Bozkurt said: “In addition to the economic contribution of unused diesel fuel, the preference of electricity, which is a cleaner energy source; By reducing our carbon emissions, it will erase our transport carbon footprint. I believe that the project, which will be realised with the technology and experience of ABB Turkey and ABB Global, will add value to both our companies and our world. Our project partner acts with the goal of zero emissions in its operations and projects within the scope of 2030 Global Sustainability targets. In this project, energy efficient products produced in our partner’s high-tech factories will be used. Within the scope of this project, they will be responsible for the supply and system engineering of the traction system, battery pack, electric motor, vehicle control system, electric vehicle charging station and all equipment needed for the conversion of haul trucks to electric.”
Nuh Cement Industry General Manager Halim Tekkeşin said: “The most meaningful achievement of the project will be to give a second life to the machines that have expired. In the first phase of the project, the seeds of which were planted in 2016 and realised in 2018, we completed the electrification of the excavators working in our quarries. We became the first cement operation in Turkey to operate construction equipment with electric motors instead of diesel engines. In this way, we have reduced our carbon footprint while saving 2 million litres of diesel so far. Just as we have extended the life of our construction equipment with the works carried out in the first phase, our trucks, which otherwise would have been scrapped, have a replacement cost of $15 million; will continue to live with confidence and maximum efficiency for another 30 years.”
ABB Turkey Traction Division Manager Saim Baran, stated that he is happy about the cooperation, adding: “Our company is one of the suppliers of high-tech e-mobility and rail system traction converters, energy storage systems and electric vehicle charging solutions. As a company, we rely heavily on our expertise and efficient technologies to help accelerate the transition to all-electric operations. Our products, developed and produced with our experience of more than 100 years, help our customers to save energy, reduce costs and achieve their sustainability goals by zeroing carbon dioxide emissions in many rail systems and e-mobility projects. In these days when the need for clean and sustainable energy is increasing rapidly all over the world, we, as ABB, are proud to be in this zero emission project, which is the first in the world and in our country.”
