EACON Mining says it has once again demonstrated its expertise in the field of opencast coal mining with its 6th AHS contract. The latest project is the Shitoumei coal mine in northwest China with reserves of 10 billion tons and an annual production capacity of over 15 million tons. EACON deployed more than 20 hybrid and diesel trucks and says it achieved a fully operational autonomous fleet in just 17 days.

EACON has deployed a total of 23 autonomous mining trucks in the initial phase, which are organised into three shovel truck fleets. These fleets consist of 13 hybrid EL100 trucks with a payload of 90 tons and 10 diesel-powered trucks with a payload of 70 tons, which are used for overburden mining and coal extraction. All trucks were mobilised by EACON from other projects. Both models were equipped with EACON drive-by-wire systems and ORCASTRA™ Pilot, EACON’s autonomous driving system, at the LGMG and Tonly plants.

EACON now has more than 250 EL100 trucks in operation, which have already covered 7.4 million kilometres autonomously. The continuous development of the turnkey AHS solution for coal mines EACON says ensures rapid deployment within remarkably short time frames. As of March 9, EACON has deployed the entire autonomous fleet at Shitoumei coal mine within 17 days, from initial setup to full operation, without safety drivers.

Elaine Jin, COO of EACON Mining Australia, said: “In the coal mine overburden removal sector, EACON’s AHS solution has matured significantly, enabling rapid deployment in similar scenarios and significantly reducing the time and cost of implementing an autonomous haulage solution. Building on the foundation laid in coal mines, EACON will extend its AHS solution to metal mines, including gold and iron mines, in 2024.”