Global mining services provider Perenti and Sandvik have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at MINExpo INTERNATIONAL® 2024 centred on developing cutting-edge diesel-electric equipment for underground mines.

This collaboration aims to enhance sustainability, efficiency and productivity in underground mining operations, Sandvik said.

Under the agreement, the companies will work together to optimise underground diesel-electric loaders and trucks. Through Perenti’s leading underground mining business, Barminco, the collaboration partnership will focus on improving Barminco’s operations and generating valuable insights and data to further refine Sandvik’s diesel-electric technology.

The initial phase of the collaboration involves establishing a shared vision for optimising Sandvik’s diesel-electric machines to meet Perenti’s requirements. Perenti will contribute to the machine design and provide feedback at various testing stages, including pre-factory testing, operational testing and trial testing.

Mark Norwell, Perenti Managing Director & CEO, welcomed the agreement, saying Perenti was excited to explore the full potential of diesel-electric solutions as part of its journey to decarbonisation.

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve the working environment and boost underground safety, efficiency and sustainability,” he said. “Diesel-electric equipment has the potential to do this. Collaborating with our partners is a critical step in the process, and we believe that working with Sandvik enables us to benefit from cutting-edge technology and also play a role in shaping the equipment that the wider industry will be using tomorrow. That’s good for us and it’s good for our customers.”

Mats Eriksson, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, emphasised that the mutual benefits of collaboration often do lead to better products – and safer, more efficient operations.

“Perenti, through its businesses including Barminco, is one of the world’s leading mining services providers, and can provide us with design suggestions and fantastic insights into real-world mining conditions,” he said. “Together, we can create equipment optimised for Perenti’s working conditions while also developing the most advanced diesel-electric machines available anywhere in the world.”

Diesel-electric mining equipment is seen by many within the industry as a way of achieving cleaner, more sustainable and more reliable mining, without the structural changes required for a fully-electric operation.

Diesel-electric machines typically have a diesel engine that drives a generator which, in turn, provides electricity to motors responsible for movement and operating equipment. Unlike conventional diesel, diesel-electric machines generally have no torque converter and fewer rotating components, allowing for a more flexible design, requiring less maintenance and enabling lower operating costs while maintaining high availability.

Sandvik first announced last year that it was moving ahead with developing a diesel-electric range of underground loaders and trucks to complement its leading battery-electric offering. The decision followed the showcasing of Sandvik’s Toro™ diesel-electric truck demonstrator to customers at a technology workshop in Turku, Finland in 2022. This demonstrator is on the booth at MINExpo 2024, in Las Vegas, this week.