Power and automation technology group ABB has won three major orders from Sierra Gorda SCM to provide electrical equipment in container design, known as E-houses, to ensure reliable power distribution to seawater pumps, the molybdenum plant and for the tailings treatment process at the Sierra Gorda project in the northern part of Chile. With an average lifetime of 30 years, E-houses can be configured to withstand extreme climate and environmental conditions such as temperature variations, humidity, storm and bomb blasts with various levels of fire rating. The container-sized E-house allows for easy transportation, installation and commissioning.

“ABB’s extensive mining industry experience and the very good performance and on-time delivery of previous equipment were major factors for choosing ABB as partner”, said Joseph Tis, Vice President Development at Sierra Gorda SCM. The scope of supply includes seven fully integrated, containerised E-houses, equipped with medium voltage (MV) switchgears, battery chargers, low voltage (LV) drives and motor control centers, uninterrupted power supply, instrumentation panels, a distributed control system, MV drive systems, LV drives and ABACUS (containerised high voltage filter bank). All equipment is installed in the E-houses and fully tested prior to shipment to site. This allows assembly work to be executed in a clean factory environment independent from weather conditions and on-site activity. The high level of pre-fabrication also means installation times are significantly reduced.

“Thanks to ABB’s strong local presence, Sierra Gorda SCM can benefit from complete support through the life cycle of the plant”, said Giuseppe di Marco, Head of ABB’s Global Industry Group for Mining. The orders follow previous deliveries of 21 E-houses, three gearless mill drive systems as well as related automation and power infrastructure equipment for Sierra Gorda’s main concentrator plant. The contracts were booked in December 2012 and April and July 2013. First deliveries started in August 2013 and were completed by January 2014. Production is planned to start in the second quarter of 2014.

The Sierra Gorda Project is a joint venture between KGHM International Ltd, Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumitomo Corporation. Estimated production from current reserves average 483 Mlb of copper, 25 Mlb of molybdenum and 64,000 oz of gold per year. The mine facilities are located at an altitude of 1,626 m.