Tag Archives: ABB

Mark Norwell on the Perenti mining services differentiator

Automation, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining events, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining safety, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Perenti continues to make inroads across the mining value chain, reflected of late with the recent acquisition of DDH1, record 2023 financial year results and deployment of some of its initial artificial intelligence-backed solutions from the idoba technology business.

Against this busy backdrop and a keynote address at IMARC in Sydney, IM caught up with Mark Norwell, Managing Director & CEO of Perenti, to talk technology in the mining services space.

IM: The contract mining and mining services business is a very competitive space (especially in Australia). How are you readily leveraging technology for your mining clients as a competitive advantage?

MN: The industry has always been competitive, and that global competition continues to evolve.

I would say Barminco has been at the top of the game for three decades. Having that technical competence, the process, the scale and the people drives competitive advantage in its own right. As we have seen some shift in technology and new technology initiatives, the adoption has added to productivity and, therefore, our competitive advantage has grown again.

In terms of how we are adopting technology, there are a couple of areas to mention.

To come back to Barminco, one aspect has been through deploying point solutions for productivity improvement. This has been ongoing and part of our DNA.

More broadly, when we launched the idoba technology division a few years ago, we took the view that as we see greater shifts and acceleration of technology opportunities in mining, we needed the internal capability to drive that change from the inside out; not from the outside in.

We have the deep domain expertise in mining that, when combined with our technology business, further improves our existing contracting services, as well as creates new potential lines of business.

The differentiator for idoba is the ability to develop products and trial them within our own captive ‘sandpit’. A lot of technology companies don’t have this option. They develop solutions and go to mining companies with a great idea that lacks the evidence of trial data needed for many mining companies to implement the solutions. As a result, the trials never get off the ground. We don’t have that problem given we have operations – and supporting clients with matching values – to allow us to trial products in the field. This has been witnessed of late where we are rolling out some products to test across our underground mines in Australia (idoba recently announced that its Mine Performance Navigator AI-powered decision-support and analysis tool had been rolled out to a dozen underground Barminco-operated mine sites).

IM: In terms of automation, digitalisation/digitisation and electrification, where are you looking to take the lead for your mining clients?

MN: They are all interconnected to some extent. Digitisation, for example, really drives the value from deploying automation and electrification. That digital platform is imperative for mines of the future and is where idoba comes into play.

We want to be at the forefront with digitisation and the digital platform; likewise with electrification.

With our Barminco business, we are one of the world leaders in hard-rock underground mining, and electrification just makes sense for underground hard-rock mines – there are so many benefits. What’s also important is the collaboration associated with that. We heard this week from Perenti, ABB and IGO on the IMARC panel discussion that no-one has all of the capabilities to effectively electrify a mine, so choosing partners is crucial to execution.

Under an agreement between mine owner AngloGold Ashanti, Barminco and Sandvik, the Sunrise Dam gold operation in Western Australia began trialing the prototype 65 t Sandvik TH665B on September 14

When it comes to automation, it is an area we are working through. We have established teleremote and remote operating centres in the recent past – operating multiple machines at remote mine sites from Perth, for example – but, at this stage, we are not accelerating these developments at the same pace as electrification and digitisation due to timing really being of the essence for these two.

Saying that, our work with Sandvik and Newtrax on Level 9 collision intervention is related to this, being a building block of automation more broadly as well as a major game changer from the safety perspective. Once we nail that with a digital platform, we will continue to advance automation more broadly. We are closing in on that with Level 9 collision intervention trials expected to take place in the near term.

When we look at idoba and the work we are doing on DiiMOS (Distributed, Intelligent, Integrated Mining Operating System), we are agnostic to the equipment, the mine planning software and the broader mining processes at play. If we are not agnostic, we could end up locking our clients into one route that potentially ends up destroying value. We are also building out a capability where some clients can pick and choose, or take the full suite, from idoba.

The focus is on providing solutions bespoke to the mine’s needs.

IM: How are you balancing your close relationships with the technology vendors and your own internal technology developments through idoba? Who are the most obvious first customers for the idoba platform?

MN: There is always going to be some overlap and crossover, but we come at this with an operator mindset, where technology can augment this. The OEMs come at it from an equipment mindset with associated technologies to bolt on. The combination and partnership of these two approaches makes sense as you have the equipment, technology and operations covered.

There will be areas where we still have some competition but, ultimately, it is limited.

The full value is going to be generated through how we partner and collaborate with all the companies within the value chain. We have a long history of collaborating with Sandvik, for instance, as well as recent history with ABB, and everyone brings something different to the table. Without that combination of capabilities, we are not going to see the industry shift at the rate it needs to.

Our starting point for idoba will be servicing our current customers as we develop new products and support them on their journey. We will see some clients want more of our solutions than others. As we service our current clients with these, we can take what we have learnt to service new clients. The new clients might be mine operators themselves, where we provide digital solutions as a software-as-a-service. This opens up new potential markets to us, which goes to the broader strategy we set in 2019. This recognises the deep domain expertise we have in mining – which has served us extremely well and is not something everyone has. The plan back then was to leverage this and build out the services beyond that current offering; technology being one of those.

As we develop this new technology, we have learnt that we have the ability to offer lower capital intensity solutions that can serve us well throughout the mining cycles.

IM: Looking at decarbonisation and, more specifically, the agreement you have in place with ABB to ‘reduce the risk and uncertainty of electrifying both green and brownfield operations’; could you talk me through what risk mitigation processes you will be using as part of this? How do you tackle the uncertainty associated with making investments in infrastructure, people and technology against a very ‘fluid’ technology backdrop?

MN: There are a couple of areas that need to be front and centre through that journey. The digital integration platform is one of those – the complexity of what we’re solving for these days is far greater than what we were used to. Whether you are putting in a point solution, or a whole mine to electrify, having a digital platform is critical to making the right decisions at the right time.

As the technology evolves, this digital platform is even more integral to reinforcing decision making. If you go straight to the hardware without the digital backbone and the distributed network of energy needed to electrify, you are setup to fail in the long term.

idoba recently announced that its Mine Performance Navigator AI-powered decision-support and analysis tool had been rolled out to a dozen underground Barminco-operated mine sites

The other aspect that needs consideration from a risk mitigation perspective is having the leadership and culture in place to see these projects through. Leaders have to be ready to unlearn and relearn throughout this process.

Not only that you need to try to engineer out risk wherever possible through critical trials, a strong operational methodology and an assessment of the causal factors of what can go wrong and where those points are within the design. This could be through a traditional engineering methodology or technology adoption.

IM: You set up the Denver office a few years ago now. Outside of Hemlo and Red Chris, what does the pipeline of opportunities look like in North America? Does this client base require a different type of offering to what you traditionally have in Australia?

MN: We’re currently about A$100 million ($64 million) of revenue between those two agreements. We are looking for that to grow to A$400-500 million over the next three to four years. We see the pipeline in Canada and the US as significant. We have also installed the former head of AUMS in this business, looking to replicate the success we had in Africa over eight years in North America.

It’s fair to say the contractor model for Barminco is well understood in Australia and Africa; more so than in North America. In North America, they have a contract model that tends to be based on a charge-by-the-hour type of agreements, whereas we are looking to bring a technical approach to all our contracting.

At the same time as looking to grow this business, we are conscious of growing too quickly. Bringing in a new mining methodology takes a lot of change management. We don’t want to go too quick and have a misstep.

IM: What about ongoing M&A? Are there still gaps in the portfolio you are looking to fill?

MN: In terms of our strategy, we have said we will continue to build our portfolio to leverage our core competency in mining and adjacent areas to add value. We ultimately want a complete portfolio of businesses that have adjacencies to our core businesses.

We are still open to further M&A as long as it leverages our core capabilities and makes sense to our investors.

ABB, IGO and Perenti on collaborating for full mine electrification

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An industry panel discussion on the potential of electrifying IGO’s Cosmos underground nickel project at IMARC 2023 today highlighted the opportunities, risks and complexities associated with ‘greening’ a brownfield mining project at the moment.

Back in June, Perenti and ABB, in collaboration, were awarded an inaugural contract by IGO to undertake a study for the full underground electrification of the project, in Western Australia.

This study was to see experts from Perenti and ABB work side by side with IGO to provide a pathway for the optimum design of mine electrification at Cosmos. All aspects of electrification were to be considered in the study, including:

  • Mine design optimisation for electric operations;
  • Production and operating philosophy;
  • Fleet selection;
  • Power distribution and electrical infrastructure design;
  • Electrification system and battery management;
  • ESG and safety impact analysis; and
  • Cost modelling of both capital and operating expenditure.

At IMARC today, on the ‘Going All-Electric: Collaborating to Fully Electrify IGO’s Underground Cosmos Nickel Project’ panel discussion, chaired by Emma Jones, Innovation Management Lead, Southern Hemisphere, GHD, all three companies had representatives on stage to flesh out some of these bullet points, with the result being a fascinating discussion on implementing what is still a revolutionary concept.

The Cosmos study is split into three distinct parts with the companies currently half way through the process.

Both Chris Carr, Head of Technical Services at IGO, and Darren Kwok, Head of Mining Electrification and Technology, Perenti, admitted that the task at hand was highly complex.

Carr said the process would be much easier in a greenfield mine, with the potential ventilation and refrigeration cost reductions that would come with introducing electric machines likely to “pay” for the new equipment required.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the networks and communication would need to be improved to effectively run an all-electric mine to allow operators to know what vehicles had what state of charge and deploying these machines in the optimal way.

“This could potentially see whole sites use Wi-Fi or 5G for better data transmission,” he said. “At the same time, we would know where every vehicle is and where every vehicle is going, providing the opportunity for ‘true’ collision avoidance.”

Kwok said there was likely to be a “flow-down effect” when electrifying equipment, which would have an impact on how mines plan, schedule and operate. “We need a holistic view of a mine,” he said, explaining that “just in time” mining would not work in an all-electric operation where energy management is a key concern.

Kwok added: “We also have to link the fleet together with the rest of the operations – that is the secret sauce here.”

Mehrzad Ashnagaran, Global Product Line Manager – Electrification and Composite Plant, ABB, said any mining company looking to fully electrify their mines needed to recognise that they were working with “immature technology” that cannot meet all of their requirements.

“The design of an all-electric mine is different to the vision we originally had,” he said. “This is why we need to break the process down into manageable projects for a phased approach that can allow customers to start decarbonising now.”

This is where the company’s eMine™ approach comes in, providing a roadmap of solutions on the way to longer-term electrification goals.

“In reality, the solution we are offering today may not be the same one we offer companies in five to 10 years’ time,” he added.

There was also an engaging exchange on the risk management associated with embarking on this exercise.

Ashnagaran said, for ABB, the Cosmos study and other all-electric projects the company is working on would see its vendor agnostic and interoperable approach tested and scrutinised.

“The whole eMine philosophy, however, is that no-one can go on such a journey alone; we need to collaborate with partners,” he said.

Kwok said the study allowed the service provider to learn and understand the terms of how electrified mining can practically work.

“We, at Perenti, already understand what ‘good’ looks like [from an operating perspective]…and we also understand what change looks like at a mine site,” he said, adding that the company already has electric machine data to pull into such studies.

Carr said building ‘the electric mine’ is both a risk and an opportunity, with the mining company prepared to financially back most of the expense associated with this as it had, potentially, the most to gain from a successful outcome.

He also added a bit of wider IGO context to reinforce the point.

“At IGO, we invest A$70 million ($44.5 million) a year on exploration, putting drills into the ground,” he said. “Not all of those holes are deemed a success, but they allow us to keep building our knowledge,”

The same is true for this all-electric Cosmos study.

“Regardless of the outcome, we will learn a lot,” he said. “We are driven to be the ‘first to be first’ here; first to be second simply does not work for us.”

ABB ELDS designs world-first solution for major platinum miner

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When a consulting engineering company approached ABB about a specific problem that its platinum mining client was experiencing at its smelter facility in the North West Province of South Africa it was an opportunity for the technology provider to showcase its innovation and adaptability in responding to specific customer requirements.

“There was nuisance tripping of the furnace due to an assumed earth fault caused by an unbalanced inrush current on the transformer,” Jan van Zyl, Engineering Manager at ABB, said.

The solution devised was based on using the on-point switch capability of the Switchsync® PWC600. This relay is designed for single-pole operated circuit breakers, controlling each pole to close and/or open at the optimal point on the wave where inrush currents and flux generation is the lowest for the switched load.

It features unprecedented flexibility for switching various loads with diverse configurations and comprehensive monitoring functionality to track circuit breaker behaviour and handling multiple loads connected to the same breaker. For power transformers, PWC600 can estimate the residual fluxes in the core to minimise energisation transients under all switching scenarios. It compensates for variations in environmental factors and drifts in circuit breaker properties.

The solution ultimately resulted in a significant reduction of downtime and production losses for the platinum miner. “The main focus of the client was to increase the efficiency of the furnace by removing all of this nuisance downtime, thereby boosting its profitability by a considerable margin,” van Zyl says.

Fanie Delport, Sales Specialist at ABB, says that this specific solution has now been applied to three different furnace applications for the client. The first (12 kV or 17.5 kV) has already been commissioned, while a second slag cleaning application is being finalised. The third 33 kV solution is just pending the final installation of panels.

“We have provided three different solutions for three different areas of the plant,” Delport explains.

The facility was decommissioned in line with the platinum miner’s furnace rebuild program. While the furnace was being upgraded, it was decided to refurbish the substation as well. In parallel with this program, two substations at Polokwane were also refurbished.

“Obviously, the furnace rebuild had a tight timeframe, and we had to carry out a lot of work during that limited period. We had one service team on-site that were running all three of these installations simultaneously,” Delport says.

Commenting on the technology applied for this solution, Delport says the PWC600 was designed originally for capacitive back switching. Prior to it being upgraded to switch single phase transformers or power transformers, ABB was already using it for this application.

A third-party engineering house was appointed to carry out the initial investigation on the relay and the intended application, whereafter it was integrated success with ABB’s VD4 breakers. Two different solutions were applied, namely a VD4 P standard uniform breaker and a VD4 AF furnace-specific breaker used on the 33 kV application.

“Just to get to where we are now was quite a challenge,” van Zyl says. “This is the first time that this combination of products has been used for this particular solution.” Various global ABB Product Managers were also involved. “We shared our design and information so ABB globally could understand what we were doing and how we were applying it.”

Apart from resolving the issue of nuisance tripping, another major benefit is increased life expectancy of the equipment.

Delport says: “This is a solution that 100% suits the customer’s specific requirements. It is a real testament to the flexibility of ABB in being able to assist our customers. There was a lot of upfront investigation and alignment with the customer, ABB and the EPC contractor that worked on the project.”

“The plant personnel are getting used to the solution and are extremely happy with its performance to date. They are relying quite heavily on the functionality it is providing.”

The solution is now even being rolled out generally at another industrial company in Zimbabwe looking for the same level of technical capability. “A lot of furnace operations are now being built around what we have achieved here,” says Delport.

Van Zyl concludes: “We not only have to keep up with technology but also with our customers’ requirements, who are keen to see what kinds of solutions we can out on the table for them. While a consulting engineer, various subcontractors and the global ABB engineering team were all involved, at the end of the say it was ABB ELDS in South Africa that pulled all this together successfully.”

ABB on extending mine production and asset life with ventilation on demand

Automation, Environmental, Mine ventilation, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Ventilation on demand not only reduces energy usage and costs in underground mines, it can help extend production and the lifespan of existing infrastructure as part of a suite of electrification and automation solutions, say Marcos Hillal, Global Product Line Manager, Automation, ABB, and Jan Nyqvist, Global Product Manager, Automation Underground Mining, ABB.

By now, many readers will be familiar with ventilation on demand (VOD); what it is, what it does and the multiple benefits it offers mining companies in terms of efficiency, costs, safety and compliance.

Ventilation systems are the largest consumers of power in underground mines, accounting for 50% of energy use. VOD systems linked to the geolocation of people and vehicles intelligently adjust air flow to maximise air quality and minimise consumption. Supplying air into the mine (and expelling exhaust gases) only where and when it is needed can reduce overall energy usage by up to half. It also reduce cooling or heating needs of the circulated air.

Operators of subterranean mines must also comply with increasingly stringent safety regulations related to air quality, ensuring personnel are not exposed to excessive levels of CO, CO2, dust, humidity, toxic blasting and strata gases, and, chiefly, NO, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions from diesel vehicles.

VOD not only supplies fresh air to underground mines, as well as removing spent or contaminated air, it automatically regulates air temperature to keep workers comfortable and safe, not to mention removing the need for them to enter potentially hazardous environments to manually operate fans.

Being smart about ventilation

So far, so good. However, what is not so well understood is how VOD can used to expand production and extend the life of ventilation infrastructure. With energy prices high and declining ore grades forcing operators into more remote, inhospitable locations in search of elusive reserves, technology solutions that can prolong the life of existing mine assets can offer an invaluable competitive edge.

So, how can VOD be applied to expand mine production? The answer is by delivering air even more smartly and efficiently based on actual operational parameters. ABB’s open platform, System 800xA, for example, utilises real-time data transmitted from sensors around the mine on key parameters such as the use of trucks, location of personnel, and gas, flow and temperature information.

ABB’s VOD solution, ABB Ability™ Ventilation Optimizer (VO), uses this data to operate the fans according to actual demands calculated from production schedules, as well as equipment status and location, reducing the amount of air that fans supply to certain sections of the mine by as much as 20-40%.

These savings can then be used to supply air to other sectors where they are needed more, whether that be new, hitherto unexplored places or existing areas where the operator wishes to maintain or increase production. What is more, VOD can do this by using existing infrastructure – ventilation shafts, for instance – which equates to significant savings on capex and manpower for customers.

Take automation to the next level

ABB Ability VO is designed to be integrated into each operation depending on that project’s specific characteristics and existing level of automation – how advanced the existing positioning system or communications backbone is, say – and comprises three separate levels.

Level one is the standard package whereby we connect ABB Ability VO to the ventilation equipment so that the customer can supervise and control the fans and air regulators remotely. They have the option to add further automation, meaning that the system can automatically adjust air flow based on the mine’s time and production schedule and, also, in the event of a fire or blasting in the mine.

In level two, positioning tools such as tracking on demand are integrated in the mine systems to pinpoint the exact location of vehicles, machines and people based on the production schedule, so the ventilation system throughout the mine can be automatically adjusted based on air flow levels.

Finally, level three is full automation or ‘closed loop’ ventilation. An algorithm computes the optimal operational set points on all the fans and regulators depending on demand and sensors continuously feedback data, allowing the system to optimise air flows and air quality, and minimise energy usage.

By introducing three implementation stages, VO system also gives customers time to adapt their processes and people so that the system can be fully integrated for maximum results.

A suite of scalable solutions

VO should not be viewed as an isolated solution, however; instead, it forms part of a portfolio of scalable, interconnected digital and automation technologies that together give operators complete control of a multitude of functions, from dewatering the mine to material tracking.

Future innovations include online monitoring to ensure the ventilation system is working in the most optimal way. In terms of scalability, since VO is based on our market leader 800xA platform, other advanced solutions can be integrated, such as ABB’s asset management and power monitoring systems, so mines can benefit from the company’s full range of ABB’s dedicated solutions for underground mine operations, all under one single integrated platform.

In this way, VOD forms part of a package of digital, automation and electrification technologies that, when deployed together, can transform underground mines into safer, more efficient environments.

ABB Installation Products tackles cable to connector stability on heavy-duty electric vehicles

Environmental, Mining equipment, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

ABB’s Installation Products division has pioneered the world’s first full range of hinged high voltage connector backshells for heavy-duty electric vehicles with its Harnessflex® EVO™ Connector Interfaces, it says.

Cable to connector stability is critical to the operation of any electric vehicle, with heavy-duty EV wiring particularly vulnerable to high engine temperatures, strain, abrasion, vibration, ingress and corrosion. To protect and stabilise these connections, ABB Installation Products has come up with its Harnessflex EVO Connector Interfaces.

Heavy-duty vehicles comprise a small percentage of the world’s transportation but are responsible for nearly a quarter of total estimated road emissions globally, ABB says. As countries tackle climate change, commitments to reduce heavy-duty vehicle emissions are leading to tighter standards on fleet and public transportation, as well as industrial and agricultural equipment. The move toward lower-emission vehicles translates to modern engine designs with a significant amount of electrical wiring and hotter running temperatures. ABB’s Harnessflex EVO Connector Interfaces are part of a complete cable protection system designed to meet or exceed industry standards, protect critical wiring, and improve performance and reliability in high voltage applications, ABB says.

Andrea Castella, EVP and General Manager, ABB Installation Products Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, said: “As EV adoption accelerates, ABB is working with vehicle makers, transportation providers and original equipment manufacturers to integrate robust electrical wiring solutions that meet evolving requirements and sustainability objectives, while delivering safer and reliable performance.

“Harnessflex EVO Connector Interfaces offset the need for expensive, bulky cable clamps in high voltage applications and expands ABB’s electrification solutions for a broad range of demanding and high-use areas of transportation, from construction and agriculture to trucks, buses and trains.”

The Electric Vehicle Orange colour of ABB’s Harnessflex EVO Connector Interfaces indicate high voltage wiring and components, deliver cable-to-connector strain relief with high mechanical performance, as well as prevent debris intrusion. Designed with a tamperproof, integrated clip system, Harnessflex EVO Connector Interfaces add an extra layer of security to high voltage systems and strengthen resistance to abrasion and vibration on EV applications.

ABB Installation Products pioneered the world’s first full range of hinged high voltage connector back-shells for heavy-duty electric vehicles with its Harnessflex EVO Connector Interfaces.

Nathan Cook, Global Business Development Manager for Cable Management Products, ABB Installation Products, said: “ABB’s first-of-its-kind Harnessflex EVO Connector Interfaces reduce cable movement and form tighter junction joints for safer and more secure high voltage connections in electric ancillaries, DC/DC converters, onboard chargers, high voltage battery packs, hybrid systems, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and dynamic and static power systems.”

Over the past four decades, Harnessflex specialty conduit systems and cable management solutions have been widely used in industrial, robotics and transportation installations. Harnessflex EVO Connector Interfaces are tested and produced at ABB’s Coleshill, UK facility and are available globally, the company says.

IGO awards Cosmos electrification study to Perenti, ABB collaboration

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Perenti and ABB, in collaboration, have been awarded an inaugural contract by IGO Ltd to undertake a study for the full underground electrification of IGO’s Cosmos Nickel Project in Western Australia.

The electrification study is a significant step in IGO’s commitment to continuously improving its sustainability performance by trialling new technologies and decarbonising its operations, helping to create a green energy future, it said.

In November 2022, Perenti signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global technology company ABB to collaborate to develop a service offering that combines Perenti’s mining expertise and technical capability with ABB’s electrical and technological expertise.

The study will see experts from Perenti and ABB work side by side with IGO to provide a pathway for the optimum design of mine electrification at Cosmos. All aspects of electrification will be considered in the study including:

• Mine design optimisation for electric operations
• Production and operating philosophy
• Fleet selection
• Power distribution and electrical infrastructure design
• Electrification system and battery management
• ESG and safety impact analysis, and
• Cost modelling of both Capex and Opex.

“At IGO we believe in a green energy future, and that extends to our underground mining operations where the electrification of our fleets will create a safer, greener, and more productive operation. We are excited about this future and our collaboration with Perenti and ABB to make this a reality,” Chris Carr, IGO Head of Technical Services, said.

“Valuing the environment and enabling the energy transition is one of Perenti’s three key sustainability imperatives and this study demonstrates the capabilities of our electrification collaboration with ABB,” Raj Ratneser, Executive Sponsor of Decarbonisation at Perenti, added.

“Decarbonisation and electrification are critical to the future of mining, and we are privileged to be working with our client IGO on this pioneering study.”

“Congratulations to IGO on taking on such an ambitious project, which combined with their renewable power project will largely decarbonise their Cosmos mining operations,” Max Luedtke, Vice President and Business Line Mining Manager, ABB, said.

“The progress between ABB and Perenti is advancing every day and this study is an ideal opportunity to advance our efforts and collectively drive towards providing electric solutions that effectively decarbonise the mining industry.

“At ABB, we take pride in sharing our eMineTM approach for electrification and automation, spanning from pit to port, through such effective collaborations within the industry.”

ABB, Boliden target low carbon footprint copper for EMS equipment, electric motors

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ABB says it is working with Boliden to build a strategic co-operation to use low carbon footprint copper in its electromagnetic stirring (EMS) equipment and high-efficiency electric motors.

The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while driving the transition to a more circular economy, ABB says.

The partnership with Boliden forms a part of ABB’s strategic ambition to reduce the environmental impact of raw materials used in its products by replacing them with lower carbon alternatives, it says. Apart from using recycled copper, ABB has committed to increase the use of recycled electric steel (e-steel) and recycled aluminum.

The move is also an important step in closing the circularity loop that has already seen ABB designing its motors to be up to 98% recyclable, with the remaining 2% of materials available to be incinerated for heat recovery. Recycling copper, aluminum and steel offers energy savings of between 75-95% compared with virgin production, according to the company.

Ola Norén, Head of Metallurgy Products, Process Industries, ABB, said: “As a part of ABB’s 2030 sustainability strategy, our target is for 80% of our products and solutions to be covered by a circularity approach. The work with Boliden is an important step towards this goal. By taking stock of the delivery by the end of this year we’ll ensure that all our metallurgy products use recycled hollow copper conductors from 2023.”

Ulf Hellstrom, Managing Director at ABB Motion, Sweden, added: “We want to enable a more sustainable and resource-efficient future, and with this collaboration our customers can not only decarbonise by upgrading to energy-efficient motors but will also be able to install ABB technology that has an improved environmental footprint thanks to Boliden’s copper. This is an excellent example of the circular economy in practice.”

The co-operation includes ABB placing the first order for Boliden’s certified recycled copper through Finnish metals manufacturing specialist Luvata. Hollow conductor wire made from the material will be used in ABB’s EMS products for both steel and aluminum manufacturing.

Furthermore, as of 2023, ABB will purchase Boliden’s low-carbon and recycled copper to cover the demand for its IE5 Ultra-Premium Efficiency SynRM and e-mobility motors produced in Europe, it says. The two companies have also signed a memorandum of understanding that will see ABB supporting Boliden in identifying inefficient low-voltage motors across its operating units. These motors can then be replaced with high-efficiency motors within ABB’s take back upcycling framework, with the old motors recycled to provide raw material for Boliden’s recycled copper.

Boliden has developed low-carbon copper that is mined using fossil-free energy and also produces copper using secondary raw material from recycled products. The carbon footprint of these products is 65% lower than the industry average, according to the miner.

A typical 75 kW motor weighing 650 kg might include 80 kg of copper. Using Boliden’s copper saves approximately 200 kg of CO₂ emissions for every one of these motors manufactured, ABB says. Each stirrer has up to 2,700 kg of copper, saving up to 6,700 kg of CO2 per stirrer.

ABB and Perenti to collaborate on mining electrification projects

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Perenti has signed an agreement with ABB to collaborate and explore approaches to support net-zero emissions targets for underground and open-pit mines.

Experts from the two companies will work together to address electrification in mine hauling operations, power distribution, energy efficiency and power management, the companies said.

Australia-based Perenti has mining expertise and technical capability, which complements ABB’s technology expertise. Together, the teams plan to explore business models and solutions to provide wider services for pilot, brownfield and greenfield mining customer projects to support the electrification of operations.

ABB has been calling for open collaboration within the mining industry and has taken action on several similar initial non-binding agreements to build commitments with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), technology innovators and mining companies. This includes pacts with FLSmidth, Amazon Web Services, MEDATech, Liebherr and others.

“Mining customers are committed to facing environmental, societal and economic challenges head on as they aim to decarbonise mining operations,” Joachim Braun, Division President, Process Industries, ABB, said. “With ABB’s sector leading position in electric mine technology development, and Perenti’s excellence and experience in mine development and mine operations, the scope of this collaboration is a perfect opportunity to make real progress in providing electric solutions that will decarbonise the industry.”

Mark Norwell, Managing Director and CEO, Perenti, said: “ABB and Perenti share a vision to develop energy-efficient solutions for the mining industry. By combining our experience across mining operations and digital solutions with ABB’s leading technologies we are focused on supporting the decarbonisation of mining through electrification. We look forward to working with ABB on this exciting new venture.”

ABB launched its ABB Ability™ eMine portfolio of technologies and methodologies last year, an approach to make the all-electric mine possible, with fully integrated electrification and digital systems from mine to port.

Perenti says it is committed to acting on climate change through promoting innovation, developing and deploying low emissions technology and working with its clients to implement projects that improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

Boliden’s trolley journey continues to evolve with Kevitsa line launch

Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In its latest move to become the most climate friendly and respected metal provider in the world, Boliden has opened the trolley line at its Kevitsa mine in Finland.

The line, which encompasses a 1.3-km-long track, now has three Komatsu 227 t 830E-5 trucks running on it, according to Stefan Romedahl, President Business Area Mines, Boliden. “The following 10 trucks will be converted in the spring of 2023 when the in-pit trolley line will be commissioned,” he told IM.

This project aims to cut the mine’s carbon dioxide emissions, with estimates the volume of CO2 emitted could reduce by 9% over mine’s lifetime using this electrical infrastructure.

Boliden is not new to trolley operations. It started testing trucks on the Kevitsa line late last year, while its Aitik copper mine in northern Sweden ran electric-drive trucks on trolley as far back as 2018.

Following a two-year trolley assist pilot project on a 700-m-long line at Aitik – which saw Eitech and ABB supply electrical infrastructure; Pon Equipment and Caterpillar carry out truck modifications; and Chalmers University provide supporting research on system aspects of the electrification – the company, in late-2019, decided to further invest in trolley operations at Aitik. This was announced at the same time as the Kevitsa trolley plans.

Romedahl confirmed there are now 14 Caterpillar 313 t 795F ACs trucks running on a 1.7-km-long trolley line at Aitik, which will be extended as the depth of the mine increases.

Stefan Romedahl, President Business Area Mines, Boliden

While all the trucks at these two operations use diesel-powered propulsion after they come off the trolley infrastructure, Romedahl said the plan was to convert them to ‘zero emission’ solutions in the future, with a battery-trolley setup under consideration.

“Yes, this is the long-term strategy,” he said. “Boliden is working closely with our suppliers to achieve this in the upcoming years.”

With the world requiring many more mines to electrify industry, Romedahl was hopeful more of these would move towards fossil-free operation.

“At Boliden we have the vision to be the most climate friendly and respected metal provider in the world,” he said. “That is not something you can have as a vision without doing quite a lot in the field of sustainable company development. The trolley lines are one of many activities we do to reach that vision.

“For Boliden, it is crucial to perform in the direction of fossil freeness as soon as possible. The green transition can’t happen in 10 years; it needs to happen now.”

ABB to divest minority stake in Hitachi Energy JV

Environmental, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , ,

ABB says it has reached an agreement to divest its remaining 19.9% stake in the Hitachi Energy joint venture that was formed from ABB’s Power Grids business in 2020 to Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi has exercised its call option that was agreed between the parties in December 2018, agreeing to pay $1.679 billion to acquire the minority stake.

The companies have agreed to settle remaining obligations relating to the original transaction, and ABB will continue to provide transition services to Hitachi Energy for it to fully separate from ABB’s systems, ABB says.

ABB does not expect to record any significant gain or loss as a result of the sale, expecting net positive cash inflows of approximately $1.425 billion upon closing of the sale.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and closing is expected to happen in the December quarter of 2022.

Timo Ihamuotila, Chief Financial Officer of ABB, said: “We are delighted to have agreed on the final part of the transaction earlier than expected and on favourable terms. This will further strengthen our balance sheet and give us additional flexibility in our capital allocation decisions.”

Yoshihiko Kawamura, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, CFO of Hitachi, Ltd., and the Chair of the Board of Hitachi Energy, said in a separate press release: “We are pleased with the progress of Hitachi Energy and we look forward to supporting the Hitachi Energy 2030 Plan, as announced during Hitachi Investor Day 2022.”

Hitachi Energy says it is making good progress with its portfolio offering that is strengthening, expandin, and evolving the power system supporting customers and partners across the entire lifecycle to enable a sustainable, flexible and secure energy system. It says it is also well-positioned to accelerate the growing electrification of transportation, industry and building sectors with its long-term Hitachi Energy 2030 purpose-driven growth plan.