Tag Archives: Cripple Creek and Victor

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Cat R1700 XE battery-electric LHD completes the test at Glencore Nickel Rim South

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The first field follow trial of Caterpillar’s R1700 XE battery-electric loader has been deemed a success by one Glencore trial participant, with the machine anticipated to surpass the productivity performance of the equivalent diesel LHD running at Glencore’s Nickel Rim South mine, in Sudbury, Canada.

Speaking in a video, Paul Kant, Glencore’s Maintenance General Foreman at the mine, said the battery-electric loader was likely to outperform the diesel-powered Cat® R1700G it was being benchmarked against at the operation over the trial period.

The mine has been using the machine, a 15-t payload loader, as part of ongoing plans to incorporate new technology at its Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations. This includes the development of an all-electric equipment fleet at the Onaping Depth project.

The Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations have played a significant role in the development of the R1700 XE, hosting a proof-of-concept trial of a battery-electric R1300 LHD at one of the mines where the machine ran in trials alongside its diesel equivalent. Caterpillar used the insight gained from this testing to develop the commercial R1700 XE.

The R1700 XE is rated with a 24,190 kg lift and tilt breakout, and, according to Caterpillar, features a battery-electric design that delivers superior productivity in underground applications with the benefits of minimal heat and no engine exhaust emissions. It offers an 18 km/h top speed.

It is designed to work with the Cat MEC500 Mobile Equipment Charger, a 1,656 kg (2,037 kg with optional skid) portable charger that, Caterpillar says, eliminates the need for regular battery handling and swapping, allowing for more efficient charging and production. The MEC500 offers a 500 kW capability at a range of 300-1,000 V and up to 700 Amps. The adjustable output can be used to trickle charge or quickly charge the R1700 XE – with a single unit delivering a full charge to the R1700 XE in less than 30 minutes or two units in parallel achieving this in less than 20 minutes.

The R1700 XE in Sudbury, working alongside either one or two MEC500s, has clocked more than 11,000 machine hours. During initial test operations, the customer indicated a circa-320,000 kg reduction of CO2 emissions and displayed a more than 10% improvement in speed on grade.

According to Glencore, the R1700 XEs Caterpillar has put out in the field to date have also exhibited lower energy consumption compared with the diesel equivalent – more than 10%, in fact

Speaking at The Electric Mine 2023 conference in Tucson, Arizona, in May, David Rea, VP and General Manager, Caterpillar Inc (pictured at the top), said of the machine: “We’re delivering for our customers improvements in safety, cost, productivity and sustainability.”

Machine availability in these field-follow trials has been helped by an up to 150-minute run time between charges and an average 18.5-minute charge rate with the dual chargers.

According to Glencore, the machines Caterpillar has put out in the field to date have also exhibited lower energy consumption compared with the diesel equivalent – more than 10%, in fact. And, while trials to date have all been in manual mode, Rea said the R1700 XE units in the field could be equipped for teleremote operation and were also “factory ready” for Caterpillar’s fully autonomous loading system.

Operations are being facilitated thanks to some “800 channels of machine data” flowing off the machines to those supporting the loaders, Rea said. This has allowed personnel from Caterpillar and Cat dealers to diagnose problems in the field and optimise the machine’s charging and operating strategies.

While Caterpillar continues to clock up the operating machine hours for its R1700 XE, it is also in the process of developing its first battery-electric truck.

“We’re not just stopping at the loader; we also need a truck to go alongside that loader,” Rea said in Tucson, adding that this would be a three-pass match for the R1700 XE – therefore, a truck boasting at least a 45-t payload.

Rea confirmed the new truck would be charged by the MEC500, but the company was working on both a fast charge and battery swap option for the vehicle.

“Our alliance with Newmont is leading the development of this truck,” Rea said, referencing a strategic alliance Caterpillar and Newmont announced in 2021 to deliver “26 first-of-a-kind battery-electric autonomous vehicles in both an underground and open pit operation by 2027”.

This agreement involves the introduction of these vehicles to Cripple Creek and Victor (open pit) and Tanami (underground) in USA and Australia, respectively.

“The first deployment of this [battery-electric] truck will be at Newmont Tanami,” Rea confirmed at the event.

Newmont’s Gosteva urges action to achieve mining industry’s decarbonisation goals

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Partnerships between miners and mining equipment, technology and service (METS) providers will prove key in solving the emissions reductions and sustainability targets mining companies have set for 2030 and beyond, Victoria Gosteva, Decarbonisation Program Manager at Newmont, said at the SME MineXchange Annual Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City today.

While outlining Newmont’s Energy & Decarbonization Program on stage, Gosteva made important statements about how the wider industry could decarbonise its operations and hit the goals it has set. Newmont, itself, has set a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 30% by 2030, with an ultimate goal of being net zero carbon by 2050.

Gosteva, urging actions over the near term, said partnerships with the METS community would be needed to set the companies on the right track to hit their sustainability goals, explaining that it was not only the technology-readiness element that needed to be addressed, but also the required infrastructure to, for example, charge electric vehicles.

“We can no longer afford to be fast followers as an industry,” she said. “There is really not that much time left to reach the 2030 targets.”

She said the investment community was also taking note of the need to decarbonise mine sites, with emissions likely to become a big contributor of company valuation metrics in the future.

Focusing on Newmont’s journey, in particular, she highlighted the $500 million the company committed over five years toward climate change initiatives back in 2020.

In addition to a number of PPA agreements looking to decarbonise the power grid of many of its remote mines, she also highlighted the 2021 signing of a strategic alliance with Caterpillar Inc to deliver a fully connected, automated, zero carbon emitting, end-to-end mining system, as well as a number of “energy efficiency” type of projects related to automation, data analytics and other projects that came under these initiatives.

Many of these projects were being helped by an enhanced investment system and process that incorporates and addresses emissions through an embedded carbon pricing mechanism. Gosteva said adding an emission calculator into these models where every project has an emission aspect in the investment review saw many of these projects develop a solid business case.

One project that has been helped by this is the strategic alliance with Caterpillar that will see the introduction of first-of-a-kind battery-electric haulage technology and automation at the gold miner’s Cripple Creek and Victor (CC&V) and Tanami mines in the USA and Australia, respectively.

Under the agreement, Newmont plans to provide a preliminary investment of $100 million as the companies set initial automation and electrification goals for surface and underground mining infrastructures and haulage fleets at Newmont’s CC&V mine in Colorado, USA, and Tanami mine in Northern Territory, Australia. The goals include:

  • Introduction of an automated haulage fleet of up to 16 vehicles at CC&V planned through 2023, with a transition to haulage fleet electrification and implementation of Caterpillar’s advanced electrification and infrastructure system with delivery of a test fleet in 2026. Actions include validating first-of-a-kind battery-electric haulage technology in the years prior to full production of autonomous electric haulage equipment;
  • Caterpillar will develop its first battery electric zero-emissions underground truck to be deployed at Tanami by 2026. The deployment includes a fleet of up to 10 battery-electric underground haul trucks, supported by Caterpillar’s advanced electrification and infrastructure system. This includes first-of-a-kind battery electric haulage technology for underground mining in 2024, the introduction of battery autonomous technology in 2025, with full deployment in 2026.

Gosteva highlighted that this project – which would also see the companies work on re-using batteries for energy storage when they hit their end of life in mobile mining applications – was very important to the company achieving its goals, but acknowledged that there was no silver bullet to achieving its targets.

Caterpillar to introduce battery-electric and autonomous haulage tech at Newmont ops

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Newmont has announced a strategic alliance with Caterpillar Inc to deliver a fully connected, automated, zero carbon emitting, end-to-end mining system that will see the introduction of first-of-a-kind battery-electric haulage technology and automation at the gold miner’s Cripple Creek and Victor and Tanami mines in the USA and Australia, respectively.

The announcement comes a day after Newmont’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Dean Gehring, told the Energy and Mines Virtual World Congress that the company’s primary focus for decarbonising its mobile mining fleet was on battery-electric options. It also follows the deployment of autonomous haulage solution technology at the Boddington mine in Australia (control room, pictured).

Together, the two companies will collaborate to create a safer, more productive mine, and substantially support Newmont in reaching its 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets of more than 30%, with an ultimate goal of being net zero carbon by 2050, the companies said.

Tom Palmer, President and CEO of Newmont Corporation, said: “A year ago, Newmont announced industry-leading emission reduction targets because we understand the human contribution to climate change. We followed with a commitment to invest $500 million over five years to identify pathways forward as we firmly believe that we must make bold, lasting commitments to achieve the necessary change for a bright, healthy future.

“Today, we furthered that commitment by announcing a new strategic alliance with Caterpillar to address climate change by fundamentally changing the mining industry through the rapid development and implementation of a comprehensive all-electric autonomous mining system to achieve zero emissions mining.”

Newmont’s surface and underground mining fleets are responsible for approximately 40% of the company’s carbon emissions, and building a new model for surface and underground mining is critical to delivering on Newmont’s emissions reduction targets, the company said.

Newmont will also be supporting Caterpillar’s validation of evolving features and functionality within the MineStar suite to be deployed across Newmont’s surface and underground assets globally. This deployment facilitates centralised production and asset management.

“Caterpillar is committed to providing transformational advancements in safety, sustainability and technology,” Jim Umpleby, Chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Inc, said. “We share Newmont’s dedication to a reduced-carbon future, and we’re honoured to work together on this industry leading effort.”

(From left to right) Rob Atkinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Newmont, Tom Palmer, President and CEO, Newmont, Jim Umpleby, Chairman and CEO Caterpillar Inc, and Denise Johnson, Group President, Caterpillar Inc

Under the agreement, Newmont plans to provide a preliminary investment of $100 million as the companies set initial automation and electrification goals for surface and underground mining infrastructures and haulage fleets at Newmont’s Cripple Creek and Victor (CC&V) mine in Colorado, USA and Tanami mine in Northern Territory, Australia. The goals include:

  • Introduction of an automated haulage fleet of up to 16 vehicles at CC&V planned through 2023, with a transition to haulage fleet electrification and implementation of Caterpillar’s advanced electrification and infrastructure system with delivery of a test fleet in 2026. Actions include validating first-of-a-kind battery-electric haulage technology in the years prior to full production of autonomous electric haulage equipment;
  • Caterpillar will develop its first battery electric zero-emissions underground truck to be deployed at Tanami by 2026. The deployment includes a fleet of up to 10 battery-electric underground haul trucks, supported by Caterpillar’s advanced electrification and infrastructure system. This includes first-of-a-kind battery electric haulage technology for underground mining in 2024, the introduction of battery autonomous technology in 2025, with full deployment in 2026.

Together, Newmont and Caterpillar plan to validate equipment, infrastructure, technologies and processes to transform both surface and underground mining, focusing on safety, automation, decarbonisation, optimisation, data and asset management across Newmont’s global operations, the miner said.

“Leveraging Newmont’s scale and operational capabilities, the alliance sets the stage for the rapid development and deployment of the technologies, ultimately improving safety, productivity and energy efficiency across the mining industry,” it added.