Tag Archives: HVO100

Epiroc underground drill rigs, mine trucks and loaders now compatible with HVO100

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Epiroc’s range of drill rigs, mine trucks and loaders for underground applications are now verified to be compatible with HVO100. This alternative fuel reduces particulate tailpipe emissions and other harmful substances, including greenhouse gases.

Rickard Johansson, Vice President Marketing at Epiroc’s Underground division, said: “By switching from fossil diesel to HVO100, customers can reduce CO2e emissions in operations by up to 1,000 tonnes per year, using a Minetruck MT42 S as an example. We are very proud to offer this alternative energy source to support our customers in the transformation towards more sustainable mining operations.”

HVO100 (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) can serve as a direct replacement for fossil diesel or be used in a blended form. When used in diesel engines, this renewable fuel can reduce CO2e emissions by up to 90%, according to Neste, compared with conventional fossil diesel, depending on operating conditions and production methods.

Ulrika Ford, Global Sustainability Manager, Epiroc Underground division, added: “Epiroc has ambitious sustainability targets for 2030, and we continuously strive to improve our offering by finding more sustainable customer solutions. The ability to use HVO100 in our underground rigs, loaders and trucks is an important step towards meeting these targets and helping our customers lower their carbon footprint.”

Moving from fossil diesel to HVO100 does not require any changes to service, installation or infrastructure, as it works similarly to mineral diesel, according to Epiroc. This makes the transition to HVO100 a smooth and practical alternative solution, it says.

HVO100 can be used in all underground drill rigs, mine trucks and loaders produced from December 2022. For compatibility with earlier models, and for machines already in the field.

Epiroc says it is committed to halving CO2e emissions in our own operations. For example, in the product company in Örebro, Sweden, fossil diesel usage is being phased out and all machines are now fuelled up with HVO100 instead.

In November 2023, Epiroc announced HVO100 compatibility for surface drill rigs.

Epiroc whets the electrification appetite for MINExpo 2024

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

Less than a month out from MINExpo INTERNATIONAL 2024 in Las Vegas, Jérôme Cloué, Vice President of Electrification for Epiroc, talked up numerous electrification launches/debuts at the show that would go a long way to helping its customers achieve their sustainability targets.

During a visit to Boliden’s Rävliden mine, part of the Kristineberg complex, in in northern Sweden in late August to highlight the Epiroc Minetruck MT42 SG Battery vehicle running on an 800-m trolley test track underground, Cloué said the company was expecting to make many announcements at the show, including some that fit into the “zero carbon” category.

Epiroc, as part of its sustainability goals, has outlined 2025 and 2030 dates for having fossil-free options in place for its underground and surface mining product lines, respectively. Cloué was confident the company would meet these targets, however it is unlikely these will be exclusively battery-electric options – especially at the top end of the surface drilling product line where the company is leveraging cable-electric power for each drill in the Pit Viper series, for instance.

In the meantime, Epiroc is also working with clients on certifying the use of biodiesel in its existing diesel-powered fleet for “immediate” decarbonisation benefits. Cloué said the surface drilling fleet is already compatible with biofuel (HVO100), with the underground load and haul, and drilling fleets set to follow shortly.

The company is also continuing to advance its work on repurposing batteries used in its mining equipment for secondary life applications. Outside of mining, the company has signed a partnership with Renewmic, whereby a battery previously used to power one of Epiroc’s battery-electric vehicles is helping to support and stabilise the Swedish power grid through frequency containment reserve services. Cloué expects to see more of these examples crop up in mining in the future, strengthening the business case for battery-electric machines through an extension of the battery’s working life.

He is also expecting further collaborations such as the one Epiroc highlighted with Boliden and ABB at the Kristineberg operation last week.

“Mining houses and suppliers are realising that the way to accelerate the [electrification] transformation is through collaboration,” he told IM. “We are looking to work with other partners like ABB on future projects.”