Tag Archives: mine power

South32 powers up Cannington solar PV farm

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The new 7,200-panel solar farm at South32’s Cannington silver-lead mine in northwest Queensland, Australia, is up and running, the mining company confirmed.

The 6 ha, 3 MW installation is the company’s first solar installation and will help to deliver reduced greenhouse gas emissions by offsetting gas consumption with solar. Construction commenced in May.

“Electricity generated from the farm will be used to supply the operation’s accommodation village and airport with surplus power used to support mining and processing operations,” South32 said.

The project – which contributes to the objectives of the company’s Climate Change Strategy – is the second largest solar installation in a remote, off-grid mining operation in Australia and the first to be integrated into a gas-fired power station, according to the company.

Earlier this year, EDL Energy signed a 14-year extension of its contract to supply electricity for Cannington, which included partnering with SunSHIFT, a wholly-owned subsidiary of engineering and construction firm Laing O’Rourke, to ‘hybridise’ the existing 34 MW gas plant at the site, with this 3 MW solar photovoltaic installation.

It is anticipated the new solar farm will prevent between 4,000-6,000 t/y of greenhouse gas emissions.

Rob Jackson, Vice President Operations at Cannington, said the operation was committed to identifying energy efficiency initiatives. “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a big part of that so I’m delighted that our Cannington operation’s solar installation is leading the way,” he said.

The cost to install and operate the solar farm will be offset by lower fuel costs, according to South32. This makes it an economically viable solution for the operation.

Gas to soon start flowing for Mount Isa miners as NGP opens up

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Energy company Jemena has completed the 622 km Northern Gas Pipeline (NGP), opening up the supply of gas from the Northern Territory fields to Mount Isa in northwest Queensland, Australia.

The gas is to be used as a crucial feedstock by local businesses – including Incitec Pivot’s Phosphate Hill and Gibson Island facilities, as well as mining and other commercial operations throughout Queensland’s northwest, Jemena said.

Jemena’s Managing Director, Frank Tudor, said around 80% of the NGP’s capacity has been contracted; testament to the real need for additional gas across Australia’s east coast.

“Today we have taken a significant step towards ensuring Australian homes and businesses have the gas they need, when they need it,” Tudor said.

“I commend the Northern Territory Government for commissioning the NGP project in 2015 and am proud that the territory is now well-placed to become the home of Australia’s gas industry alongside Queensland.

“We know that the Northern Territory has enough gas to meet Australia’s future supply needs for the next 200 years or more, and our pipeline is the crucial, missing, link that will connect this gas with Australian homes and businesses.”

Tudor said Jemena was well-advanced in planning the expansion and extension of the Northern Gas Pipeline so that it further integrates with the east coast gas market.

“Provided gas is proven as commercially viable in the Northern Territory, Jemena will be able to increase the NGP’s capacity from around 90 TJ/d up to 700 TJ/d. To put this in context, this is enough gas to meet the average daily gas needs of Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide combined.”

The NGP’s commercial operations are targeted to commence between December 29 and January 10, Jemena said.

Resolute hits milestone at Syama sublevel cave gold project

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Resolute Mining Limited has commenced sublevel cave ore production at the Syama Underground project in Mali, West Africa.

The extraction of first ore from the southern end of the 1105 level of the Syama sublevel cave marks the anticipated beginning of the main caving operation at Syama and the achievement of a major milestone for the company, Resolute said.

Resolute’s Managing Director and CEO, John Welborn, said: “Syama will be the world’s first, purpose built, fully automated sublevel cave gold mine. It is a world-class, long life, low cost asset that will deliver long term benefits to our shareholders, stakeholders, and local Mali communities for years to come.”

Resolute has partnered with Sandvik to deliver the automation solution at Syama, with the OEM also supplying the underground fleet, which includes automated Sandvik TH663 trucks and LH621, LH517 and LH514E LHDs.

Welborn went on to say Syama would be the most sophisticated and advanced gold mine in Africa.

“Our investment in exploration, infrastructure, technology, power, and innovation at Syama has transformed a world-class orebody into a world-class mine,” he said.

Resolute has an ambition to be a leader in sustainable and responsible economic growth in Africa, according to Welborn. The company recently announced plans to build a new 40 MW Syama Solar Hybrid Power Plant which will deliver an expected 40% savings on power costs and is expected to be the world’s largest mine-based, off-grid fully integrated independent solar hybrid power plant.

In addition to this, the company is working on Project 85, a series of sulphide processing plant upgrades, that will enable the company to achieve improved recoveries from high-grade ore sourced from the new sublevel cave, he said.

“The combination of mine automation, improved recoveries, and lower cost power has the potential to increase Syama site production to 300,000 oz/y of gold and reduce life-of-mine all-in sustaining costs to below $750/oz,” he added.

The initial development of the sublevel cave infrastructure including the twin declines and access to the first four sublevel levels of the cave, the 1130, 1105,1080 and 1055 sub levels, has been established. Approximately 400,000 t of development and long hole stoping ore have been extracted from the underground mine to date. Mining rates will gradually build up over the first half of 2019 and are expected to reach nameplate capacity of 200,000 t/mth by the end of June 2019.

De Beers Canada aiming for 100% renewable energy solution at Chidliak

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De Beers Canada, having successfully “winterised” the conventional power solution at its mines in northern Canada, is now looking at a 100% renewable electricity solution for its recently-acquired Chidliak diamond project, CEO Kim Truter told attendees at the Energy and Mines World Congress in Toronto this week.

While the Chidliak project is located on Baffin Island, which runs 100% on diesel power, Truter said due to the extreme remoteness of the proposed operation, “the energy solution for Chidliak has to be different”. The company acquired the mine earlier this year after taking over Peregrine Diamonds.

The hidden cost that comes with diesel power generation is the required supply chain infrastructure, ie roads, according to Truter. If Chidliak was a non-road supplied site, it would drive the need for renewable power, he said.

Another consideration is the size of Chidliak’s orebodies. As these are small, there is a need for a smaller overall footprint and the movability of plant as the bodies become mined out, he said.

So far, 51 kimberlites have been tested for the presence of diamonds at Chidliak, with 41 of these showing positive results. Two kimberlites, CH-6 and CH-7, were prioritised for advanced exploration and were tested for grade and diamond value.

The CH-6 kimberlite pipe is estimated to contain about 18 Mct of inferred resources in about 7.5 Mt of kimberlite, an estimated grade of 2.41 ct/t to a depth of 525 m below surface. The CH-7 pipe is estimated to contain about 4.2 Mct of inferred resources in about 5 Mt of kimberlite; an average grade of 0.85 ct/t to a depth of 240 m.

At the conference, Truter said renewable supplementation of diesel baseload was growing in the industrial sector, but a micro-grid to regulate and accurately feed power through to a 100% renewable power system “does not appear to exist”.

Yet, the Princess Elisabeth Base in Antarctica is occupied 365 days per year and is powered by 100% renewable sources, he said.

“The next step is an Arctic mine with continuous (renewable) operations,” he told delegates, adding that the Chidliak development can achieve maximum potential if a 100% renewable energy solution is realised.

In order to achieve this, he laid out several solutions.

First, the company needed to look to shrink its footprint at Chidliak – size, people, power, thermal and environmental – then partner with best-in-class companies to tap into available natural energy sources; whether that be solar, wind or geothermal sources. Following this, De Beers Canada needed to confront the challenge of multiple-day power fluctuations with energy storage solutions and, finally, find an appropriate business model for the power solution.

In addition to retaining the company’s social licence to operate, Truter said the eco-credibility that came with using renewable energy was an additional motivator for De Beers Canada, bringing intangible value to its product.

De Beers Group has a global commitment by 2020 to reduce its energy requirements by 8% and cut its carbon emissions by 9%.

Aggreko goes global with mobile and modular cooling tower

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Aggreko has launched the Global Cooling Tower (GT) series, its first mobile and modular cooling tower for the global market.

The provider of modular, mobile power solutions said the GT series aims to “support and increase efficiency for customers operating in an increasingly decentralised and digitalised energy market”.

“Engineered by Aggreko, the GT Series’ unique modular design aims to reduce customer energy costs and save space on industrial sites. Uniquely, the new cooling towers are built into a standard shipping container frame that can be installed quickly and easily on new sites, or integrated as part of existing Aggreko projects typically within a few days following delivery,” the company said.

To support the frame, Aggreko has developed new extendable legs, housed within the frame, which can adjust the height of the cooling tower, based on customer need and application.

The towers are currently available in two sizes, the GT-40 and GT-20, and can be lifted with a forklift or crane, and transported by road, rail, ship or air. This can reduce customer shipping costs by up to 40%, and offer a 25% smaller footprint, when compared with current towers, according to Aggreko. This, coupled with the unique extendable legs, allow the position of ancillaries under the towers to make the most efficient use of space on-site, the company says.

The units, which have already been installed at customer sites from Japan to North America, can cool up to 4,000 gallons per minute (15.14 m³/min). The modular design of the units, however, allows the GT Series units to be interconnected side by side, or end to end, to cool up to 1,500,000 g/min (5,678 m³/min).

Aggreko said: “The introduction of the GT series is the latest in a long line of Aggreko cooling technology innovations. In recent years, the company has led some of the largest emergency cooling operations ever undertaken, in sectors such as petrochemical and refining, oil and gas, mining, and food and beverage.”

The units maintain temperature control and reduce energy costs through variable-speed fan motors. Aggreko estimates monthly energy savings from a single GT-40 cooling tower range from $2,000 to $5,000 compared with other rental cooling towers, contributing towards decarbonisation targets.

Bill Carrick, Aggreko Group Director of Temperature Control, said: “As energy markets continue to transition, Aggreko remains committed to the ongoing technology investment and innovation that best suits changing customer needs.

“The expertise of our people combined with the global availability of our large fleet of cooling towers, piping, pumps and power generation equipment, gives our customers an unmatched solution to meet any cooling need, no matter how large, how far or how urgent.”

The GT Series is fully connected to Aggreko Remote Monitoring, providing constant monitoring of flow rates, temperatures, power consumption and water levels to ensure continuous top-performance around the clock.

Dana shows off Spicer Electrified with TM4 e-Hub Drive at Bauma China

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Dana Incorporated has introduced the Spicer® Electrified™ with TM4® e-Hub Drive at the Bauma China show this week.

This fully integrated electro-mechanical system for heavy-duty mining and construction applications leverages Dana’s portfolio of vehicle electrification technologies, according to the company.

“Designed for underground mining trucks, large wheel loaders, and reach stackers, this e-Hub drive integrates proven heavy-duty Spicer axle expertise, Brevini® planetary drive designs, TM4 electric motor technology, and Dana’s advanced control expertise into a single package that delivers efficiency, reliability, and performance,” Dana said.

Currently in pre-production field testing with vehicle manufacturers, the e-Hub drive is scheduled to be ready for production by the end of next year.

Christophe Dominiak, Chief Technology Officer for Dana, said: “The ultimate measure of hybrid and electric technologies is their ability to meet the rigorous performance expectations of off-highway vehicles at the work site.

“This e-Hub drive illustrates how rapidly and effectively Dana has capitalised on our strategy to produce hybrid and electric propulsion solutions that perform in the harshest work environments anywhere in the world.”

Dana’s global centre of excellence for designing axles used in mining and other heavy-duty applications, the Dana China Technical Center in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, is ideally suited to lead the development of the e-Hub drive, the company said.

“The facility also leads the development of heavy-duty Spicer planetary steering axles for rough-terrain cranes with lift capacities ranging from 30 t to 110 t.

Dana’s engineering resources in the US, Italy, and Canada participated in the co-development of the Spicer Electrified e-Hub Drive, the company said.

Aziz Aghili, Executive Vice President of Dana and President of Off-Highway Drive and Motion Technologies, said: “With 23 worldwide technology centres strategically located near our customers, Dana has a distinct advantage in the development of propulsion systems for heavy-duty vehicles.”

“By combining our unmatched range of technologies with our regional expertise, Dana can precisely channel our engineering efforts toward highly tailored solutions on a market-by-market basis.”

Dana has emphasised engineering and development for hybridisation and electrification as part of the company’s enterprise strategy, which focuses on leveraging its decades of electric engineering expertise and product knowledge to offer an extensive portfolio of advanced hybrid and electric technologies that have been engineered for multiple vehicle markets.

“Ranging from complete systems and modular solutions to individual sub-system components, Dana is able to support its customers in developing series and parallel hybrid configurations up to full battery-electric vehicles.

“Dana’s electrified product offerings are able to meet the diverse architecture and platform requirements of its broad customer base by delivering enhanced performance, packaging optimisation, and reduced system weight,” the company said.

Dana has made a series of strategic moves to support electrification and hybridisation, including the acquisition of the power-transmission and fluid power businesses of Brevini; a majority ownership of TM4 Inc, a motor and inverter manufacturer; and an agreement to purchase the Drive Systems segment of the Oerlikon Group.

“Combined with the company’s core expertise in driveline technologies, sealing systems, and thermal management, these initiatives position Dana as the leading supplier of electrification solutions for the off-highway segment,” Dana said.

With the recent acquisition of TM4, Dana’s electrification capabilities now include in-house design and manufacturing for electric motors, power inverters, and control systems. Dana also offers a wide selection of Brevini® motion products to support the power distribution requirements of hybrid and electric off-highway vehicles. These products include gear pumps, hydraulic power units, valves and controls, hydraulic axial piston motors and pumps, orbital motors, control hardware and software, advanced sensor technologies, and operator-information displays.

Beyond the e-Hub drive, Dana is currently leveraging a wide portfolio of technologies for off-highway customers to offer dozens of successful electrified driveline applications now in production and pre-production testing.

Dana’s growing portfolio of electric and hybrid technologies is ideally positioned to support the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s ‘Made in China 2025’ initiative, and the company’s expertise has been honoured by leading organisations, it said.

For four consecutive years, Dana has been recognised by the China Decision Makers Consultancy for its electric and hybrid vehicle solutions. In 2017 and 2018, Dana was named the ‘Outstanding Power Electronics Solution Provider of the Year’, while Dana earned the ‘Best Battery Solution Provider of the Year’ award in 2015 and 2016. Additionally, Dana’s two-sided chip cooling technology was a 2016 Automotive News PACE Award finalist.

Dana serves numerous off-highway manufacturers in China, including AGCO, CRCHI, Epiroc, John Deere, and SANY. The company currently operates 17 facilities in China with approximately 6,750 employees through both wholly owned and joint venture operations.

Zenith to supply more power to NSR’s Jundee gold mine

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Zenith Energy has executed an amendment to the power purchase agreement (PPA) it had in place with Northern Star Resources for the Jundee gold mine in Western Australia.

The new pact will see Zenith add another 6 MW of installed capacity in the power station at Jundee and bring the ASX-listed power company’s overall build own operate (BOO) capacity to more than 189 MW.

Under the amend terms of the PPA, Zenith will BOO an expanded 24 MW power station for Jundee, located in the northern Greenfields region of WA. The power station will comprise an upgrade to the existing facility with the installation of an added 6 MW of Jenbacher 620 Spark Ignittion gas generator technology.

The station incorporates natural gas fuelled generators, which will provide the Jundee mine with highly efficient, cost effective and clean gas fuelled power generation into the future, according to Zenith.

The amended PPA is expected to have a supply commencement date of the March quarter and a 10-year term aligned with the existing PPA.

Zenith Energy’s Managing Director, Hamish Moffat said: “We are delighted to sign this PPA amendment with Northern Star, which further demonstrates Zenith Energy’s ability to build strong, long-lasting relationships with Tier One clients such as Northern Star Resources through the continued delivery of excellence in safe, innovative, reliable, highly efficient and cost-effective power generation solutions to support the diverse needs of our resources clients in demanding remote locations.”

The Jundee processing circuit is a conventional CIL plant with a hard-rock processing capacity of approximately 1.35 Mt/y. The process consists of a single toggle overhead eccentric swing jaw crusher followed by a SAG and ball milling circuit incorporating gravity recovery and CIP process achieving 92% recoveries.

The company produced 285,000 oz of gold in its last financial year from Jundee.

Miners renewing their interest in alternative power solutions

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Solar power may not completely replace more traditional means of generation in the short term, but mining companies are already starting to see a strong business case for adding renewable solutions to their energy mix.

*According to Rob Schueffner, Hybrid Energy Solutions Manager for Caterpillar Electric Power, the financial benefits and reliability of renewable energy solutions available for mines today are quickly matching the environmental benefits.

Mines can realise energy savings starting at 5% for easy and quick solutions that can extend up to 50% for installations that employ the full array of the latest fuel-saving power technologies available today, according to Schueffner.

“The ability to check many boxes is what makes hybrid energy solutions so attractive for many mines,” Schueffner said. “Mine operators who analysed hybrid solutions a few years ago are now surprised when they learn that the economics have improved so much because of cost reductions and system improvements. For one recent customer, their analysts discovered that the payback period is now roughly half what it was only three years ago.”

An integrated approach

One key to realising these returns is advanced technology and systems integration, and this is where Schueffner believes Caterpillar and the Cat dealer network stand out.

While many early micro-grid installations were disparate components cobbled together by multiple vendors, Caterpillar brings all the latest technology and market expertise in renewables under one roof to design, install, and commission a seamlessly integrated system that starts delivering returns immediately.

Caterpillar has decades of experience in providing solutions for thousands of surface and underground mines around the world, including power solutions that run on a variety of fuels.

Knowledge of the rugged environments where Cat products operate has enabled engineers to develop hybrid energy solutions used by the US military over the past decade, Schueffner says.

“We draw on a potent combination of mining knowledge, engineering expertise in harsh environments, and a broad mix of power solutions to help us develop the right hybrid energy solution for mines,” Schueffner said.

Scaling up

Every mine is different, and many variables must be considered when determining which renewable energy solution will work best for a particular mining operation. Geographic location, peak sun-hours, government subsidies, and energy production costs – including the purchase, transport, and storage of fuel – all must be factored in.

Given the long period of time mines are typically in operation, customers are also considering projected costs over the entire life of the mine, according to Schueffner.

“We have some mine operators who tell us they know the economic case for renewables may not quite be there yet, but they want to hedge against anticipated future fuel costs and start implementing large-scale projects phase by phase,” Schueffner said.

In sharp contrast to the substantial capital investment required for building or updating traditional powerhouses, hybrid energy solutions allow for a scalable approach. Schueffner said it is fairly easy to achieve fuel savings of 5% simply by adding energy storage to mitigate fluctuations in output power by regulating ramp-up controls, absorbing spikes in power demand, and injecting power for sudden power needs.

Cost benefits

“One customer has projected the cost benefits of using the Cat Energy Storage System as a virtual spinning reserve that enhances the efficiency of the entire powerhouse,” Schueffner said. “By taking advantage of the reserve to optimise energy usage for the varying loads across the site’s 24-hour cycle, the customer has projected a payback period of under two years.”

At the next level, solar photovoltaic panels can be installed to reduce fuel consumption by about 20% without making significant modifications to the powerhouse. This can serve as a simple and effective way to hedge against future increases in fuel costs, Schueffner says.

By adding the Cat Microgrid Master Controller, mining customers can increase solar PV production and more energy storage for grid stability to achieve fuel savings of more than 40%. Finally, the addition of Caterpillar’s latest, most efficient diesel, natural gas, and HFO generator sets can help mining operators cut their fuel costs by more than half. Even greater fuel savings may be achievable as renewables increase in efficiency and drop in cost.

“A mine can install some PV now, and then install a little more later along with energy storage and a master controller as prices continue to fall,” Schueffner said. “This phased-in approach can help mine operators enjoy immediate savings while progressively reducing fuel consumption as the economics improve.”

*This article was written by Melodie Michel from Energy and Mines.

The Energy and Mines World Congress takes place in Toronto on December 10-11, 2019.

MST Global tackles underground power supply problems with AXON range

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MST Global has introduced a new range of uninterruptable power supply (UPS) products for use in harsh environments like underground mines.

The new AXON UPS range is designed specifically to further improve power management in underground networks in a cost-effective manner, a task that is becoming increasingly important as the use of remote operations and automation accelerates.

MST said: “Uninterrupted power is critical for the safety and productivity of all mines and tunnel operations, and in developing these industry-spec UPS, MST can now offer greater reliability and more holistic system solutions.”

The three solutions range from low to high level power requirements, with the highest, the AXON Force UPS (pictured), the most suitable for underground hard-rock mines and extensive tunnel networks.

Dmitri Fechine, Product Manager at MST, said: “More often than not, the supply of power to the digital network and client devices in the underground environment comes as an afterthought, after the purchase of the main network gear. The situation is then further complicated by the fact that the main power outlets are not readily available underground and their installation is typically very expensive.”

Bringing the power supply considerations upfront and offering a range of suitable power supply solutions suitable for various scenarios means MST can help customers reduce their capital and operational expenses as well as improve the overall system performance and reliability, he added.

AXON Mini UPS is a single-level solution for operational scenarios where the area needing power requires only one UPS per network node, where power loads do not exceed 60 W or where the focus is on tunnelling or non-complex stand-alone automation solutions, MST said.

AXON Connect UPS is a mid-level power supply that can enable voice and other IP solutions for tunnelling and hard-rock environments. It serves as both the power over ethernet (PoE) injector and the network junction device for a number of daisy chained PoE users such as Wi-Fi access points.

AXON Force UPS, meanwhile, can power-up IP networks and each unit is able to support multiple chained network nodes connected via composite cable. Additionally, AXON Force can be paired with a remote monitoring kit for enhanced manageability.

The three UPS solutions are built and fully supported by MST, and are designed to connect seamlessly with existing MST products.