Tag Archives: Queensland

Redpath awarded underground mining services agreement at MMG’s Dugald River mine

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining services, , , , , ,

Redpath Australia says it has been awarded a new underground mining services contract at MMG Limited’s Dugald River mine in northwest Queensland.

Dugald River is one of the world’s top 10 zinc producers, located some 65 km northwest of Cloncurry. It produced 41,655 t of zinc concentrate and 4,740 t of lead concentrate in the June quarter.

The contract involves all underground development activities and will require up to 200 personnel in various management, operational and trades roles, with mobilisation commencing in the coming months, Redpath said.

Back in September 2020, Barminco agreed the terms of a variation and extension to its development and production contract at Dugald River, with the variation extending the term of the contract by 18 months to December 31, 2022.

Anglo American, QMRS commission industry-first Shaft Rescue System at Aquila

Coal technology, Mine operation news, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining equipment, Mining industry recognition, Mining safety, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS), in partnership with Anglo American, has commissioned a critical new piece of mine rescue equipment for use across underground mines in the Queensland mining industry.

A funding commitment, in excess of A$2.3 million ($1.6 million) from Anglo American, enabled QMRS to purchase the Queensland mining industry-first Shaft Rescue System (SRS), a mobile truck-mounted emergency system to assist in underground rescues.

The commissioning at the Aquila mine followed a 2019 commitment from Anglo American Australia then-CEO, Tyler Mitchelson, to wholly fund the equipment for the QMRS.

Chief Executive Officer of QMRS, David Carey, acknowledged Anglo American for funding the equipment and supporting QMRS in its design and engineering.

“While we hope we never need to use it, the SRS will form part of the emergency response plan for every underground mine site in Queensland and we’re grateful for Anglo American’s support in delivering it,” Carey said. “The SRS lowers interchangeable cages into mine shafts to rescue trapped miners and is equipped with a world-first intrinsically safe directional Wi-Fi communications system that can be used safely underground.”

The Wi-Fi enables radio communications from the rescue cage to the surface, captures and shares real-time video and sends data from a gas monitoring system, according to Carey.

QMRS says the SRS has interchangeable cage options and over 1,200 m of rope on the drum for use in deep shafts. It is engineered with multiple fail-safe braking systems, hydraulically powered from the Volvo FMX 10*4 truck engine, which also has a back-up power system.

Carey added: “This equipment will make a meaningful difference to our emergency response capabilities in Queensland and will be housed at our Dysart headquarters in the heart of the Bowen Basin, so it’s close by if ever required.”

Head of Safety and Health at Anglo American’s Steelmaking Coal Business, Marc Kirsten, said the company was pleased to support QMRS in delivering the SRS for all those who work underground in the mining industry in Queensland.

“QMRS supports our industry with leading edge emergency response capability and support, and we are pleased to have been able to support them in turn, by providing this vital and potentially life-saving equipment,” Kirsten said.

“The SRS will improve emergency response capabilities across all underground mines in the Queensland mining industry, and it was important to us to make this investment in industry safety.”

Anglo American operates five steelmaking coal mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, three of which are underground.

Orica’s Chemicals business eyes new complementary opportunities

Base metals, Environmental, Metallurgy, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Orica’s Investor Day, taking place last week, highlighted potential growth areas in one of the company’s less-publicised ‘verticals’, its Chemicals business.

Mining, Quarry & Construction and Digital solutions often steal the headlines in quarterly updates, but Adam Hall, Group Executive & President of Asia & Chemicals, showed there is plenty going on within the company’s fourth vertical.

This business, which covers the fields of ore processing, chemical stabilisation and recovery & treatment, strengthens Orica’s presence across the mining value chain, having a strong alignment with its global footprint and understanding of customer needs, the company says. It also acts as a complementary component of Orica’s “new solutions offerings”.

Orica’s current exposure is to leaching agents and emulsifiers, with cyanide making up its biggest product today.

As one of the largest producers of sodium cyanide for mining, Orica delivers the leaching agent in briquette form in circa-1 tonne boxes that are easily containerised, or within an Orica-designed Sparge isotainer system, or in liquid form via purpose-built iso tanks suitable for safe road or rail transport around the world.

It relies on the Yarwun, Gladstone Cyanide Manufacturing Facility in Queensland for this supply, which has an annual capacity of 95,000 t/y and is compliant with ISO9002 and the International Cyanide Management Code. This facility is complemented by the company’s sodium cyanide transfer stations in Peru, Ghana and Malaysia.

Hall was positive about potential growth opportunities in the cyanide space, explaining demand for cyanide was expected to outpace the predicted growth in gold ore treated to 2026 as the complexities involved with treating orebodies continued to increase.

He said the Yarwun facility had great brownfield growth opportunities around the site, with the company evaluating potential expansions in the region of “high single digit” or “low double digit” percentages.

Hall was equally positive about cyanide retaining its presence in the gold leaching process, saying that, while substitution questions continued to come up, the realities associated with such a transition meant it was infrequently feasible.

“There is one major mine that has switched away from using cyanide into a different reagent,” he said. “That cost them north of $100 million, and our understanding is they would not necessarily do it again. Also, that specific mine has a certain lithography that lent itself to using that reagent.”

Hall said Orica’s emulsifiers – which allow it to differentiate its explosives products through maintaining the stability of the mixture – represented “a small but mighty part” of the company’s product suite. He saw potential growth opportunities for emulsifiers, which he said contained the “secret sauce for emulsification”.

Outside of these two Orica mainstays, Hall highlighted the potential for Orica to play in both flotation and solvent extraction markets as part of growth opportunities that added up to A$23 billion ($16 billion).

In flotation, collectors, frothers and flocculants are integral to optimising the process. The same can be said for solvent extractants in the SX space.

“We see all of these as potentially interesting for Orica,” Hall said. “These are all big fields…but each of them has something we could potentially partner or bring to our clients, and something we will be looking to do over the next five years or so.”

Partnerships could potentially see Orica team up with big chemical players that have a by-product or comparatively small value stream coming out of an integrated facility where Orica could bring its “deep understanding of what the miners need and how we can deliver against that using the products that are produced”, he explained.

This could see Orica act as an agent, an offtaker, or purchaser of the by-product production unit.

As with all other Orica verticals, the Chemicals business will be looking at any potential bolt-on to the emulsifier and cyanide offering as a way to influence more of the value chain, ensuring changes made up- or down-stream provide value throughout the full flowsheet.

DRA Global offloads G&S to KAEFER Integrated Services

Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

DRA Global and KAEFER Integrated Services have executed an agreement for the sale and purchase of the business of G&S Engineering Services Pty Ltd and G&S Support Services Pty Ltd (collectively G&S), comprising selected contracts, assets and liabilities for A$8 million ($5.6 million).

The sale is subject to conditions precedent standard for a transaction of this nature and is currently expected to complete before the end of the September quarter of 2022.

G&S, based in Mackay, Queensland, has a 25-year track record of delivering services to the Australian resources sector, with a focus on maintenance and shutdown services and structural mechanical piping (SMP) construction services.

KAEFER Integrated Services is a provider of technical industrial services specialising in insulation, access, surface protection, passive fire protection, as well as mechanical services.

DRA Interim Chief Executive Officer, James Smith, said: “DRA has been undertaking a strategic review of its business, to ensure that we re-focus on our core strengths of engineering, project delivery and operations management. G&S, with its focus on operational maintenance, SMP construction and shutdown services, is not part of this core focus.

“We believe the G&S business will be best served under the ownership of KAEFER, where it can benefit from having an owner that is strategically aligned to providing the required investment and management focus.”

The sale comprises certain key contracts, assets and liabilities of G&S. Importantly, the new owner, KAEFER, is committed to building on G&S’ work program and connection with clients and suppliers and maintaining a strong workforce, DRA says.

DRA previously announced the cessation of its APAC construction business, with G&S currently seen as loss-making, as a result of some poorly performing construction projects. As a result, it is no longer considered a core part of DRA’s activities.

For the financial year ended December 31, 2021, G&S contributed approximately 20.1% of group revenue, EBITDA and profit contributions were negative, and accounted for approximately 10% of Group assets. Those proportions have since decreased.

The re-focus of DRA’s APAC business on engineering, project delivery and operations management requires a restructure to optimise these operations, the company says. Further, the group is finalising the outcomes of its previously announced operating model review which is also expected to optimise the group’s corporate overhead structure.

Thiess spinoff wins first mine rehabilitation contract from Ensham Resources

Environmental, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , ,

Following its launch in March of this year, Thiess Rehabilitation has been awarded its first contract – a 3.5-year partnership with Idemitsu Australia’s Ensham Resources to deliver mine rehabilitation solutions that create areas for native bushland corridors and cattle grazing across more than 700 ha of land.

Working with the client at the Ensham Mine, in Queensland, Australia, the scope of works includes the detailed design and construction of the final rehabilitated landforms, topsoiling and seed bed preparation, and sowing of both pasture and native tree species.

The team will apply industry-leading landform design methodologies, as well as the implementation of technology for surveying and seeding, to deliver the project, it says.

Thiess Rehabilitation’s Group Manager, James Anderson, said: “We’re really excited to work with Idemitsu’s Ensham Resources, who have already achieved more than 660 ha of progressive rehabilitation at the mine. We share an understanding that mining is about value, and that value is fully realised when we return the land to a sustainable and usable state.

“We’re looking forward to bringing our whole-of-mine-life insight to design, develop and deliver solutions to meet the needs of our clients and leave a positive legacy.”

Ensham Resources General Manager, Andy Mifflin, said: “We’re very pleased with our achievements to date, including attaining the Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science’s certification of the largest area of open-cut coal mining rehabilitation ever in Queensland, with a total of 663 ha of progressive rehabilitation utilised for long term cattle grazing.

“Ensham looks forward to working with Thiess Rehabilitation to achieve the successful completion of the next phase of our progressive rehabilitation.”

Idemitsu Australia commenced operations in 1993 using dragline strip mining methods and, during the life of the mine, the company has been progressively rehabilitating previously mined out areas.

EQ Resources enlists help of Golding for Mt Carbine tungsten development

Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , ,

EQ Resources Limited says it has executed an Early Engagement Contract with Golding Contractors Pty Ltd for the restart of the open-pit mining operations at the Mt Carbine Tungsten Mine, in Queensland, Australia.

EQR said it selected Golding, a subsidiary of NRW Holdings, as its preferred partner after working through a high-quality engagement and approval process.

“Early engagement was a preferred course for EQR as recent capital investment into the Mt Carbine processing plant is commissioning well and the company is receiving positive feedback from offtake partners for supply of our critical mineral product,” EQR’s Chief Executive Officer, Kevin MacNeill, said.

“EQR wants to deliver the highest quality outcome for the life of the Mt Carbine Mine for all stakeholders. Golding has strong credentials including specialist mine site rehabilitation works and environmental earthworks.

“Mt Carbine is ramping up treatment of its substantial low-grade surface resource as part of its joint venture with Cronimet with the next step in the development plan being the restart of its 100%-owned operations starting with the Andy White open pit, subject to the planned permit amendment. It’s a natural progression.”

Over the coming months, key areas of engagement and focus to finalise the mining contract and ensure smooth transition to mining operations will include:

  • Pit design: EQR is set to revise pit design in line with the recent drilling with Golding to maximise the strategic resource benefit and value for all stakeholders;
  • Equipment selection: In conjunction with the pit design under the contract, EQR and Golding will target strategic equipment selection to further optimise mining costs;
  • Contractor engagement: Golding will help manage the open-pit development through their in-house resources and network of preferred contractors to ensure compliance with Queensland mining legislation;
  • Stakeholder engagement: EQR and Golding will jointly engage local and strategic stakeholders regarding camp establishment, workshop establishment, personnel engagement, strategic regional suppliers and manufacturers; and
  • Timing: the open pit operations are forecast to begin during the first quarter of 2023.

EQ Resources, as a result of the acquisition of Mt Carbine Quarries in June 2019, now has 100% ownership of the two mining leases and surrounding exploration projects at the project. In a joint venture with Cronimet, the tungsten processing plant has been refurbished, commissioned and expanded to 300,000 t/y capacity.

The company is in the process of completing the required environmental amendments to allow the operation to process 300,000 t/y and eventually 1 Mt/y. Once the bulk test work is completed, a feasibility study will be completed for the design of the 1 Mt/y operation.

Field Solutions Holdings extends communications connection with Kestrel Coal

Communications in mining, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , ,

Australia-based Field Solutions Holdings Limited says it has been selected as exclusive preferred supplier for enterprise Managed Desktop, Network and general IT services for Kestrel Coal on a five-year contract term.

Coming with revenue of circa-A$25 million ($17 million), the contract extends Field Solutions’ existing connectivity provision relationship with Kestrel Coal, while leveraging its Regional Australia Network telecommunications infrastructure.

“The award of this enterprise contract to FSG validates and reinforces our strategy to build infrastructure and deploy full-time resources into rural, regional and remote Australia,” Andrew Roberts, FSG CEO, said.

FSG has been operating and building infrastructure across central Queensland for the past five years, providing residential, business and enterprise telecommunication services from its Emerald regional headquarters.

This win consolidates FSG as the largest Managed Services organisation in Emerald and surrounding areas and will see FSG expand its local operations at its Emerald Regional headquarters, the company said.

“Field Solutions’ Regional Australia Network services the mining regions northeast and west of Emerald and FSG has provided connectivity services to Kestrel Coal for three years, together with other mining and agribusiness customers,” Roberts said.

Kestrel Coal ran a competitive process to select FSG as its preferred IT partner, FSG says. Its mine is 51 km northeast of Emerald and was managed by Rio Tinto until 2018. It is one of the largest coking coal mines in the world, with an estimated 158 Mt of reserves.

Roberts added: “Last year, FSG acquired Infrastructure as a Service, cloud and ISP provider TasmaNet, which bolstered FSG’s existing capability to deliver enterprise grade managed and cloud services. This contract win highlights the value of our recent TasmaNet acquisition.”

FSG says it is currently finalising commercial terms for the Managed Network and Managed Services contracts and expects the transition to be completed by the end of July. Additional IT and procurement services will be sourced on an as-needs-basis over the course of the five-year term.

The company is continuing to pursue several key mining services contracts in central Queensland, according to Roberts.

“Mining and agribusiness areas across Australia will continue to be key focus areas for FSG to deploy its own infrastructure and services,” he said.

These areas will be serviced by FSG’s 4G and 5G Regional Australia Network, which is currently under construction.

Thiess receives A$450 million contract extension from QCoal

Coal technology, Mine operation news, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Thiess says it has been awarded a A$450 million ($310 million) contract extension by QCoal to continue operations at the QCoal Northern Hub, which comprises Sonoma, Cows, Drake and Jax mines, located near Collinsville, Queensland, Australia.

Commencing in July 2022, the three-year contract will see Thiess continue to provide full mining services including statutory control of the site, all mining activities, maintenance and asset management, and rehabilitation works.

Thiess Executive Chair and CEO, Michael Wright, said: “We are proud of our long association with QCoal which has included a joint focus on mining efficiency, sustainability and ongoing rehabilitation works. This extension reflects our team’s track record of safe and consistent delivery of mining services for QCoal. We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with QCoal for the next three years and beyond.”

Thiess Executive General Manager for Australia, Shaun Newberry, said: “We’re excited to continue our work at the QCoal Northern Hub where we have consistently provided innovative and low-cost mining solutions. Thiess has been part of the Collinsville community since 1995 and we are delighted to remain a significant regional employer and contributor to the local economy.”

MES dual- and tri-fuel tech to equip miners with decarbonisation tools

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

Leading mining contractor Thiess is looking at diesel abatement options across its fleet of haul trucks, which is where the company’s recent agreement with Australia-based Mine Energy Solutions comes into play.

This tie-up will see the use of locally sourced methane gas to displace significant proportions of diesel in large mining trucks using MES’ “currently available and proven” dual-fuel technology.

The agreement to bring lower emission, dual-fuel technology to Thiess’ mining fleet represents a first for a mining services provider in the industry, according to the company.

The partnership has commenced with the planned conversion of a fleet of six 240-t class mining trucks and seeks to source coal seam gas from coal seams on site in the Bowen Basin of Queensland to allow the removal of the equivalent B Double diesel deliveries from local highways. Thiess said that, longer term, it and MES will seek to expand to full fleet conversion before exploring further opportunities both within Australia and Internationally.

MES’ CEO, Adrian Abbott, said in the announcement last year: “We’re proud to partner with Thiess and apply this technology in the Bowen Basin. Our focus is to use locally-sourced gas through the capture and use of fugitive methane contained in the coal resource to enable the average mine site to reduce their greenhouse gas footprint by more than 550,000 t of CO2-e per annum.”

MES’ High Density Compressed Natural Gas (HDCNG®) technology was previously trialled at the New Acland coal mine in Queensland, Australia, with help from New Hope Group and well-known heavy equipment specialists, Hastings Deering Group. This saw a Cat 789C haul truck converted from diesel use to dual-fuel operation using natural gas as the dominant fuel through sequential gas injection.

Graham Box, Business Development and Project Facilitation Lead at MES, says the project at New Acland enabled the company to develop an “industry-ready product” that was safe, reliable and delivered equivalent performance to full diesel operations while also driving reductions in the carbon footprint of the truck.

“There are a number of process and procedures taken from almost two years of the New Acland work related to safe and efficient operations as well as regulatory compliance that have formed the basis for establishing an execution plan for this Thiess project,” he told IM.

“The equipment we are using has evolved to a further level of sophistication resulting in a most efficient and robust solution.”

While the truck and engine models might have changed compared with the work carried out at New Acland – Thiess and MES are installing the dual-fuel technology on Cat 793F trucks with C175-16 engines, while the New Acland trial involved Cat 789s and Cat 3516B haul trucks and engines, respectively – the objectives remains the same.

“We’re continuing to demonstrate the pathway to decarbonisation and the steps that can be achieved with current technology,” Box said.

The plan with the Thiess project is to have a “familiarisation truck” up and running in August to allow all site personnel to get trained on the new system, with the five follow-on trucks coming online before the end of the year.

At the same time as Thiess and the mine site owner are familiarising themselves with this technology, MES will be running haul truck engine simulations with tri-fuel technology.

This solution – which incorporates diesel, methane and hydrogen – will see the “green” hydrogen blended into the methane, providing a “zero emission component” of the gas blend, Box said. With both tri- and dual-fuel, more than 70% of energy will be derived from non-diesel sources.

The company plans to start running simulations with this technology on its 3,500 hp (2,610 kW) dynamometer fitted to a large-format engine in the September quarter.

Image capture of an operating dyno simulating mine circuit operations using a circuit data file provided by one MES client

Box expanded on this: “We have a state-of-the-art dyno facility where we are able to operate the engine to its full rated power as if someone is physically operating the truck. We oversee that from a control room and run simulations based on actual circuit data that our mining clients provide us. This includes the haulage cycles their trucks are running, the grades and declines experienced, load profiles and many other operating parameters and conditions.

“All of our development work is carried out with this circuit simulation capable dyno and we then put it into a field-operations environment as we are about to do with Thiess.”

MES intends to field test its tri-fuel program in the first half of 2023.

FLANDERS AC system retrofit boosts dragline productivity at BHP South Walker Creek

Coal technology, Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

After retrofitting an aged DC 8050 dragline with a safer AC power system, a multi-dragline coal mine operating in Queensland experienced a major boost in productivity and power efficiency, substantially diminished operating costs and a positive return on the investment within 18 months, FLANDERS says.

In 2018, senior management of BHP’s South Walker Creek coal mine was developing a plan for the DRE28 DC 8050, a nearly 40-year-old dragline on which the DC rotating equipment and DC control system had reached the end of their operating service life. The dragline was still operating with the original Westinghouse DC motors and generators, which had also reached their end of service lifespan.

At a minimum, the DRE28 motors and generators needed to be replaced. They could upgrade to new DC equipment that would maintain productivity for another 25-plus years with similar operating costs. However, the DC system required regular maintenance and was at a high risk of extended periods of machine downtime due to waiting for parts and maintenance techs, both of which were harder and harder to find, FLANDERS says.

Another option was to retrofit the DRE28 with an AC system. AC dragline systems were already known to have safety advantages and reduced maintenance costs compared with DC systems, according to FLANDERS. They also had the same service life expectancy of 25-plus years.

The team decided to move forward with an AC retrofit from FLANDERS. In July 2019, the boom was lowered on DRE28 DC 8050 and the on-site retrofit began. After 90 days, the DRE28 AC 8050 was back online.

“AC systems are designed with safety built in,” FLANDERS said. “Hardware compatibility, simpler and safer operating mechanisms and scalability are benchmarks of FLANDERS’ AC system design.”

One of the key features of the AC system is the unique, easy-to-access drive cabinet designed to replace DC motor-generator sets, FLANDERS says. Water-cooled semiconductors remove heat, so the cabinets keep parts protected from debris. This results in a substantial reduction in noise, dust, heat, and rotating parts, and reduced exposure of employees and maintenance technicians to these safety hazards associated with DC systems.

The drive cabinet also eliminates the need for on-site machining to blow out dust, balance parts, clean brushes and other regular maintenance DC systems require.

AC hoist/drag motors

The 690 V AC hoist/drag motors are designed to fit in the same size box as the DC motor, with the same footprint, allowing for easy drop-in installation. No modification to brakes, gearing, or coupling is necessary. Class H insulation and high-output blowers help the motors safely produce a 25% higher kilowattage than the DC motor can achieve.

Arc flash safety system

The FLANDERS AC system design mimicked the DC design in generating low- and medium-voltage interactions. The motors and drive cabinet have a category zero arc flash rating, requiring little intervention with specialists or the need to manually isolate systems within the machine.

There are several systems in place to ensure safety from arc flashes:

  • Metal doors safely hide high-power components, and all doors use Fortress Interlocks to ensure appropriate isolation of high-voltage before access is gained;
  • Electronic control boards can be separated into low voltage panels, nullifying the need to access high-powered areas;
  • Arc flash optical relays installed in each drive cabinet monitor for arcs and trip high-voltage VCBs to reduce potential energy below arc venting requirements; and
  • Fast-acting fuses are located on a) the secondary drive transformer and, b) bridge cabinets feeding to drive line-ups, and the DC bus in drive line-ups.

Ground fault detection

The built-in Bender IRDH265 Ground Fault Monitor eliminates the risk of electric shock, providing a system shut down override at the sign of a catastrophic event. Each drive line-up has a manual ground fault test function to supplement the auto test function of the Bender. This allows electricians to manually verify functionality of the ground fault monitoring system, FLANDERS explained.

The system is programmable logic controlled, which prevents the circuit from operating while the drive is in operation.

Opportunities for optimisation

Where the DC commutator is limited in output, AC capability is expanding and growing for draglines. There is still potential to be unlocked by analysing machine data and implementing optimising upgrades, according to FLANDERS.

AC conversion delivers results

From September 2019 through June 2021, the DRE28 AC 8050 operated at the previous DC 8050 electrical, mechanical and structural settings. In July 2021, after system optimisation, the AC 8050 surpassed the limits of DC 8050 machines, reaching output levels closer to the 8200 DC draglines models, and continued to bank gains in reduced maintenance costs, increased productivity and improved energy efficiency.

A side-by-side comparison of DC and AC dragline operations over 12 months and including three months of data reported after the July 2021 upgrades, shows the results.

The DRE28 AC 8050 is – operationally and electrically – the safest dragline in its fleet, according to FLANDERS, with the drive cabinets and motors maintaining a category zero arc flash rating since installation.

“The overwhelming response from our client was related to the safe and easy operation of the AC system,” Owen Uebel, Strategic Business Development Manager for FLANDERS, said. “Operators were vocal with management about the improved work conditions.”

In terms of productivity, the low-maintenance design of DRE28 AC system has resulted in reduced machine downtime and proportional gains in machine availability. A twelve-month comparison study confirmed that, compared with the DC 8050, the AC 8050 moved an additional 2 million bank cu.m (BCM).

With the July 2021 optimisation, the AC dragline is expected to reach a minimum of 15 million BCM annually in 2022, setting a record for this mine.

An independent study confirmed an 11% boost in power efficiency over the DC 8050 dragline over an operating period of January 1 to December 31, 2020, meanwhile.

“As previously mentioned, one of the major benefits of the AC system is its scalability,” FLANDERS said. “The 2021 optimisation increased the system’s peak power, resulting in a 4.5 second reduction in cycle time with no additional structural or mechanical stress on the machine. This finding was verified independently by MineWare reports and outside consultants.”

The AC system’s solid-state components have substantially reduced the amount of mechanical wear on dragline parts, extending savings across the lifecycle of the machine, according to FLANDERS. Maintenance costs are down over 55% on average (and potentially upwards of 65% based on available data since July 2021 upgrades).

Additionally, the AC dragline’s efficiency translates to 4.5 kilotons of CO2 offset, with major implications. To put that into perspective, at a global price of $200 per ton, that’s $450,000 annually and $900,000 over the two years of this study.

The AC retrofit achieved a return on investment within 18 months of being online, making it the lowest-cost pre-strip solution on the market, according to FLANDERS.

As of October 2021, the mine’s overall electrical and mechanical maintenance expenditures bottom line decreased by 60%.