Battery-electric equipment is increasingly being evaluated on its ability to improve mining productivity and operating economics, alongside its potential to reduce emissions. Sandvik has reported experience at Eldorado Gold’s Lamaque mine, where battery-electric haulage achieved uphill-cycle productivity improvements of more than 30% compared with relevant diesel alternatives.
Electric motors provide immediate high torque, which can benefit equipment operating on steep underground ramps. Removing diesel engines also reduces underground heat and exhaust, potentially lowering ventilation requirements.
Electrification and Mine Infrastructure
The impact on ventilation can extend beyond direct fuel savings. Ventilation accounts for a significant share of electricity consumption at deep mines, meaning reduced diesel emissions can affect the infrastructure required to operate underground workings. Battery equipment, however, requires changes of its own. Charging systems must be incorporated into the mine’s electrical network, while battery state and equipment availability need to be included in dispatching systems.
Existing operations may also require extensive retrofits, making electrification a consideration for mine design and infrastructure, rather than only an equipment procurement decision.
Different Requirements for Open-Pit Mining
Open-pit operations face different technical requirements because haul trucks transport much larger loads over longer distances. This makes full battery operation more difficult in those applications. Trolley-assist systems, batteries and hybrid technologies are therefore expected to develop alongside one another, with the appropriate approach varying according to the mining application.
Underground mines with steep ramps and high ventilation costs may have greater potential for faster electrification. The economic assessment is increasingly centred on whether battery-electric equipment can deliver a lower total cost per tonne, rather than solely on the reduction of emissions. For mining operators, the performance of electric fleets is therefore being assessed through productivity, infrastructure requirements and overall operating costs as well as emissions.
