03.04.2023

Epiroc completes acquisition of South African mining equipment manufacturer AARD

Epiroc, a leading productivity and sustainability partner for the mining and infrastructure industries, has completed the acquisition of AARD Mining Equipment, a South African mining equipment manufacturer.  

03.04.2023

Akobo Minerals starts up operation of ultra-small plant to process first gold

Akobo Minerals AB (publ) (Euronext and Frankfurt: AKOBO), the Scandinavian-based Ethiopian gold exploration and boutique mining company, today announced that it has reached a true milestone with the start of operations of its ultra-small plant and, with it, production of the company’s first gold.    

31.03.2023

Mining Indaba 2023 delivers a record post-pandemic turnout in attendance

The four-day Indaba, held from 6-9 February 2023 in Cape Town, provided delegates with insight into the future of mining, current operational trends and exposure to investment opportunities in Africa. Investing in African Mining Indaba 2023 has delivered a record post pandemic turnout in attendance, which is testament to the ever-increasing appetite for investing on the continent.  

Market-Place-4.0 ABB Ltd Rio Tinto Group Ltd. BHP Group

30.03.2023

CharIN launches new Mining Taskforce in partnership with ICMM – Addressing technical bottlenecks to accelerate progress on zero emission mining vehicle fleets

CharIN launches new Mining Taskforce in partnership with ICMM – Addressing technical bottlenecks to accelerate progress on zero emission mining vehicle fleets (Credits: CharIN)

The challenge of electrifying mining haul truck operations has taken a step forward with the launch of the CharIN Mining Taskforce, a partnership between global organizations CharIN and ICMM. The partnership enables ICMM to address technical bottlenecks around the interoperability of battery-electric charging systems for the roll-out of zero emission greenhouse gas (GHG) mining vehicles, expected to begin this decade.
Diesel-powered mining vehicles currently account for 30 to 50% of direct emissions at a mine site, and up to 80% in some cases, and electrifying them will be crucial to help achieve global decarbonization goals. While CharIN has been instrumental in establishing the Combined Charging System (CCS) international standard for charging passenger electric vehicles and the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) for heavy transport, a new high-power charging solution is needed for the mining industry due to the large size of haul trucks. Addressing interoperability and standardization for charging solutions early on could help reduce duplication in charging infrastructure for mines around the world – an important step in accelerating the implementation of battery-electric technology on sites, while enabling increased operational efficiency, reliability, and safety.
CharIN’s 300+ members in the e-mobility community, including manufacturers and technology suppliers, offer unique access to rapidly specify and test technologies. ICMM's 26 company members provide industry expertise and access to a range of operations in different geographies and conditions. This access is critical for trials to prove these technologies are fit for the harsh environmental conditions and complex operations in mining.
Taskforce participants, including BHP, Rio Tinto, Shell, ABB, and GHD, will define requirements, pilot, and test the technical capabilities of the interoperable ruggedized charging solutions in mining environments. This will aid in defining the requirements for both a higher power stationary charging plug and a dynamic (in-motion) charging interface for use on mining sites.
Claas Bracklo, Chairman of CharIN e.V., said: “CharIN members represent all the various industries in the e-mobility ecosystem, from grid to charging point operators to heavy equipment makers to standardisation and testing organizations. Our members’ in-depth knowledge of the charging ecosystem and its ISO 15118 data communication, e-mobility experience, and the technical requirements needed to develop and test new charging systems and e-mobility services make CharIN the perfect match with ICMM to efficiently and thoroughly define the requirements of future charging standards as requested in the mining and marine industry.”
Christian Spano, Director of Innovation, ICMM, said: “Value chain collaboration will be critical in helping us get to net zero. Through ICMM’s Innovation for Cleaner, Safer Vehicles initiative, we’ve identified technical bottlenecks affecting progress in implementing zero emissions vehicles at mining operations globally, that we’re now creating partnerships to drive progress on.
ICMM is thrilled to partner with CharIN, which has extensive experience in solving battery charging interoperability challenges across other industrial sectors and works with an exciting roster of manufacturing and technology companies. The scale of ICMM’s membership will enhance opportunities for piloting and testing solutions at certain identified sites and aims to ultimately accelerate progress on the wider roll-out of a new generation of zero emission mining vehicles for the industry.”

Quotes from some of the companies participating in ICMM’s Innovation for Cleaner and Safer Vehicles (ICSV) initiative

Anna Wiley, Vice President, Planning and Technical, BHP said: “Developing an interoperability framework for battery electric equipment is a complex jigsaw that cannot be accomplished without a new level of technical collaboration across the mining and e-mobility industries. We are committed to working alongside our partners to make a meaningful contribution towards the mining industry's decarbonisation goals.”

Mark Davies, Chief Technical Officer, Rio Tinto said: “Interoperability is a critical element in overcoming the technical and commercial barriers to decarbonizing our diesel haul truck fleet and achieving our climate targets. We’re delighted to partner with ICMM and our peers to collectively find better ways to solve this technical challenge and further contribute to the growth and sustainability of the Electric Vehicle industry.”

Quotes from some of the companies participating in CharIN e.V.

Grischa Sauerberg, Vice President, Sectoral Decarbonization and Innovation, Shell, said: “We get a clear message from our mining customers: interoperability is key for faster decarbonization of their haulage fleet. By aiming to develop robust, universal technical standards at the outset, the Taskforce provides miners with the reassurance that is much needed for investment in electrification. Together, we can set the technical environment for an open, healthy market, where miners are free to choose their preferred equipment and are not locked into specific technologies. As an end-to-end electrification solution provider, we are excited to work with miners, OEMs, customers, and others, to learn from them, as well as share our technical expertise in standards development from other transport segments.”
Max Luedtke, VP Global Head of Business Line Mining, ABB, said: “We are convinced that creating strategic pools of relevant stakeholders involving different technology providers will help push the collaborative technology development of standardized, interoperable solutions, accelerating the decarbonization of mining operations. Building on over 130 years’ experience in mine electrification from pit-to-port, ABB has been at the forefront of this collaborative movement with our eMine™ framework. We are excited to continue walking the electric journey with the Mining Interoperability Taskforce, bringing in ABB’s innovation in charging technologies to further work together on standardizing the interface between infrastructure and electric vehicles for mining applications.”
Emma Jones, Innovation Manager, GHD Digital, said: “Sustained technical collaboration and innovation will power the accelerated maturation of these technologies, drawing from the continued support of participants across CharIN and ICMM, each organization integral to the long-term success of this initiative. And GHD introduces a powerful combination of mining industry experience and innovation consultancy expertise to the Taskforce to make this complex ecosystem sustainable.”
Beyond mining, potential future applications of this technology could extend into other sectors where high-power charging and ruggedized charging solutions are required, such as rail, aviation, construction, and marine industries.
Source: Charging Interface Initiative e.V. c/o innos GmbH

#ICMM International Council on Mining & Metals #CHARIN Charging Interface Initiative e. V. #partnerships #e-mobility #zero emission #technology #BHP Group #Rio Tinto Group Ltd. #ABB Ltd #Mining #Machinery for Mining and Construction #electric vehicles

                     

30.03.2023

Fugro Geo-data supports development of newest large-scale hydro pumped storage scheme in UK

SSE Renewables has awarded Fugro a ground investigation contract for its Coire Glas hydro pumped storage scheme located in the Great Glen in Scotland. With a potential capacity of up to 1500MW, Coire Glas was in the news recently when SSE Renewables announced that it was to make a £100 million investment to see the project progress as the first large-scale pumped storage scheme to be developed in the UK for more than 40 years.