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ABB in Australia develops innovative electric charging solution for Glencore’s former CSA copper mine in New South Wales (NSW) that will enable the transition to electric vehicles for mining companies locally and globally.
Glencore’s former CSA Mine at Cobar, in regional New South Wales, is one of Australia’s highest grade copper mines. The underground mine, which operates 24/7, produces about 50,000 tons of copper each year. The metal is mined and processed onsite and then transported to the Port of Newcastle for export to smelters in Asia.
CSA Mine currently uses diesel loaders as part of its excavation operations in the mine. These loaders haul around 50,000 tons of copper every year, but produce heat, noise, moisture and emissions, so the 2,000m deep mine must be kept well ventilated. Last year, CSA Mine invested in its first battery electric loader – the Epiroc ST14 – which is more than 2.5m tall and capable of carrying up to 14 tons of copper each.
As the mine operates 24/7, downtime waiting for EV batteries on the dump trucks to be charged should be as short as possible. To provide power for Glencore’s battery electric loader, ABB created a bespoke fast charging solution, situated 1,000m underground, to deliver 150kW of DC power to fully charge each truck in less than one hour.
Based on ABB’s Heavy Vehicle Electric Charger technology, originally built to charge city buses, the customised plug-in solution is housed in an air-conditioned kiosk, rugged enough to withstand extreme operating conditions underground, including high ambient temperatures, humidity, vibrations and dust. The solution also includes state-of-the-art digital tools such as ABB Charger Connect and ABB Ability™ Energy & Asset Manager, which allow Glencore to monitor their underground charging network and maximise their energy efficiency.
Peter Christen, General Manager of CSA Mine, said: “We are committed to reducing emissions across our operation and our investment in a battery electric loader is an important step forward. ABB has provided us with a fit-for-purpose fast charging solution for the loader, which can significantly increase its efficiency by increasing the number of hours it can operate.”
Epiroc’s Brett Kenley, Electrified Solutions Product & Sales Support Lead, Australia/Asia Pacific, added: “We are proud to be part of this milestone project with Glencore in Australia to support their electrification journey. Our Scooptram ST14 battery electric loader is a 100% fossil-free loader for underground application. Its energy regeneration ensures low energy consumption and extends driving range. With the electric drive, this battery loader outperforms diesel equivalents, especially on grade.”
