Three competing major miners, Vale, BHP and Rio Tinto, have grouped together to invite companies and individuals to participate in an initiative to find ways of using electric vehicles in surface mining to decarbonize mine operations worldwide.
The Charge On Innovation Challenge will invite registered participants worldwide to propose feasible methods of using electric powered trucks in surface mining operations. The focus will be on how to recharge truck batteries with the least possible impact on operations, ensuring their wide adoption in open pit mines.
Current stationary charging systems require substantial time to charge large trucks, which would result in significant lost productivity. The mining industry needs multi-megawatt scale fast charging concepts capable of delivering around 400kWh to charge and propel a truck within the truck's haul cycle (load, travel, dump, return, queue), BHP and Rio Tinto said in a May 13 statement.
"We expect the Challenge will stimulate innovative ideas, some of which could be immediately applied to existing diesel-electric equipment and help fast-track implementation of longer-term solutions," said Edgar Basto, president of BHP Minerals Australia. Rio Tinto said it considered innovation to be the key to decarbonization.
Vale noted that new charging solutions need to be incorporated into mining operations in parallel to the development of battery trucks, to ensure the creation of a truly sustainable electric haulage system.
The Challenge is being conducted in partnership with Austmine, an industry association in the Australian equipment, technology and mining services sector.
Vale said in a May 13 statement that it believes this type of broad industry-wide collaboration is essential to find solutions to achieve carbon-neutrality in mining and keep temperature gains below two degrees Celsius, according to the Paris Agreement.
"The objective is that the best solutions can be used by all companies in the sector, mining companies and suppliers, creating a safe loading pattern that can be adopted quickly while contributing significantly to our greenhouse gas reduction goals," the Brazilian miner said.
Company targets
In 2019, Vale announced a goal to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 33% by 2030 from 2017 levels and to become carbon neutral by 2050.
BHP is targeting a reduction of 30% in its carbon emissions over the next decade, on a path to reach carbon net zero by 2050. BHP CEO Mike Henry said late last year that he believed collaboration between companies and customers was essential for slashing Scope 3 emissions in the sector.
Rio Tinto aims to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to reduce its absolute emissions by 15% and its emissions intensity by 30% relative to its 2018 baseline by 2030.
