Abstract
With growing attention to climate change and sustainable development, miners are increasingly evaluating mining methods and technologies that result in de-carbonization of mining activities. Some have called this the “electrification of mining”, as it results in replacing diesel energy with electrical energy. However, one must consider the source of this electricity to have a full evaluation from a de-carbonization perspective.
Mine planners need to be aware of how certain technologies can be evaluated. Leading technologies for de-carbonization of open pit mines include trolley assist truck haulage and in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC). On the horizon, there are new energy technologies such as batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. However, these are simple variants of conventional truck haulage which mine planners are well-versed in. This paper is intended to introduce the evaluation approach for adopting trolley assist and IPCC. Starting with pit design ramifications and following through to time and capacity modeling, production scheduling, capital and operating cost estimation, the audience will be walked through the steps necessary to have successful evaluations. Case studies are referenced to exemplify points raised.