Technology case study: Redefining hoisting for smaller mines
When ABB supplied the first electric motor for a mine hoist in 1891, it set in motion more than a century of progress in safer, cleaner, more productive material movement.
That same spirit now underpins a new collaboration with the Adelaide-based organisation EcoHoist. Together, ABB and EcoHoist are introducing a micro-hoisting design to reduce emissions, cut capital expenditure, lower heat load, and de-risk operations in underground mines ultimately driving an increase in productivity and profitability.
Why diesel haulage can no longer be the default
Diesel trucks have long been valued for flexibility, especially in smaller mines where large hoists have been deemed too expensive. Yet, underground, diesel trucks bring hidden costs: air laden with carcinogenic particulates, heavy ventilation infrastructure, and higher operational costs.
Vertical hoisting, on the other hand, offers the highest efficiency of all material haulage. Lifting 40 tons of material vertically from 1,400m uses around 237kWh, whereas doing the same with a diesel truck uses the electrical equivalent of around 1,159kWh. This equates to around double the production at half the cost when considering the increased production by removal of congestion, improved speed to surface, and electrical efficiency by using counterbalanced systems offered by hoisting.
Diesel truck hauling is also sub-optimal from an environmental and safety point of view, with diesel engines running in confined tunnels, and people breathing that air.
Ventilation is often the biggest energy consumer in underground mines. Studies show hoisting can deliver at least 40 per cent savings in ventilation requirements compared to diesel haulage, directly reducing energy costs and infrastructure needs. In fact, mines that use a hoisting approach could actually use less electricity than mines using diesel trucks, simply because of the huge reduction in the energy consumed by ventilation.
Vertical ore movement, reimagined
EcoHoist’s vertical hoisting approach adds a compact, modular bucket system to existing ABB technology. This combination, with its reduced size and lower up-front capital requirements, makes vertical haulage accessible to smaller operations. Instead of requiring massive shafts and headframes, the solution uses two small-diameter raises – fast to install, cheaper to support, and easier to extend or relocate as the mine deepens.
“The hoist is the heart of the mine, and EcoHoist is a new idea on a classic foundation,” Nik Gresshoff MAusIMM, Local Business Line Manager Mining & Materials Australia and Cluster Manager for Australia, South Africa and Southeast Asia, ABB
A shaft is still a shaft – but with EcoHoist, it’s smaller, safer, and powered by ABB’s drives, motors, and control and safety systems – the same systems deployed in more than 1,000 hoists worldwide.
For small to mid-tier mines, this means access to the efficiency and productivity of vertical hoisting – long regarded as the fastest way to move ore – without prohibitive upfront costs. For larger mines, EcoHoist can be deployed in sub-level or satellite roles, cutting haul distances and easing bottlenecks.
A study commissioned by BHP’s Think and Act Differently program modelled a 2 Mt-per-annum expansion at 1,000 m depth. The analysis showed EcoHoist could deliver an incremental net present value of USD 82 million over a truck-based scenario – all underpinned by ABB’s hoist systems to ensure reliability and long-term operability.
“New doesn’t necessarily mean risky. We’re using proven mechanics, just scaled differently. The return on investment we’re seeing in studies is startling.” – Matthew Forrest AAusIMM, Founder and Managing Director, EcoHoist
Reducing heat and improving safety
Every kilowatt of diesel power used underground translates into ventilation demand. By removing dozens of engines and their heat load, EcoHoist improves the working environment while lowering power costs. This not only cuts emissions and reduces costs; it removes a major source of personnel risk. Truck haulage in confined tunnels carries inherent dangers – collisions, fatigue-related accidents, and constant exposure to diesel particulates.
A shift away from trucks and toward electrified hoisting aligns with tightening regulatory focus. The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) reported in 2023 that diesel particulate matter (DPM) exposure remains the number one health priority for underground operations, and with Safe Work Australia releasing updated workplace exposure limits – dropping the allowable limit for DPM by a factor of 10, from 0.10 mg/m3 to just 0.01 mg/m³ from December 2026. The race is on to remove diesel-powered vehicles from Australian mines; it’s now reasonably practicable to eliminate diesel trucks from smaller underground mines completely.
By collaborating with EcoHoist, ABB is extending its 140-year heritage to smaller-scale applications, providing smaller mines with a commercially realistic pathway to vertical hoisting that also allows them to simultaneously hit productivity and safety targets.
The shortest distance between any two points is a straight line – vertical hoisting has always been the quickest, most efficient way to lift ore. EcoHoist and ABB’s approach just makes it possible where it wasn’t before.
As mines work to balance sustainability with shareholder returns, the ABB-EcoHoist partnership offers a practical lever: reduce diesel reliance, electrify operations, and unlock stranded ore bodies – all at lower capital intensity.
If you would like to know more, visit the ABB website and connect with the ABB specialist team.
WATCH: Hear from Nik Gresshoff and Matthew Forrest as they discuss the concept of redefining hoisting for smaller mines.
A version of this article was originally published on ABB’s website and is republished here with permission.