Skills and insight are gold in decarbonisation era
Richard Roberts
Starting and ramping up a new mine can throw up plenty of challenges and Bellevue Gold did not make the task any easier by setting itself the goal of becoming the world’s first “green gold” producer by 2025. Another Western Australia-based miner, Byrnecut, has notched up loads of impressive
milestones around the world over the past 10 years. But producing a non-diesel underground mining truck of the future isn’t one of them. It has not been for want of trying. Nor money.
For leaders of both companies, though, the trials are a necessary part of what they see as an inevitable and very necessary transition for the industry.
Bellevue Gold has achieved its aim of net-zero gold and has buyers in Australia and Europe paying a premium for the metal at a time of record bullion prices. Managing director Darren Stralow, a mining engineer with more than 20 years in the industry, says green gold has also drawn people to work at a new underground mine more than 400km from a regional city. That is something he has found invaluable in an extremely tight labour market.
Pat Boniwell, managing director Australia at Byrnecut, is also a mining engineer who has risen up the management ranks at one of the world’s largest mining contractors over 30 years. Byrnecut, with its international arm, is a major buyer of underground primary and ancillary equipment and will be among the first to trial the industry’s biggest diesel-electric and battery-powered trucks and loaders as they make their way into the commercial arena. It is already integrating smaller non-diesel machines into its enormous fleet.
With its depth of technical and engineering expertise the contractor also sought to accelerate delivery of new non-diesel truck options through an internal program. Boniwell says it absorbed heavy investment over a decade and returned “a lot of technical success without the commercial success”. What it did expand, though, was institutional knowledge integral to Byrnecut’s future. With the steady growth of its commercial battery-electric fleet, the company is building “internal capability to operate, maintain and implement” new generation equipment.
“We do know as a result of it all that electric drive systems are fundamentally what we want,” Boniwell says.
“We’ve had some fantastic success with electric drive and we’ve got some very real challenges at the moment with some of the battery systems. It doesn’t mean we’re going to stop, it just means that certain equipment is not right at the moment for certain applications and we’ve got to adjust.
“It’s about changing the conversation and most people – and they’re what companies are made of – are receptive to that conversation.”
David Lyon, president of Canadian consulting firm, Zero Nexus, says there is “lots to learn” from the sites and enterprises at the forefront of the industry’s energy and mobility transition.
“While there’s been plenty of progress and a lot of announcements about underground fleets and trials in the open pits, the reality is no mine today is electric and the transition is taking time,” he says.
“It’s complex. Every site faces different hurdles.
“That said, some of the most advanced efforts are happening in Canada … where a lot of the mine electrification has been taking place over the past 10 years. There is lots to learn from those sites.”
Lyon says conveying this knowledge to people at all levels of the industry is a crucial part of speeding the transition underway.
Through Zero Nexus, he has delivered education and training courses to organisations around the world. He will be joined by associate partner Edward Fagan in presenting an upcoming five-week AusIMM course, commencing October 27, which comprehensively explores today’s mine electrification landscape, examining electrification drivers, battery-electric vehicle systems and infrastructure, battery safety, change management and business case development.
Lyon says the course is about “preparing leaders, not just operators and maintenance technicians”. However, it was built for all mining professionals who wanted to take the lead on moving to successful BEV fleet implementation.
“Successful implementations require much broader system thinking than just one-to-one diesel-for- electric vehicles swaps,” he says.
“Effective change management and getting your workforce onboard is also critical.
“What excites me the most about the future of mine electrification is really how it’s reshaping mining for the better. Lower emissions, quieter work environments, safer conditions and just smarter systems overall. Anyone who’s worked in a heading next to one of these battery electric vehicles can attest to how much that’s improved their work environment.
“This course equips professionals to be part of that future. Not just reacting to it but actually leading it. Let’s help build the skills and strategies to make meaningful change. That’s the most rewarding part of it.”