Mining News
Boliden and Volvo join forces on deployment of underground electric trucks for mining
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(Kitco News) - The Swedish mining group Boliden (STO: BOL) announced today it is becoming one of the first in the world to start using battery-electric trucks for heavy underground transport starting 2023.
In a press release, the company said that the new cooperation agreement between Boliden and Volvo Trucks means that two heavy, electric Volvo trucks will be used in Boliden’s Kankberg mine, outside Skellefteå in northern Sweden.
Boliden added that in mining environments, the electric trucks can deliver several big advantages – including no exhaust emissions, a safer workplace, and quieter working conditions.
"In addition, the total amount of energy consumed in the mine will be lower as electric drive is more energy efficient than a diesel engine, and it is possible to capture the electricity regenerated during engine braking on downhill slopes," the company said.
Boliden noted it is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2030 (Scope 1 and 2, compared to 2021), and for the company to achieve its climate goals, electrification of transport "will play a critical role."
The first truck to serve the Kankberg mine, a Volvo FH Electric, will be used to transport rock bolts and other equipment down into the mine and will be put into service in 2023. Based on the experience with the first truck, another Volvo FH Electric will later be put into operation and used for underground transport of rock and ore.
"We see the collaboration with Volvo as a fantastic opportunity to push the electric technology forward and at the same time learn how to adapt our operations for a transition to fossil-free underground transport," Boliden said.
"The collaboration with Boliden will give us valuable knowledge about the performance of electric trucks when driven underground, and provide answers to questions about how the driveline and batteries are affected. Reduced carbon dioxide emissions for mining transport also means that we, indirectly, will reduce our own CO2 emissions, because the mining industry's raw materials are used in our trucks," Volvo Trucks said.
Boliden is a metals company with a focus on sustainable development. The company’s core competence lies within the fields of exploration, mining, smelting and metal recycling. Boliden has around 6,000 employees and annual sales of approximately SEK 85 billion (~$8.2 billion).
Volvo Trucks offers the industry's widest range of electric trucks, with six electric truck models in series production, and is the market leader in heavy electric trucks in Europe and the USA. The company's electric trucks can cover many different transport needs, ranging from urban distribution and refuse disposal to regional transport and construction traffic. Volvo's goal is that 50% of its new trucks sold in 2030 should be electric.
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