In reply to @DDBB "I said earlier, delays in finance likely to be a silver lining. Goldman Sachs, who are copper bulls, talking about the days of $3 copper being gone."
Just adding to what you were saying,
Rio Tinto Post #: 63698824 moving towards more ESG friendly, low carbon emissions footprint mining operations with their partnership with Volvo TARA system, comprising a cabless, battery electric and autonomous dumper. BHP doing likewise,
BHP to replace 160-truck fleet at Chilean copper mine with Caterpillar EVs.
Mining giant the BHP Group plans to electrify its entire haul truck fleet at the Escondida copper mine in the Antofagasta region of Chile. The facility’s current fleet of over 160 haul trucks will be replaced with Caterpillar electric trucks over the next 10 years. The first trucks are expected to arrive in the second half of 2023.
Caterpillar says its new 798 AC electric drive trucks will deliver significant improvements in material-moving capacity, efficiency, reliability and safety. BHP says the new e-trucks include technology that enables autonomous operation, which will help it to accelerate the implementation of its autonomy plans.
Caterpillar dealer Finning International will deliver the trucks and provide technical support for the fleet.
“This agreement will allow us to generate significant efficiencies at the operational level, but it is also in line with some of the main challenges that drive us as a company: innovation for the future of mining, decarbonization, and development of capabilities in Antofagasta´s community,” said James Whittaker, President of Escondida | BHP.
“This is the largest fleet deal in Finning’s history, and will significantly expand the Caterpillar truck population and support the transition towards cleaner energy,” said Finning CEO Scott Thomson.
https://chargedevs.com/newswire/bhp-to-replace-160-truck-fleet-at-chilean-copper-mine-with-caterpillar-evs/
More BHP:First Komatsu 930E trucks begin operating autonomously at BHP South Flank
In early June 2022, the first four of a fleet of 41 290 t Komatsu 930E haul trucks began autonomous operations at BHP’s South Flank iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia – with the trucks controlled from a purpose-built control facility at the site. The transition to autonomous haulage is expected to be completed at South Flank by September 2023.
Since July 2020, a fleet of Komatsu 930E autonomous-ready haul trucks, configured as conventionally driven trucks, has been moving iron ore and materials. In January 2022, BHP approved moving the US$3.6 billion mine to autonomous haulage, to be phased in across five Autonomous Operation Zones (AOZs), from June 2022.
“All 41 of the 930E’s on site are now in the process of being upgraded to fully autonomous operation, at the rate of four a month,” said Garry Povah, Komatsu’s General Manager Mining Automation. According to Povah, Komatsu is on track to have over 430 autonomous trucks operating in Australia by the end of 2022, in mines across Western Australia and Queensland.
“Komatsu’s autonomous technology helps drive job creation, with a focus on safety, diversity, upskilling and an innovative flexible workforce that meets the needs of people and communities with business goals,” says Sean Taylor, CEO & Managing Director, Komatsu Australia. “Not only does Komatsu’s autonomous haulage technology have a proven record in safety, productivity and lower haulage costs, but we pride ourselves on our ground-breaking contributions to autonomous technology solutions in the industry.”
https://im-mining.com/2022/08/19/first-komatsu-930e-trucks-begin-operating-autonomously-at-bhp-south-flank/
So the majors are actively reducing mining costs using new technologies with autonomous EV haul trucks. Streamlining workforce, accident risks and carbon friendly. ESG compliance is the dark force working unnoticed behind the scenes. Smaller operations with a higher ratio of workforce onsite becoming more of a disadvantage to the scales of industry. BHP Escondida mine is suffering decreasing grades, so over the next 10 years+ this cost saving now will keep BHP competitive.
Higher copper prices will be needed to keep the larger & smaller mines operating.
(20min delay)