With this order, ABB confirms its presence on the path to all-electric mining. Copper Mountain Mining's flagship conventional open pit, truck and shovel operation produces approximately 100 million pounds (45,000 metric tons) of copper equivalent per year. The initial phase of the trolley-assisted system is scheduled for late 2021 and should result in a reduction of more than 50% in 5-7 years with the ultimate goal of achieving zero emissions by 2035.
A trend towards electrification of mines
The planned installation includes engineering, supply and construction management of a DC substation and an overhead catenary system (OCS) and combines ABB’s electrification and automation expertise in the mining industry. The trolley control system can bring connectivity to the existing distributed control system (DCS) automation platform for harmonious integration and monitoring of trolley operations and energy consumption.
ABB works with many mining companies and has already installed a similar substation at Bliden AB's Aitik mine in Sweden, including a 4.8 megawatt rectifier, connected to the ABB Ability™ System 800xA DCS.
