Mark Seeber, Senior Technical Advisor for Medatech is working with Teck's new Highland Valley Copper mine to make it a low carbon operation and discusses the success underground and the challenges for surface mining. Summary notes:

• Mark pointed out that there are huge challenges confronting the widespread adoption of battery-electric solutions for large surface haul trucks in the mining industry;

• He did describe situations in which BEV technology may be applied in the open pit mining industry: where loaded hauls are mainly downhill and uphills are mainly unloaded.  The Teck Highland Valley - Ashcroft is an example of that, and it has been used elsewhere.  This speaks to mine design: the importance of designing mines to minimize adverse loaded hauls, which is often but not always possible;

• The challenges are such that BEV technology might only be the answer for some open pit mining operations.

• A critical point Mark raised is the quantity of electricity required to electrify/de-carbonize surface mining operations at the province wide (or larger) scale.  This limitation applies regardless of the technology used: BEV, trolley (wired) systems, even hydrogen if 'green' -- that is, not produced from fossil fuels.  

• So what are the possible de-carbonization paths forward for the surface mining industry?

  • use electricity (renewable only) only for mining required for materials needed for the energy transition;

  • require mine designs that enable BEV or trolley electrification or conveyor systems -- that is, mostly downhill for loaded hauls;

  • on-site electricity generation (brownfield areas, already mined) -- pumped storage hydro, solar, wind, geothermal.  (e.g. what is the temperature of water being pumped out of waste rock in pits?)

• Hydrogen is a big issue.  Gray -- out of the question as derived from natural gas.  Blue....if CCUS technology proves out and results in economically competitive (with electricity) hydrogen production.  Green is an obvious answer....but if renewable energy is going to be used to produce green hydrogen, why use hydrogen as the energy carrier when we already have infrastructure to deliver renewably-generated electricity to many mine sites?  One possibility is on-site (mine site) renewable electricity generation used to generate hydrogen which then fuels haul trucks.  In comparison to using renewably-generated electricity for BEV haul trucks, this might address at least two problems: (i) battery re-charge time; and (ii) the dangers in transport (truck, train or pipeline) of hydrogen.