On July 12, the leading Chinese mining truck OEM Inner Mongolia North Hauler Joint Stock Co (NHL) and Chinese coal giant CHN Energy through its division Zhunneng Group held a delivery ceremony for a 300 ton class diesel-electric drive dump truck at the Haerwusu opencast coal mine.

The truck is unique is that it is the first large mining truck in China to be constructed mainly of Chinese-made components – including the engine, electric wheel motors and other major parts.

Zhang Jufu, Director of the Investment Planning Department of the Autonomous Region’s Office of Industry and Information Technology, Bai Guosheng, Deputy Director of the Baotou City Bureau of Industry and Information, Guo Haiquan, Deputy General Manager of NHL, Cao Yong, Deputy General Manager of Zhunneng Group, and other relevant personnel attended the delivery ceremony.

​NHL said that the delivery of the 300 ton ‘domestic mining dump truck’ is testament to the depth of cooperation between NHL and Zhunneng Group who are jointly promoting the benefits of localised construction, “breaking the dual monopoly of imported product technology and price,” and its advent also marks the breakthrough of high-powered diesel engines for mining heavy trucks in China.

It added that many the development of domestic core technologies such as electric drive systems has enhanced the comprehensive strength of China’s key basic components, basic materials, basic processes, industrial technologies and other aspects of mining trucks, which collectively is highly significant and an important milestone in the development history of electric wheel mining trucks in China.

This model is the first domestic large mining truck with independent intellectual property rights, which is equipped with a high speed diesel engine developed by domestic manufacturers and equipped with an engine intelligent supervisory control system. For the next step, NHL says it will continue to cooperate with Zhunneng Group to successfully trial the truck, continuously improve its performance, and build it into a mining truck with high reliability, high durability and higher quality.

At the ceremony, Zhang Yaobin, President of the Product Research Institute of NHL, delivered the truck’s symbolic “golden key” to Wang Jiming, Deputy Mining Director of Halwusu opencast coal mine. Zhang Jufu, Bai Guosheng, Cao Yong, Guo Haiquan and Wang Jiming together cut the ribbon for the truck.

Corica Mali, a subsidiary of Corica Mining Services, has been awarded the open-pit mining services contract at Leo Lithium’s Goulamina project in Mali, a contract valued at approximately $348 million.

The contract, awarded following the completion of a competitive tender process and extensive due diligence, encompasses six months of pre-production activities at Goulamina followed by a fixed five-year term.

The scope of the contract comprises grade control, drill and blast, load and haul, and plant ore feed services. The planned material movement target is 18-20 Mt/y over the term. Corica has already mobilised to site under an early works contract and is currently undertaking the pre-strip and direct shipped ore (DSO) mining and crushing services.

Corica has a successful track record operating in the West African region for over 20 years, and has over 2,000 employees, according to Leo Lithium. It is currently providing large-scale mining services to a number of leading ASX and TSX listed mining companies across seven mining operations in Mali and neighbouring countries of Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. This includes the Syama open-pit operation (operated by Resolute Mining), the Waghnion mine (majority owned by Endeavour Mining) and the Tongon mine (majority owned by Barrick Gold).

Goulamina is a spodumene project with development underway, located 50 km west of Bougouni in Mali with all approvals and key permits received to bring the project into production. An updated definitive feasibility study was completed in December 2021, which outlined conventional open-pit mining methods involving drilling, blasting, loading and hauling. High-quality concentrate has been validated by test work, including production of concentrate grade of 6% Li2O and low mica. Leo Lithium and Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd own the project through a 50:50 joint venture, with the Government of Mali having the option to take up a 10% free carried interest in the project.

Leo Lithium Managing Director, Simon Hay, said: “We are delighted to appoint Corica as our mining services contractor following an intensive tender process. Corica has a long history and strong presence in Mali and will bring substantial local employment and supplier opportunities to the region.

“With the mining contractor now in place, Leo Lithium has taken another major step towards realising its target of first spodumene concentrate production in the first half of 2024. We look forward to working with Corica over the long term, commencing with DSO activities this quarter.”

Aeris Resources and Ramjack Technology Solutions have announced a partnership to further secure Aeris’ competitive position by leveraging Ramjack’s technology strategy and roadmap services, the METS company says.

The engagement will ensure world-class operational practices are achieved through best-of-breed technology selection, utilisation and integration, providing return on investment within 12 months, Ramjack says.

This phase will streamline the way operational technologies work synchronously across four copper, gold, zinc and silver mining complexes in Australia. Ramjack says it has accomplished Phase 1 by evaluating the interoperability of existing technologies at multiple sites, in various states of adoption, to uncover further productivity improvements and cost efficiencies. The technologies assessed covered production, technical services, maintenance, safety, geology and administration.

Ian Sheppard, Chief Operations Officer for Aeris Resources, said innovation was a critical component of their drive to improve mine productivity.

“The pragmatic application of operations technology is an enabler for our people to innovate,” he said. “We selected Ramjack as experts in operations technology integration because their vendor-agnostic model is such a refreshing change from the confusion that arises from dealing directly with a multitude of technology suppliers. Ramjack has a track record of helping mines to select the right technology to achieve the sustainable and repeatable productivity improvements we need.”

Roy Pater, Ramjack VP APAC, said: “We’re thrilled to engage in partnerships where expert collaboration results in innovation. Aeris knew that a standardised operational model with scalable technology would benefit them in the long run. Our services and partnership with Aeris will deliver at least a 2.5% year-on-year operational improvement for them, compounded annually with any new investment.”

With information gathering done, the next steps include knowledge transfer services to empower the Aeris team to get more out of its systems, make better mining decisions, maximise ore grade, exceed production targets, reduce costs and enhance safety, Ramjack says. Final steps include technology selection recommendations and deployment services that will deliver a major change in how data is collected and used to deliver accurate, actionable information for timely production improvement decisions, it added.

Aeris Resources is a mid-tier base and precious metals producer. Its copper-dominant portfolio comprises four operating assets, a long-life development project and a highly prospective exploration portfolio, spanning Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, with headquarters in Brisbane.

Carbon reduction company First Mode has announced construction of its first manufacturing facility in Seattle, Washington, USA. The factory will produce zero-emission powerplants and associated ground infrastructure for First Mode’s nuGen™ haulage solutions, which replace diesel engines in mining haul trucks and locomotives by retrofitting customer’s existing fleets with battery and hydrogen fuel cell solutions.

“Our First Mode manufacturing facility is a crucial step towards fulfilling our mission to eliminate diesel from heavy industry,” said First Mode CEO Julian Soles. “This factory allows us to demonstrate our zero-emission powertrain solutions at scale and enables our customers to deliver on their decarbonisation commitments.”

At scale, the manufacturing facility will produce components to retrofit 36 vehicles with nuGen™ systems annually, the equivalent of removing 25,000 passenger vehicles from the road each year. The factory will also validate the company’s manufacturing processes and establish a foundation for expanding First Mode manufacturing capacity near customer locations.

“We’re incredibly pleased that First Mode is establishing its first manufacturing facility in Seattle,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “Seattle has always been known for big, progress-driving ideas, and this announcement speaks to our continued status as a hub for innovation and being on the cutting edge of world-changing technology. We look forward to how this state-of-the-art facility helps First Mode achieve its mission of decarbonising heavy industry, brings clean energy jobs to our city, and builds a more sustainable future for the next generation.”

Set to begin operations later this year, First Mode’s manufacturing facility will be the largest clean technology manufacturing facility in the city of Seattle. In recognition of this investment, First Mode recently received the Evergreen Manufacturing Grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce to support factory construction.

“First Mode represents one of the largest clean tech companies in Seattle and I’m thrilled that they chose to invest in our city by building a manufacturing facility here,” said Markham McIntyre, Director of the Seattle Office of Economic Development. “Seattle is uniquely positioned as a leader in sustainability and clean technology deployment. We’re excited to continue working with First Mode as they bring new clean tech manufacturing and engineering jobs to our city and help shape the future of Seattle’s economy.”

By utilising smart manufacturing, the 45,000-square-foot facility will enable concurrent development and production of multiple nuGen™ engine configurations – also allowing the company to digitalise and automate workflows for a smarter, safer, and more efficient factory with a high level of adaptability to design changes – crucial to First Mode’s rapid product development roadmap and design iteration.

The first factory-built nuGen™ engines will be transported to First Mode Proving Grounds in Centralia, Washington, USA, in 2024. The engines will then be integrated into Komatsu 930E haul trucks and become the largest zero-emission trucks to drive on US soil.

The factory will help First Mode fulfill its supplier agreement with Anglo American to decarbonise their global fleet of ultra-class haul trucks with the nuGen™ Haulage Solution, which includes haul truck retrofit with the company’s nuGen™ haulage solution and supporting infrastructure such as battery charging, hydrogen production, and refuelling.

Rio Tinto and Sumitomo Corporation are to build a first-of-a-kind hydrogen plant in Gladstone, Australia, as part of a A$111.1 million ($74.6 million) program aimed at lowering carbon emissions from the alumina refining process.

The Yarwun Hydrogen Calcination Pilot Demonstration Program received the green light after a A$32.1 million co-funding boost from the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The program is aimed at demonstrating the viability of using hydrogen in the calcination process, where hydrated alumina is heated to temperatures of up to 1,000°C.

It involves construction of a hydrogen plant at the refinery and the retrofit of refinery processing equipment. If successful, the program could pave the way for adoption of the technology at scale globally, Rio says.

Rio Tinto Aluminium Pacific Operations Managing Director, Armando Torres, said: “This pilot plant is an important step in testing whether hydrogen can replace natural gas in Queensland alumina refineries. At Rio Tinto we have put the energy transition at the heart of our business strategy, and this is one of the ways we’re working towards decarbonising our operations.

“We are proud to be developing this new technology here in Gladstone, in partnership with Sumitomo Corporation, and with support from ARENA.”

The project will consist of construction of a 2.5 MW on-site electrolyser to supply hydrogen to the Yarwun refinery and a retrofit of one of Yarwun’s four calciners so it can operate at times with a hydrogen burner.

The trial is expected to produce the equivalent of about 6,000 t/y of alumina while reducing Yarwun’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 3,000 t/y.

Converting the entire plant to green hydrogen could reduce emissions by 500,000 t/y, Rio estimates, the equivalent of taking about 109,000 internal combustion engine cars off the road.

Construction will start in 2024. The hydrogen plant and calciner are expected to be in operation by 2025.

Sumitomo Corporation will own and operate the electrolyser at Yarwun site and supply the hydrogen to Rio Tinto directly. The electrolyser will have a production capacity of more than 250 t/y of hydrogen.

Sumitomo Corporation Energy Innovation Initiative Director, Seiji Kitajima, said: “We are excited to be delivering this hydrogen project together with Rio Tinto as our long-term partner with the support of ARENA.

“Demonstrating real-world applications of hydrogen in industrial settings with motivated partners is essential to reducing carbon emissions and working toward our company’s vision of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Through this demonstration, Sumitomo Corporation aims to venture into the commercialisation project to contribute to Rio Tinto’s decarbonisation.

“Sumitomo Corporation is proud to be working on yet another hydrogen project in Australia and contributing to Australia’s own emission reductions goals.”

The pilot plant follows the success of a A$1.2 million feasibility study co-funded by Rio Tinto and ARENA that was announced in 2021.

Rio Tinto says it is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and has targets to reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 from 2018 levels.