ABB will provide engineering, project management, equipment supply, system commissioning and construction management for the off-truck trolley assist infrastructure project, the company said.
The initial phase of the trolley assist system, which will be installed in late 2021, will reduce carbon emissions at the site by up to 7%.
Each truck will be fitted with a pantograph to receive external electric power, and a trolley control system will feature an overhead catenary system (OCS) infrastructure and rectifier substation.
The trolley control system can provide connectivity to the existing distributed control system (DCS) automation platform for monitoring of trolley operations and energy consumption.
ABB has previously installed a similar substation at Boliden AB's Aitik mine, Sweden's largest open-pit copper mine and is part of ongoing expansion plans at the site. This included a 4.8 megawatt rectifier, connected to the ABB Ability™ System 800xA DCS.
Copper Mountain Mining said the project had an important role to play in the company's environmental objectives.
"From initial feasibility study onwards, ABB has been aligned with our commitments to develop our mining operations in a way that fits with energy conservation and emissions reduction goals," said Walt Halipchuk, Copper Mountain Mining's Director of Energy Management.
"The trolley assist infrastructure is an essential part of our plans to reach our bold medium to long-term targets, and ABB has proven the results it can have in terms of helping reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions."
Copper Mountain Mining has advised that overall the mine will reduce carbon intensity by more than 50 percent in 5-7 years through electrification and capacity increase.
"A trolley assist system significantly reduces GHG emissions for ultra-class mining haul trucks, which are typically the biggest source of emissions in a mining operation," said Sachin Jari, Industry Lead - Mining, North America at ABB. "Together with Copper Mountain Mining, we look forward to making this happen again so they can meet their sustainability goals."
