ABB eMine™ Trolley Assist

Copper Mountain Mining · Princeton, British Columbia

Role: Senior Project Leader, ABB Client: Copper Mountain Mining Corporation Commissioned: April 2022 First: North America’s first open-pit trolley assist

First images of ABB eMine™ trolley system commissioned at Copper Mountain Mine. Source: ABB.

Electrifying trucks, electrifying results — ABB eMine™.

Project at a glance

  • ~1 km overhead catenary (OCS) haul ramp
  • 12 MW+ DC rectifier substation
  • 7 Komatsu 830E-5 hybrid trucks (Phase 1), 11 total planned
  • 90% carbon reduction on trolley segment vs diesel
  • 30%+ site-wide emissions reduction target
  • 2× truck speed on electric (e.g. 20–35 km/h vs 8–11 km/h diesel)
  • ~400 L diesel displaced per truck per hour on trolley

The Challenge

Open-pit mining relies heavily on diesel haul trucks—often the largest source of GHG emissions at a mine. Copper Mountain Mining’s flagship operation near Princeton, B.C., produces roughly 100 million pounds of copper equivalent per year. Diesel for 240-tonne haul trucks was the largest source of emissions and among the site’s top operating costs. The industry needed a path to decarbonize heavy haulage on steep ramps where battery-only solutions were not yet viable.

The Solution

I led ABB’s delivery of North America’s first open-pit trolley assist system for haul trucks. Similar to urban trams, trucks connect via pantographs to an overhead catenary system (OCS) on the main haul ramp. They run on clean BC hydroelectricity instead of diesel on the climb, then disconnect for loading and dumping. ABB was responsible for the off-truck infrastructure: design of the OCS, rectifier substation (in excess of 12 MW DC), trolley control system integrated with ABB Ability™ System 800xA, plus engineering, project management, equipment supply, commissioning, and construction management.

Key Achievements

  • First in North America: First open-pit mine to commission electric trolley assist haulage on the continent.
  • 90% emissions reduction on the trolley segment for electrified trucks versus diesel.
  • 30%+ site-wide target: Project aimed at cutting carbon emissions at the mine by at least 30%, paving the way to net zero by 2035.
  • 2× speed on grade: Trucks travel up the ramp at roughly twice the speed on electric power, improving cycle times and productivity.
  • Clean power: System powered by BC Hydro; displaces over 100 gallons of diesel per hour per truck on trolley (~14,000 tonnes GHG reduction annually in Phase 1).

What the Client Said

“We are proud to be the first open pit mine to commission electric trolley assist haulage in North America. We have been assessing numerous innovative technologies that will reduce our carbon load. Through electrification and capacity increases, we are targeting to reduce our carbon intensity by 50 to 70% in the next five to seven years.”

— Gil Clausen, P.Eng., President & CEO, Copper Mountain Mining Corporation

“Electric powered haul trucks will now travel up our haulage ramps at twice the speed, one tenth of the energy cost, and near zero GHG emissions.”

— Don Strickland, EVP – Sustainability, Copper Mountain Mining Corporation

Videos & Resources

Publicly available material on the project:

Scope (ABB)

  • Overhead catenary system (OCS) design
  • Rectifier substation >12 MW DC
  • ABB Ability™ System 800xA integration
  • Project management & commissioning
  • Construction management

Partners

  • Copper Mountain Mining
  • SMS Equipment
  • Komatsu (830E-5)
  • CleanBC / BC Hydro
Contact for Details