Boliden set to trial battery electric surface drill rig concept from Sandvik

Hard rock mining equipment manufacturer Sandvik is working with Swedish mining company Boliden AB to test and develop a new, battery electric surface drill rig concept at Boliden’s Kevitsa mine.

Like many European industrial companies, Boliden is working hard to decarbonize its mining operations. As such, it’s chosen its Boliden Kevitsa open-pit mine in Sodankylä, Northern Finland as a test bed for the new Sandvik electric drill rig concept, where it hopes to gather valuable data about the the utilization of the big machine while maximizing energy efficiency of the mine.

“Sandvik’s battery-electric concept surface drill rig is a testament to our mission to gear our value chain towards net zero emissions,” said Lauri Laihanen, vice president and R&D of surface drilling at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. “Most of the emissions generated in the Sandvik value chain come from the use of our products, so minimizing these emissions is a priority that will contribute both to the sustainability of the end-products and global sustainability efforts overall.”

The battery electric drill rig offers up to one hour of drilling or up to seven hours of continuous tramming, and is primarily intended for tramming and drilling individual holes. Like other electric concepts we’ve seen that operate primarily on a single site, cable connection to grid power enables continuous operation – an ideal solution here, where the bulk of the rig’s work happens within the reach of nearly 600′ power cable.

The Kevitsa mine operators invest constantly in automation, electrification, and remote-control systems – all of which Sandvik calls “standout features” of its concept surface drill rig. This is the second such rig in operation in Europe, and the first put to the test with a commercial partner.

Electrek’s Take

While there are a lot of people outside the drilling and mining space who may scoff at environmental concerns, the quest for improved efficiency and cost reduction among commercial fleet managers knows no political ideology. Simply put: If it’s better or cheaper, they’ll buy it. If it’s better and cheaper, they’ll buy two — and battery power is proving to be consistently better, in a broader scope of use cases, than diesel.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Sandvik, via Heavy Equipment Guide.