Goldcorp’s Borden mine. Credit: Goldcorp.Industry giant Goldcorp recently announced its plans to establish North America’s first all-electric mining operation at its Borden mine, located near Chapleau, Ontario.
The project will rely on a range of battery-operated drilling and blasting equipment, electric bolters, personnel carriers, and a 40-tonne battery-powered haul truck. Goldcorp will eliminate roughly 50% of its total greenhouse gas emissions, or 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, at the Borden mine by going electric only.
The project will also benefit employees. Replacing diesel-powered equipment in underground mines with electric versions and using ventilation on demand will make the environments they work in much safer.“With ventilation on demand, we have been able to lower our costs by about 30%,” said Brent Bergeron, Goldcorp’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability.
Old labour regulations may need to adjust to advances in the field, however. “We are working with the government of Ontario so those types of [safety] regulations are being modernized so that we can take full advantage of new technologies,” Bergeron stated.
While Goldcorp is the first mining company to spearhead an all-electric project, tightening emissions restrictions are beginning to encourage new approaches within the industry.
“We want to be seen as leading as opposed to reacting,” Bergeron explains. “We look forward to the fact that we will be sharing a lot of information so that this type of technology and innovation can be applied to other companies as well.”
See the full article in Business Vancouver.