Agnico Eagle Mines has deployed four electric drive Cat 798 AC haul trucks at the Detour Lake gold mine in Ontario, Canada to increase production at the open-pit operation. These trucks have a 372-t payload and were added to the fleet in the March quarter, with two more planned for commissioning in the June quarter.
In the first quarter of 2023, the Detour Lake mine set an output record, helping the company chalk up a production of 161,857 oz of gold.
The deployment of the Cat 798 AC haul truck has been increasing at other mining sites too, such as the Antamina, Toquepala, and Cuajone copper mines in Peru, as well as at Codelco’s Ministro Hales and BHP’s Escondida mine.
In September 2022, BHP, Caterpillar, and Finning signed an agreement to replace the entire haul truck fleet at BHP’s Escondida project, the world’s largest copper mine, with Cat 798 AC electric-drive trucks.
It is anticipated that the initial batch of these trucks will reach the Escondida mine during the latter half of 2023. The remaining trucks are scheduled to be delivered over the next decade, as the three companies collaborate to replace one of the largest haul truck fleets in the world, which currently consists of over 160 vehicles.
Source: International Mining
Image Source: Caterpillar