Billions of litres of diesel are consumed annually by the global mining industry, which is under severe pressure from weak commodity prices. Up to 80% of this consumption comes from haulage trucks moving uphill on ramps. A Namibian uranium mine is overcoming this challenge with six 11 MW Siemens substations that provide electric power to overhead DC power lines, which in turn provide power to the adapted diesel-electric haulage trucks.
Siemens SA recently launched one of three completed units at its North Riding facilities to be used to power a fleet of Komatsu 960E trucks, which are among the industry’s biggest and highest capacity mine haulage vehicles, having a load capacity of 327 tonnes.
Each containerised substation boasts 1,8 kV of DC voltage and up to 10 000 A to ensure that it can run two trucks continuously, three trucks for ten minutes or four trucks for one minute, along the overhead power lines. This combination of substation and overhead line is known as trolley assist technology in the mining industry.
The ribbon cutting party with the substation in the background.
“A trolley assist solution is installed on any uphill stretch between the mineral ore loading pit and offloading points, as the speed on the gradient is limited by the diesel engine’s horsepower,” explains Siemens SA project manager, Phiwa Thindwa. “With the inclusion of the electric drives, the electric power supplied to the wheel motors of the haulage trucks enables the vehicles to move faster uphill, which results in quicker turnaround times and higher productivity for the mining operation.
“Engine operating and maintenance costs are directly linked to hours of operation of the haulage trucks and using trolley assist on gradients reduces the cycle time of the haulage trucks, thus increasing the intervals for maintenance. This leads to longer intervals between engine overhauls, which are proportional to the hours that the haulage truck is in operation. The end result is reduced downtime and improved productivity on an around-the-clock basis.”
BMG achieves GBCSA Net Zero Waste Level 2 Certification Bearing Man Group t/a BMG
News
BMG has achieved Green Building Council South Africa Net Zero Waste Level 2 Certification after diverting more than 90% of operational waste from landfill, demonstrating how practical sustainability measures can deliver measurable environmental and commercial benefits.
Read more...Pump spares and parts for Africa
News
KSB Pumps and Valves explains how its decentralised stockholding and local manufacturing keep spares and parts available across its installed base in Africa.
Read more...Inspiration for times of change Endress+Hauser South Africa
News
More than 2000 customers, partners and experts gathered in Basel, Switzerland, for the Endress+Hauser Global Forum in April 2026. Under the theme of driving sustainable transformation together, the event combined keynote sessions on strategy, technology and the future of work with practical case studies from across the process industry.
Read more...The gender gap in SA’s engineering sector
News
South Africa’s engineering sector is facing a critical gender imbalance, with women making up just 16% of registered engineering professionals compared to 84% of men.
Read more...Safe removal of the historic US 181
News
Mammoet provided the heavy-lift expertise that helped remove the 2300 ton centre span of the historic US 181 Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas, using a precision lift-and-lower method that protected nearby marine environments and reopened navigation channels swiftly.
Read more...Siemens and HighByte partner to scale industrial AI Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Siemens is expanding its Industrial Edge ecosystem through a partnership with HighByte, enabling customers to connect, contextualise and transform data from operational technology and information technology sources to build AI models and applications at scale.
Read more...Africa Energy Indaba 2027 aims to ignite the power revolution
News
Africa Energy Indaba 2027 takes place from 2 to 4 March 2027 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, bringing together ministers, utilities, investors and developers to accelerate energy generation, unlock investment and drive the continent’s industrial future.
Read more...3D electrical systems design workflow for electromechanical innovation Siemens South Africa
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking IT in Manufacturing
Siemens has announced new 3D electrical design capabilities within its Capital software, enabling electrical and mechanical engineers to work concurrently in a shared 3D environment to reduce late-stage design changes and accelerate time to market for complex electromechanical products.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version