Anglo’s newly named nuGen™ hydrogen powered mining truck set for May 6 launch
The launch of Anglo American’s hydrogen-powered ultraclass mine haul truck – newly named nuGen™ – has been set for May 6, 2022 at Anglo Platinum’s Mogalakwena open pit platinum operation in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The final achievement of first public movement of the truck, a converted 291 t class Komatsu Mining 930E, will be a huge moment for Anglo’s lowcarbon transition and Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction plans as it works towards its stated interim target of 30% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, including eight sites carbon neutral by that date. The truck is strictly speaking not purely powered by hydrogen – it is an FCEV truck – including both hydrogen #fuelcell and lithium battery technology. Anglo American says that nuGen™ is an example of its FutureSmartMining™ in action – “demonstrating how Anglo American is applying innovative thinking and technological advances to address major sustainability challenges – for Anglo American, their people and the world more broadly.” A lot is riding on nuGen™ – Anglo American’s Tony O’Neill, Technical Director, has stated that while the total-cost-to-operate will be comparable to diesel the system will achieve direct parity by 2030 adding that the FCEV trucks will allow for 50- 70% reduction in emissions (Scope 1 and 2 for open-pit mines). Anglo said in 2019 that it has seven sites in planning for rollout completion by 2030, including the #LosBronces and #ElSoldado #copper mines in Chile. At Mogalakwena, a full 40 truck rollout was planned to start in 2024. Hydrogen-powered trucks are also on the cards for its KumbaIronOre operations in South Africa, which include both the #Sishen and #Kolomela mines. The nuGen™ #ZeroEmissionHaulage Solution brought together some impressive global technologies – the 2 MW powertrain consisting of Canada-made Ballard Power Systems fuel cells (eight #FCveloCity®-HD 100 kW modules) and a Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) #batterypower module built in Grove, Oxfordshire, UK which were brought together with the electronics system by the main integrator and Anglo technology partner First Mode, in Seattle USA. The on-truck hydrogen fuel tank was developed by Netherlands-headquartered NPROXX while off-truck technology and infrastructure includes a 3.5 MW electrolyser plant from Norwegian company Nel Hydrogen for hydrogen production and Plug Power refuelling system. The overall hydrogen production, storage and refuelling complex was designed by Anglo and ENGIE. Anglo itself is also a significant investor in both Ballard and First Mode. WAE was recently acquired by another mining giant – Fortescue Metals Group – to work with its Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) division, which has built and already begun testing its own FCEV truck, based on a converted 221 t Terex Unit Rig MT4400, in Perth, Australia.
