Mining Weekly’s Marleny Arnoldi covered the launch of Anglo American’s nuGen hydrogen mining vehicle, which on Friday was officially unveiled at Mogalakwena as the world’s first zero-emission ultra-class haul truck.
Article excerpt:
The 2 MW hydrogen-battery hybrid truck, which is stationed at the Mogalakwena platinum mine, in Limpopo, in South Africa, is currently the world’s largest hydrogen-powered mine haul truck. It is capable of carrying a 290 t payload and generates more power than its diesel predecessor.
A 2 700 hp diesel engine has been replaced with eight parallel fuel cells, totalling 837 kW, and a 1.2 MWh lithium-ion battery.
Anglo head of technology development, mining and sustainability Julian Soles told media delegates during the launch event that a new drive train had to be installed and integrated into the truck’s control systems.
The company, alongside multinational utility company Engie, engineering firm First Mode, clean energy fuel cell solutions provider Ballard and hydrogen storage company NPROXX, embarked on the design and development process of a zero-emission truck fleet solution in 2019, in order to meet Anglo’s 2040 carbon emission goals.
Diesel emissions from Anglo’s haul truck fleet accounts for between 10% and 15% of its total Scope 1 emissions and a fleet overhaul is, therefore, an important step in the group’s pathway to carbon-neutral operations by 2040, commented Anglo CEO Duncan Wanblad.
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