24 Jan GMG Publishes Spanish Version of Recommended Practices for Battery Electric Vehicles in Underground Mining Guideline

Good practices to enable the adoption of battery electric vehicles in mining.

With Latin America being a global leader in mining, having the opportunity to publish this guideline in Spanish is a milestone that will enable GMG to continue to support the Latin American mining community and enable the rest of the world to benefit from their technical expertise.

Mining companies cite a few different reasons for focusing on adopting battery electric vehicles (BEVs) within their operations, including corporate carbon reduction goals or enabling very deep mines. Whatever their reason, GMG’s Recommended Practices for Battery Electric Vehicles in Underground Mining – Version 3 is the playbook that can help them reach their goals because it shares lessons learned and tried and true practices found throughout the industry.

This guideline intends to provide guidance and an overall discussion about the benefits, drawbacks, and planning requirements for designing and implementing a BEV fleet within an existing or new mine. It aims to strike an appropriate balance between standardization and innovation by providing key considerations, questions to ask, and guidance on where to look for further information.

Version three features several expansions and additions to the content, including:

• New and expanded content on safety, risk, and emergency response, particularly related to battery fires and thermal runaway.
• New and expanded content on maintenance, including maintenance area design, charging system and maintenance, and equipment maintenance and service area design.
• Expanded content on developing the business case.
• New sections on automated connection interfaces.

The third version amplifies the commitment from the mining industry to reduce the environmental impact, enhance work safety, and adopt new technologies to propel the industry forward.

“The first two versions of this guideline have truly left a mark on the industry. We have heard from users and participants that they feel it has been instrumental in pushing the development of underground battery electric vehicles forward,” says Heather Ednie, CEO of GMG.

Patricio Valle, Digital Mining & Autonomy Consultant from Hatch Digital said, “Hatch Digital found it very useful to have participated in developing this guide in Spanish since electromobility is part of the new requirements for mining fleets and is one of the initiatives to lower the carbon footprint in the industry. As Hatch’s Digital division, this guide will allow us to incorporate these guidelines in the development of our projects, as it will be a reference point for the definition of technical specifications and optimization studies on deep mining operations, enabling the synchronization with other technological systems that coexist within the mine”.

Gonzalo Ramirez, Electromobility Specialist at Codelco noted that, “For Codelco it is very important to have this guide in Spanish which gathers and disseminates the knowledge and experiences that we have developed internally and with other companies in this area. As electrification is considered a transformational challenge for the industry, the creation of knowledge and its application is essential to collaboratively mobilize companies, to align objectives and meet the goals we have set for ourselves. This guideline will allow us to disseminate the industry’s gathered knowledge more effectively on the electrification of mining operations, build capabilities at the local level and close gaps to achieve successful implementations.  We value this outcome, as well as GMG as an organization, as it connects us in a collaborative way with knowledge and the best practices within the industry by means of its various working groups.”

GMG welcomes all industry stakeholders to share their feedback on how they are using the guideline and recommendations for improvements in future iterations.

Read full news release when the English version of the BEV guideline was published in 2022 here.

Read Spanish news release here

Spanish version of the guideline here

English version of the guideline here

About GMG

The Global Mining Guidelines Group (GMG) is a network of like-minded companies driving change in the mining industry. Together, we help develop knowledge, educate, and guide the global mining industry. We monitor the pulse of the industry and develop multi-disciplinary guidelines and strategies to manage risk, enhance performance, design solutions, inform planning and decision making, and save time and money. Our members are mining companies, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), original technology manufacturers (OTMs), research organizations and consultants from around the world who recognize that innovation does not happen in silos. GMG improves communication and facilitates collaboration to foster a more sustainable and efficient future for mining. Our multi-stakeholder working groups address topics such as data and interoperability, artificial intelligence, autonomous equipment, underground communication, battery-electric equipment, and comminution efficiency in mining. For more information contact us here.