Electric trolley at Boliden Aitik, in northern Sweden.
Mining and smelting company Boliden has invested 300-million krona to expand electrified transportation at Aitik, northern Sweden, and to implement the corresponding technology in Kevitsa, Finland.
Since 2018, a pilot project on electrified transportation has been conducted at Aitik. The company has installed 700 m of electric trolley line and converted four mining trucks.
Boliden says Aitik is currently the only mine in an arctic climate where electric trolley has been installed.
"We are now taking further steps to improve both productivity and climate impact at our two openpit mines,” says Boliden president and CEO Mikael Staffas.
In Aitik a further 3 km of electric trolley line will now be built and another ten trucks will be converted for electric trolley lines. Overall, the plan means that greenhouse gas emissions from transportation over the life-of-mine (LoM) are reduced by nearly 15%.
In Kevitsa, 13 mining trucks are converted for electric trolley lines at the same time as the 1.8-km-long electric trolley line is being built. The investment means that greenhouse gas emissions over the LoM are reduced by 9%.
The electric trolley installations are being deployed in stages until 2022.
Boliden expects to reduce diesel consumption by 5 500 m3/y, when the investment is completed.
Further, productivity gains are added as the electrically powered trucks can run at a higher speed. The working environment for the drivers is also improved, not least through lower noise levels.