Modern Mining June 2022

POWER SUPPLY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY

On Friday May 6 at the Mogalakwena PGM mine in Limpopo, South Africa, Anglo American launched nuGen, the world’s first 510 t ultra-class load haul mining truck to be fuelled by hydrogen and electrically driven via hydrogen fuel cells. By Peter Middleton . nuGen: the world’s first hydrogen-fuelled

W ith a payload of 290 t and a drivetrain that can deliver 2.0 MW of power from 800 kW of fuel cells and 1.2 MW of battery storage, the vehicle is the largest hydrogen powered truck ever converted to run on hydrogen. The nuGen™ vehicle was engineered in-house to enable the entire open cast mining fleet in Anglo American to be converted from diesel to hydrogen. It delivers a zero-emission haulage solution that, on this truck alone, saves 3 000 ℓ of diesel consumption per day at Mogalakwena, displacing 8.0 t of CO 2 . If implemented on all of the trucks at an average sized open cast mine, 120 000 t of CO 2 emissions per year can be avoided, and there are over 1 000 such mines worldwide. For any hydrogen vehicle to be truly zero-emis sion, however, renewable energy sources must be used to produce ‘green’ hydrogen. Also required is vehicle refuelling infrastructure, all of which is under development as part Anglo American’s FutureSmart Mining™ initiative. In partnership with Engie, Anglo American has been building a hydrogen production, storage and

refuelling complex at Mogalakwena that incorpo rates the largest electrolyser in Africa. Powered by an onsite solar PV plant, this electrolyser and its surrounding infrastructure use water to produce pressurised hydrogen for refuelling the mine’s nuGen trucks. “The launch of the nuGen truck is truly remarkable and it is a huge milestone on our journey as a coun try to creating an industry, but also an economy, that is more sustainable, more innovative and resource ful,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaking from Mogalakwena. “It is a smart step for Anglo America, but it is a giant leap for South Africa’s hydrogen economy into the future,” he noted. “Today’s launch of the world’s largest truck pow ered by green hydrogen – that will be produced, yes, at the mine – also shows us that the energy economy is beckoning us: as a country and as an industry. The hydrogen economy has definitely arrived for South Africa and today we celebrate its arrival,” Ramaphosa assured. In terms of broader national development, he notes that the Department of Science and Innovation,

Anglo American’s nuGen truck in motion.

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28  MODERN MINING  June 2022