Norwegian integrated aluminum producer Norsk Hydro is planning for a fifth of its truck fleet at the Paragominas bauxite mine, in Brazil's northern state of Para, to be electric by 2026.
Hydro plans for 20pc of its truck fleet in Paragominas to be either fully electric or hybrid by the end of 2026 as part of its decarbonization initiatives, mine manager Edil Pimentel told Argus. There are four e-trucks at the site currently, two diesel-electric hybrids and two fully electric units.
The company plans to take delivery of 11 more over the course of next year, which will add up to a fifth of Paragominas' fleet.
"Each e-truck saves 190 metric tonnes (t)/yr of CO2 in comparison to our standard, 8x4 diesel trucks," Pimentel said.
The miner wants to cut its global carbon emissions by 30pc by 2030, and is electrifying its buses and cars that move employees inside the mine, in addition to the trucks. Overall, Hydro's electrification initiatives aim to reduce over 239,000t/yr of CO2, according to the company's website.
Mining is one of the better opportunities for electrification since it does not require trucks to travel for long distances — so it does not need long range vehicles — and has a well-structured, private charging infrastructure.
"Using e-trucks is a good way for us to balance sustainability, efficiency, and economic gains," Pimentel said. "In addition to cutting carbon emissions, electric trucks are also more adequate to our specific operational conditions."
Paragominas has its own dedicated power grid with over 90pc of electricity coming from a 456MW, Hydro-built wind farm, according to Carlos Neves, chief operating officer for bauxite and alumina operations at Hydro Brazil.
This allows for the company to have a lower energy cost in comparison to the average kWh price in the state of Pará, where the mine is located. Neves says that the company pays between $0.04-0.05/kw (R0.21-0.27) per kilowatt, meaning that running its EV trucks is cheaper than its combustion-powered equivalents.
Hydro's fully electric truck consumes, on average, 35,000kWh/month, so its monthly running costs add up to $1,400-1,750 (R7,640-9,555).
Hydro's regular semi-trucks can carry up to 70t per load and use up to 19 liters/hour of diesel, Pimentel said. They can run non-stop for 21 hours with a single tank. Paragominas operates constantly through the year. A regular diesel truck uses around 13,680 liters/month of diesel, according to Argus' calculations based on data provided by Hydro.
The miner bought two fully electric trucks from Chinese brand Sany, powered by a 350kWh LFP battery that can be completely charged in 60 to 80 minutes, running for up to five hours with one charge.
Hydro also has two hybrid trucks from the same brand, which use diesel as their primary fuel, in addition to a 600-volt battery. Both fully electric and one of the hybrids can carry 60t for each load, while the bigger hybrid can carry up to 90t, according to Sany's website.
Hydro Paragominas is one of the largest bauxite mining operations in the world, producing 11mn t/yr of bauxite slurry. The mine spans over 18,000 hectares.
