On December 1, 2021, gold mining giant Gold Fields released a comprehensive set of 2030 goals for its most important environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities. The goal includes a commitment to reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions by 30% by 2030, and an absolute reduction of 50%. As a signatory of the Paris climate change agreement, Gold Fields is also committed to achieving zero carbon by 2050. By 2030, Jintian's total investment in decarbonization will be approximately US$1.2 billion, of which about a quarter will be funded by the company, and the rest will be funded through power purchase agreements. The NPV of all projects is expected to be positive.

In terms of Scope 1 emissions, the company has outlined its plans to operate in St Ives, a gold mining area in eastern Western Australia, which will be the first mine in Australia to receive the new Sandvik LH518B 18-ton BEV underground loader. The business will also receive a Z50 50-ton pure electric truck, and both trucks will be put into use in the northern mining area of ​​Hamlet. Moved to South Africa, its South Deep mine in Gauteng Province, despite facing operational challenges at a depth of 3 kilometers, has always been one of the most advanced deep mines in the world in terms of new technologies, from level 9 collision avoidance to shovel automation . Battery electrification is now also part of it-another Sandvik LH518B loader will begin trials in South Deep at the end of 2022-this is the first such loader in Africa.

Martin Preece, Executive Vice President of Gold Fields South Africa, told IM: “Sandvik LH518B is scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2022. Sandvik has previously demonstrated the test device at next year’s Electra Mining Exhibition, which is scheduled for Held in September 2022. South Deep will be experimenting with Sandvik. I suggest that one year is a good timetable to get the correct information about performance, reliability and cost." He added that there will be two Two key factors are rolled out in stages: first, the retirement of the current diesel engine fleet, and second, the availability of battery packs that work on the basis of successful trials. Preece stated that the mine does not intend to retrofit the existing LHD: “We want a fully electric machine so that we can obtain the full advantages of the technology in terms of improving conditions and reducing operating costs; the conversion option will not provide this opportunity. "

Sandvik's battery-electric LH518B has a power of 600 kilowatts and is the most compact 18-ton loader on the market. Its size is equal to the 14 t size class, enabling it to be installed in a 4.5 mx 4.5 m tunnel. It is equipped with AutoSwap, which is a patented self-swap system of Artisan™ battery system. The battery chemistry used is lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). Importantly, for deep mines with limited space, the system does not require any heavy mine infrastructure, such as overhead cranes or forklifts to lift or move batteries; all that is needed is a passing area or an old re-cleaning area.

At this stage, Preece said the focus will be on LHD and trucks, as they account for the majority of diesel consumption. "Our drilling rigs only use diesel engines to drive around the mine, but once they are installed in the workplace, they will run on electricity through towing cables, so they are not a major source of emissions. Over time, we will also consider drilling rigs. And utility vehicles."

In the broader Gold Fields Group, if the mining company hopes to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, it will obviously need more extensive electrification, because diesel is the second largest source of emissions. But as far as major mining companies are concerned, it is undoubtedly one of the pioneers, not only in Africa but also in the world.

South Deep work is entered from the surface through two shaft systems, a double shaft complex (main shaft and ventilation shaft), where the main shaft includes a single well to 110A level with a depth of 2,998 m, and the ventilation shaft to 110 level at 2,947 m depth and the South Shaft Complex, which is a sub-vertical system (three operating wells) that reaches 95 levels at a depth of 2,786 m. The mine is divided into three main areas. First, Current Mine (CM), which is characterized by selective mining methods scattered over large areas, was originally mined by conventional table mining methods. CM can be accessed from the four active layers (90, 93 and 95) of the Nanjing and Shuangjing complexes. The north of Wrench (now) is located due to the south and downdip of the CM and consists of 6 mining corridors separated by regional pillars that extend southward to the Wrench fault. The use of batch non-selective mining methods results in a higher conversion rate of resource reserves. Third, the eastern and western regions of South of Wrench (SoW) located in the south and downdip of Now will be mined in the same way as Now.

In addition to Scope 1 and the mining fleet, in South Deep, 93% of its emissions are related to Scope 2 and its electricity consumption, so Preece pointed out that its greatest chance of achieving net zero emissions was initially through its huge 50MW solar project. Preece added: “After this, we will look for further opportunities to expand this field, which includes battery storage solutions. Wind turbines are also considered, which will increase the composition of renewable energy and, importantly, it can Contribute to the whole day, not just during the day."

Gold Fields has begun construction of a 715 million South African Rand solar power plant in South Deep. The power plant will be completed in the second quarter of 2022 and will provide approximately one-quarter of the mine’s electricity needs and save more than 120 million per year. The cost of electricity in the South African Rand. The plant's capacity has just recently increased from 40MW to 50MW. Gold Fields will be the first mine in South Africa to build and operate a self-contained solar power plant of this size. This will ensure higher power supply reliability and reduce power costs, which currently account for about 13% of mine operating costs. Importantly, it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 100,000 tons per year.

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