In the latest episode of The Safety Share webinar series from CIM Magazine and the CIM Health & Safety Society (HSS) on Sept. 12, panelists discussed the deciding factors behind implementing battery electric vehicles (BEVs) into their operations and what mining companies should consider when making the switch.  

The webinar was hosted by Nelson Bodnarchuk, treasurer of the HSS and a board director at Evocati Capital Resources, and the guests included Mike Mayhew, founder of Mayhew Performance Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in BEVs, who also worked as the mine superintendent of underground mine operations at Agnico Eagle’s Macassa mine (when it was owned by Kirkland Lake Gold); Gertjan Bekkers, vice-president of mines technical services at Torex Gold Resources; and Sam Renelli, vice-president of technical services at Foran Mining Corp.  

Renelli discussed how Foran Mining’s flagship McIlvenna Bay copper and zinc mine in Saskatchewan, which has started early works and is targeting commercial production in the first half of 2026, is being built from the ground up with one of the world’s largest fleets of underground BEVs. The company is aiming for the project to be the world’s first carbon-neutral copper mine.  

Sandvik is supplying a fleet of 20 BEVs to the mine, which will include seven Sandvik LH518B loaders, six Sandvik TH550B trucks, four Sandvik DD422iE jumbo drills, two Sandvik DL422iE longhole drills and one Sandvik DS412iE mechanical bolter.  

“[Foran Mining] determined that BEVs would deliver better financial results at McIlvenna Bay when considering the savings generated through lower ventilation capital and operating costs,” stated a July 25, 2022 press release from Sandvik announcing the partnership.  

“I think depending on whether you’re an operator or a contractor, you have to ask how [electrification] fits within your business,” Renelli said. “For us, it was easy in the sense that we are a startup, so we don’t have an existing fleet. That’s one of the things that was an advantage to us being a newer company and including it as part of our FS [feasibility study]: we knew that BEVs were a proven technology.”  

He said that the decision to go electric was also in line with Foran Mining’s values of innovation and a culture of care, as using BEVs in underground mines can improve air quality, generate less noise and vibration and emit less heat, helping manage the temperature underground for workers. Other key considerations included reducing carbon emissions to reach net-zero targets, as well as mine safety.  He said that BEVs are less likely to catch fire than gas and diesel-powered vehicles.  

Building for battery electric from the ground up  

Bekkers spoke about Torex Gold Resources’ upcoming Media Luna project, part of its Morelos Complex in Mexico, which is currently under construction with commercial production anticipated in the first quarter of 2025. “We found this new deposit [in 2012], Media Luna, which was going to be an underground mine to be built from the ground up,” Bekkers said. “That immediately meant that we had an opportunity to design for battery electric.” 

In its 2022 technical report for Media Luna, Torex outlined that its large production fleet, along with the supporting equipment, will be battery electric. There are 66 units included in its list of electric mobile equipment fleet—including five top-hammer longhole drill rigs and 11 LHD machines— which means it is possibly the largest BEV fleet in the world. 

“The three main areas that we looked at [were] the capital cost, the operating cost [and] but also the greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “We know that the power on the Mexican grid comes from burning fossil fuels, so that needs to be taken into consideration.” 

He said that while battery electric equipment does come at a premium, there are reduced ventilation requirements. “The data actually became a significantly large factor—the reduction of power required for the ventilation—because you’re running so much less diesel equipment underground,” he said.  

The bigger challenge, Bekkers said, is that there is little experience with large BEV fleets in the mining industry. “There’s lot of companies that have dabbled with some tests with maybe one to two units, but it’s not representative of full implementation,” he said.  

He stated that an added benefit of going electric is creating a more worker friendly environment underground, with quieter equipment, fewer fans running and much better air quality.  

Finding the right fit  

When it comes down to making the decision whether to go electric or diesel at a mine site, Mayhew recommended that mining companies think carefully about whether BEVs are a fit for their operations depending on the mine design, mining method, production profile and ore body—as they will not be suitable for every mine.  

“Look at the equipment that’s available out in the market to fit the mine design and mine plan, not the other way around,” he said. “That’s where a lot of people get caught up—they buy the equipment and they make their mine [design] fit around it, which is a problem because it costs us a lot of money and time.” 

He recommended that mining companies ask what is driving electrification and go from there: “Why do you want to go to battery electric vehicle? Is it basically a board decision? Is it basically a ventilation requirement that you need at depth? Is it something completely different from reducing your greenhouse gas emissions?”  

Mayhew also discussed the importance of considering the location of charging bays in the underground mine to mitigate fire risk. “One way to mitigate that is to locate your charging bays near return areas,” he said.  

Bekkers added that considering where to place charging infrastructure is something that mining companies can address early on.  

“Something very important that we also did as part of our implementation plan was strategically looking at where to place this charging infrastructure, that’s a whole new element that you’re adding to your fleet, maybe somewhat similar to a fuel station if you have one, but very different from a mobile fuel truck,” Bekkers said.  

The panelists concluded by agreeing that owners and operators need to continue communicating lessons learned from BEV implementation at mine sites.  

“We’re very resourceful in the mining industry,” Renelli said. “The one thing that I get from this [webinar] is the need for all of us to continue to share our learnings.”  

A recording of the webinar can be viewed on the CIM YouTube page.