A new 800-tonne Komatsu PC8000-11 is joining Hudbay Minerals’ fleet of electric equipment as part of a carbon-cutting initiative.
Recently, officials from SMS Equipment, Komatsu Germany and Hudbay Minerals gathered at Copper Mountain mine in Princeton, British Columbia, to celebrate the arrival of the sizeable new machine that joins the operation’s growing electric fleet.
At 9.7 metres tall and 10 metres wide, the Komatsu PC8000-11 is the largest surface mining excavator on the market.
With an impressive list of technical specifications, the mining excavator delivers more than a hefty payload as it will operate solely on electricity, contributing to the operation’s emissions-reduction strategy.
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“Embracing a sustainable future through electrification is an important step in our collective journey to decarbonization,” said Dennis Chmielewski, Executive Vice President, Mining at SMS Equipment.
“We are a proud equipment, service and technology solutions partner to Hudbay and a long-time supporter of the Copper Mountain mine trolley-assist project. The addition of a large-capacity excavator to the mine’s electric infrastructure marks exciting progress on its path to net-zero.”
The Copper Mountain mine is one of the only open pit mines in North America to operate an electric trolley-assist haulage system. The 1 km haul ramp and seven pantograph-equipped electric haul trucks that comprise the project were commissioned in the spring of 2022, in partnership with SMS Equipment, Komatsu, ABB, Clean BC and B.C. Hydro. The latest PC8000 joins two other electric excavators operating at the site that complement the mine’s overall electric equipment fleet.
“Electric equipment and infrastructure significantly reduce our reliance on diesel, the largest source of GHG emissions at the mine,” said Walt Halipchuk, Director of Sustainability and Assets at Hudbay Minerals. “With the help of this technology, we are on track to reduce our emissions in 2024 by 6,000 tonnes of CO2e.”
Komatsu PC8000-11
The nearly 800-metric-ton Komatsu shovel was made in Germany and assembled at Copper Mountain mine in 2023. Komatsu officials, including the president and managing director of Komatsu Germany GmbH, were on-site for a handover ceremony and reception for Hudbay employees and SMS Equipment representatives.
“The journey to net-zero is not one we can navigate alone,” Halipchuk said. “With the help of value-added partners like SMS Equipment and Komatsu, we can explore our challenges and find sustainable solutions without sacrificing productivity, efficiency or profitability.”
