WA nickel miner plans “all-electric” mine to provide ore for EV batteries

A team of experts including from technology giant ABB has been engaged to help deliver an all-electric nickel mine in Western Australia, and green up the supply chain feeding massive global demand for batteries.

ABB said on Wednesday that a collaboration with mining services group Perenti had won its first contract, to provide a study for the full underground electrification of the Cosmos Nickel Project owned by Australian miner IGO.

The contract follows a November 2022 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two companies to develop a service marrying Perenti’s mining expertise with ABB’s electrical and technological expertise.

IGO, which bought the Cosmos Nickel Project last year, is currently developing the Odysseus underground mine at the site north of Leinster on the traditional lands of the Tjiwarl people.

Once in production, Odysseus will deliver high quality nickel concentrates into the global nickel market which is booming off the back of demand for lithium-ion batteries, largely for electric vehicles.

ABB said on Wednesday that a team of experts from the three companies would work together on the “optimum design” of mine electrification at the the Cosmos Project.

This process would take in mine design optimisation for electric operations, production and operating philosophy, fleet selection, power distribution and electrical infrastructure design, electrification system and battery management, ESG and safety impact analysis, and cost modelling of both Capex and Opex.

The mine operator’s goal is to implement a complete mine electrification solution at Cosmos by mid-2025.

ABB says the electrification plan, combined with IGO’s renewable power plans, will largely decarbonise the Cosmos mining operations.

“At IGO, we believe in a cleaner energy future, and that extends to our underground mining operations where the electrification of our fleets will create a safer, greener, and more productive operation,” said the miner’s heas of technical services, Chris Carr.

“Our collaboration with Perenti and ABB [aims] to make this a reality.”

For ABB and Perenti, the contract with IGO marks a milestone in the companies’ collaboration on solutions to support net zero emissions targets for underground and open-pit mines.

“Decarbonization and electrification are critical to the future of mining, and we are privileged to be working with our client IGO on this pioneering study,” said Perenti managing director and CEO Mark Norwell.