Broadmeadow Mine is set to join our colleagues at Olympic Dam, by rolling out a trial of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) in their underground operation.

Dan Hookham, Superintendent Mods & Small Projects, said the trial is a key milestone in what has been a long journey for the mine and the project team, with strict regulations on the operation of electric vehicles in underground coal.

"We're really excited to see the implementation of this trial, with the end goal being to eliminate all diesel powered machines from the underground mine," Dan said.

"When successful we will have the potential to eliminate diesel-powered personnel transporters from Broadmeadow by replacing the fleet with 100% battery operated vehicles."

“We’re also looking to implement a battery electric Load Haul Dump Machine (LHD) trial in the near future as well.”

Broadmeadow has been looking for suitable equipment, with the site working with technology firm, PMP, to develop a machine that meets the required Australian standards.

"We've also engaged a few other specialist companies and formed a Low Emissions Team (LET), all with common projects in battery electric vehicles across Australia and Canada," Dan said.

"Sharing information, knowledge and experiences has been critical to progressing our project at Broadmeadow."

Great work to the team involved including Dan, Paul Wyatt, Superintendent Gov & Tech Stewardship, Toby Everson, Superintendent Maintenance Development, Adrian Watson, Specialist Engineering, Joel Nielson, Electrician, and Cheryll Godwin-Abel, Principal Studies from our Potash business, who shared her learnings from the Janson Project in Saskatoon.