Anglo American today officially unveiled the prototype of the world's largest hydrogen-powered mining truck designed for everyday use at the Mogalakwena PGMs mine in South Africa.
The 2MW hydrogen battery hybrid truck, which generates more power than its diesel predecessor and is capable of carrying a 290-tonne payload, is part of the Anglo American nuGen™ Zero Emission Haulage Solution (ZEHS). nuGen™ offers a fully integrated green hydrogen system consisting of a production, refueling and transport system, with green hydrogen produced directly at the mine.
Over the next few years, we plan to convert or replace our current fleet of diesel trucks with this zero-emission transportation system powered by green hydrogen. If this pilot project is successful, we will be able to reduce diesel emissions from our quarries by up to 80% by introducing this technology to our global fleet,” said Duncan Vanblood, chief executive of Anglo American.
“Hydrogen plays an important and wide-ranging role in achieving a low-carbon future, especially as an energy carrier that allows the development of a renewable energy generation system. We are especially excited about the potential of nuGen™, among other opportunities, as we work to develop the Hydrogen Valley in South Africa,” said Natasha Viljoen, CEO of Anglo American Platinum.
Anglo American has long supported the potential of the hydrogen economy, recognizing its role in driving the transition to cleaner energy and cleaner transportation.
With a combination of abundant renewable energy sources (such as solar and wind) and the world's largest producer of platinoids, hydrogen is a strategic priority for South Africa and presents significant opportunities for economic development, including job creation and the development of the PGM sector, and also contributes to achieve South Africa's decarbonization goals.
Anglo American is a British mining group based in South Africa. The company owns 85% of the De Beers diamond monopoly, and is also the largest supplier of platinum group metals.
Hydrogen valley in South Africa
In South Africa, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the South African National Development Institute (SANEDI), in partnership with Anglo American, Bambili Energy and ENGIE, are exploring the possibility of creating a hydrogen valley. The proposed hydrogen valley will stretch approximately 835 kilometers from the platinum group metal-rich Bushveld Geological Area in Limpopo Province, along an industrial and commercial corridor to Johannesburg and to the south coast in Durban. The nuGen™ Zero Emission Haulage Solution is one of the first projects for Hydrogen Valley in South Africa.
