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Abstract. Metal mining at great depths is associated with a high demand for fresh air required to cool down mine openings, evacuate noxious gases and contaminants, as well as to provide sufficient amounts of oxygen for miners. Diesel powered loadhaul-dump (LHD) machines, trucks and other mobile equipment used extensively by modern mines not only emit exhaust gases and diesel particulate matters (DPM), but constitute also an additional source of heat. As mine regulations get steadily more stringent with regard to air quality, the use of diesel engines has an increasingly adverse impact on ventilation costs. In this context, this paper examines electric drives (mainly those commercially available) as possible alternatives for diesel power trains. They are reviewed with regards to their principles, required infrastructure, as well as technical and operational issues. Their practicality and economic viability are also addressed. Moreover, their benefits and potential for implementation in the conditions of deep metal mines are discussed. The paper concludes with a resume of current and short-term potential of electric loading and haulage equipment as alternative to diesel-powered vehicles in deep metal mines. It underlines the growing interest in their application as means to improve sustainability of underground mining.

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Mining industry is a substantial consumer of the energy indispensable to power mining and mineral processing equipment and processes. As more and more mine operations move to remote locations, the access to reliable, secure and environment friendly energy sources becomes a key concern. At present, a great majority of remote mines relies heavily on diesel fuel that has to be transported over long distances. In this context, some of the renewable energy sources such as for example wind power or solar energy seem to provide potentially interesting and viable alternatives. Mine operations however, have a very particular character, much different from other industries and from other potential applications of renewable power sources. This paper presents operational conditions of some mining operations, particularly those in remote regions, in the context of their energy needs. The authors analyse current and future capacities to decrease a reliance of remote mines on conventional fuels and energy. The paper analyses and discusses also the conditions to be met by alternative energy sources so that they might become a viable alternative for remote mining operations.

Productivity and efficiency of mining equipment are among the most important factors contributing to unit mining cost, and measuring and benchmarking them is one of the best ways of identifying the possibilities of improvement. It is in this context that the present paper discusses the notion of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). The paper reviews main components of OEEavailability, utilisation and production efficiency. It discusses some of the factors influencing those components as well as different means of quantifying them, and proposes a number of key performance indicators (KPI) associated with them. The paper critically reviews metrics already in use by mining companies and equipment manufacturers and proposes a number of other measures whose implementationwould be beneficial for mine operators. The indicators are also analysed from the point of view of their meaningfulness, practicality and usefulness for further analysis. The paper also addresses the question of data quality and it provides a number of recommendations concerning performance reporting and follow-up of equipment efficiency.

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