239 VA ERZBERG IRON ORE MINE – TRANSFORMATION PATHWAY OF MINING OPERATION FROM DIESEL TO ELECTRIC *A. Kogelbauer, P. Schimek VA Erzberg GmbH, Erzberg 1, 8790 Eisenerz, Austria, (*Presenting author: armin.kogelbauer@vaerzberg.at) ABSTRACT VA ERZBERG GMBH is an Austrian mining company and owner of the large iron spar deposit named “Erzberg” in the alpine region of the province of Styria in Austria. The mining history dates back to the Middle Ages. Today the annual production out of the open pit mine is 3.3 million tonnes of iron ore fines with a total rock mass movement of around 13 million tonnes. Drill and blast work extract ore and waste rock. Wheel loaders, a hydraulic excavator and 100 t payload dump trucks handle the transport of the material. The mine operates 340 days per year and is organized in a 24/7 shift work arrangement. The location of the mine within the town of Eisenerz requires special techniques to assure low environmental impacts. Ore and waste rock haulage contribute at most to the total operating costs. A brownfield installation of trolley sections for all the loaded uphill transport of ore and waste rock was implemented during the last years to reduce energy costs and to reduce environmental impact (Schimek, 2023).
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