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Electrify Everything—Designing a Fully Electric Gold Processing
Facility for a Low-Carbon Grid
K Haase, Ben Adaszynski, Kris Kaminski, Aaron Massey, and J Agnew
Sedgman, Vancouver, Canada
ABSTRACT: For grids which are supported by hydro-electric generation, and as renewable penetration of
grids is increasing, using electricity in lieu of on-site combustion supports lower emissions related to minerals
processing. Fuel for mining fleets is often a key focus of mines looking to decarbonise, but eliminating fuel
use in processing facilities can also be pursued to achieve net zero targets. This case study outlines the design
approach for a gold processing facility in British Columbia, Canada, which commenced construction in 2023.
The design included electric elution heating, electric kiln and electric smelting, in lieu of the typical use of
Natural Gas or Diesel as a heat source. This paper outlines the drivers for selecting electrical equipment in
this case. The potential carbon emissions savings achieved per gold oz with this circuit design are presented,
compared to a typical design with on-site combustion to provide heat sources for elution, kiln and smelting.
The SO2 system also used electric heat and recycled steam rather than fossil fuels for both sulphur melting and
pre-heat stages, as well as temporary no-load heat scenarios. This allowed for the entire process facility to have
no fossil fuel power used in the entire process. A number of technical challenges were considered during the
design to ensure safe and effective responses to electrical outages. These included, Electrical design (conduits),
equipment size and layout, and start-up /shut-down philosophy. This paper outlines the process for identifying
and mitigating hazards to manage identified risks.
KEYWORDS: Decarbonisation, electric, smelting, elution, kiln, gold
INTRODUCTION
In a macro environment of escalating global concern for
environmental sustainability, mine owners are facing an
imperative to innovate and adopt lower impact approaches.
For gold processing, one promising avenue to mitigate the
carbon impact lies in the transition from conventional
heating methods to the utilization of electric power where
low emissions power is available. In this context, the adop-
tion of electric power for gold processing not only stands as
a testament to responsible resource management but also
plays a pivotal role in contributing to a more sustainable
and environmentally friendly future.
Artemis Gold’s Blackwater Mine is located in central
British Columbia, approximately 160 km southwest of
Prince George and 446 km northeast of Vancouver, and
will be connected with the BC Integrated grid, which
has a low carbon intensity (11.5tCO2e/GWH in 2022).
The project is an Open Pit CIL Mill design, with initial
design throughput of 6 million tpa, and 321,000oz of gold
production, and further expansion phases planned. The
processing facility commenced site works in 2023, and
was under construction at the time of writing. An com-
mitment was made for the Stage 1 development phase:
an initial investment to replace all diesel, natural gas and
Electrify Everything—Designing a Fully Electric Gold Processing
Facility for a Low-Carbon Grid
K Haase, Ben Adaszynski, Kris Kaminski, Aaron Massey, and J Agnew
Sedgman, Vancouver, Canada
ABSTRACT: For grids which are supported by hydro-electric generation, and as renewable penetration of
grids is increasing, using electricity in lieu of on-site combustion supports lower emissions related to minerals
processing. Fuel for mining fleets is often a key focus of mines looking to decarbonise, but eliminating fuel
use in processing facilities can also be pursued to achieve net zero targets. This case study outlines the design
approach for a gold processing facility in British Columbia, Canada, which commenced construction in 2023.
The design included electric elution heating, electric kiln and electric smelting, in lieu of the typical use of
Natural Gas or Diesel as a heat source. This paper outlines the drivers for selecting electrical equipment in
this case. The potential carbon emissions savings achieved per gold oz with this circuit design are presented,
compared to a typical design with on-site combustion to provide heat sources for elution, kiln and smelting.
The SO2 system also used electric heat and recycled steam rather than fossil fuels for both sulphur melting and
pre-heat stages, as well as temporary no-load heat scenarios. This allowed for the entire process facility to have
no fossil fuel power used in the entire process. A number of technical challenges were considered during the
design to ensure safe and effective responses to electrical outages. These included, Electrical design (conduits),
equipment size and layout, and start-up /shut-down philosophy. This paper outlines the process for identifying
and mitigating hazards to manage identified risks.
KEYWORDS: Decarbonisation, electric, smelting, elution, kiln, gold
INTRODUCTION
In a macro environment of escalating global concern for
environmental sustainability, mine owners are facing an
imperative to innovate and adopt lower impact approaches.
For gold processing, one promising avenue to mitigate the
carbon impact lies in the transition from conventional
heating methods to the utilization of electric power where
low emissions power is available. In this context, the adop-
tion of electric power for gold processing not only stands as
a testament to responsible resource management but also
plays a pivotal role in contributing to a more sustainable
and environmentally friendly future.
Artemis Gold’s Blackwater Mine is located in central
British Columbia, approximately 160 km southwest of
Prince George and 446 km northeast of Vancouver, and
will be connected with the BC Integrated grid, which
has a low carbon intensity (11.5tCO2e/GWH in 2022).
The project is an Open Pit CIL Mill design, with initial
design throughput of 6 million tpa, and 321,000oz of gold
production, and further expansion phases planned. The
processing facility commenced site works in 2023, and
was under construction at the time of writing. An com-
mitment was made for the Stage 1 development phase:
an initial investment to replace all diesel, natural gas and