First Quantum Patents Technology To Cut Mining Diesel Use

First Quantum Minerals has secured a UK patent and trademark for its Quantum Electra-Haul trolley-assist technology, strengthening the Canadian miner’s efforts to reduce diesel consumption and emissions from open-pit haulage.

The technology allows mining trucks equipped with pantographs to connect to overhead electrical lines while travelling uphill from open pits. Once connected, electric wheel motors provide the power needed for the climb, reducing reliance on diesel engines during one of the most energy-intensive parts of the haul cycle.

First Quantum has spent more than 14 years developing and operating trolley-assist systems and recorded nearly 500,000 kilometres of trolley-assisted haulage across its mines during 2025.

The company says its trolley-assist technology can reduce diesel consumption by as much as 90% on uphill hauls. It currently has more than 15 kilometres of trolley-assist infrastructure installed across its three largest operations and plans to expand the systems as part of its long-term mine plans.

At its Zambian operations, the technology helped avoid approximately 45,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 by replacing diesel consumption with renewable electricity. Combined with other pit-electrification initiatives, First Quantum estimates that its operations avoided more than 130,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions during the year.

The company is ultimately targeting the electrification of as much as 100% of applicable uphill haul cycles.

First Quantum has worked with equipment manufacturers including Liebherr, Hitachi and Komatsu since 2011 to develop the trucks and electrical infrastructure required for trolley-assisted haulage. The system incorporates mobile transformers, electrical houses and trolley lines that can be relocated as an open pit develops through successive cutbacks.

Electrification can also improve haulage efficiency. First Quantum says trucks save around two minutes on each trolley-assisted section because electric power enables faster uphill travel. Shorter cycle times could potentially reduce fleet requirements and equipment interactions within the pit.

The company is now extending its electrification strategy into battery-electric haulage.

In April, First Quantum commissioned what it describes as the world’s first ultra-large battery-electric mining truck at its Kansanshi copper-gold mine in Zambia. The Hitachi EH4000 combines battery-electric technology with trolley assist, allowing the truck to draw power from overhead infrastructure during operations.

The project builds on a trial launched by First Quantum and Hitachi Construction Machinery at Kansanshi in June 2024. The companies are testing the truck under actual mining conditions to determine whether it can perform the full range of rock-haulage duties while evaluating battery charging and discharging cycles.

Combining battery technology with trolley infrastructure could allow electric trucks to draw power while operating, reducing their reliance on stationary charging systems.

The UK intellectual-property protection provides First Quantum with formal protection for a trolley-assist system already operating at its mines, while additional patent applications covering other aspects of the technology remain pending.

The company believes the combination of trolley infrastructure and battery-electric trucks could provide a pathway for reducing diesel consumption in large-scale mining without compromising haulage performance.

For Zambia’s mining industry, where copper production remains central to the country’s economy, the deployment of electric haulage technology at Kansanshi provides an important example of how large mining operations are testing alternatives to conventional diesel-powered fleets.