Located in Val-d’Or, Quebec, our Lamaque mine is bringing the next stage of electrification to our Canadian operations. With the introduction of a Sandvik TH550B electric truck, Lamaque is the first operation to use this technology underground in Quebec. This truck will play a key role in improving production efficiency, protecting the health and safety of workers, and above all in mitigating our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A second truck is planned for Fall 2023.
On a production basis, our Lamaque mine is our most efficient operation and among the lowest GHG-emitting gold mines in the world. The introduction of these electric trucks is part of our strategy to progressively electrify our equipment fleet, and supports efforts to electrify transportation in the Sigma-Lamaque underground ramp. As the first mining company in Quebec to adopt this technology, our Eldorado Gold Québec team worked closely with Sandvik to develop these state-of-the-art electric trucks.
“We’re delighted to be able to begin the electrification of our underground operations with the arrival of this electric truck, which will bring us a number of benefits, not least in terms of reducing our GHG emissions, but also improving certain aspects of our employees’ health and safety. Over the next few weeks, our employees will be trained and this equipment will be tested in our operations. We’re all looking forward to seeing this technology in action and actively pursuing our efforts towards decarbonizing our operations.” – Sylvain Lehoux, Vice-President, Eldorado Gold Quebec
GHG Emissions Mitigation
Last year, we set a target to mitigate Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 30% based on our 2020 GHG emissions. In our latest Sustainability Report, we identified that approximately 94% of our Scope 1 GHG emissions are due to diesel fuel use in mobile and stationary equipment. By starting to electrify our equipment fleet, we will see measurable impact through an estimated 1,700 tCO2e per year of GHG emissions mitigation from this electric ore hauling truck.
Across our operations, we continue to find opportunities to adopt innovative technology and design projects with emissions mitigation in mind. In line with our Climate Change Strategy, we continue to evaluate on-site renewable energy production and seek to work with energy suppliers to identify and procure low-carbon sources of energy. Procuring low-carbon energy coupled with mine electrification will significantly support the effective decarbonization of our operations.