Decarbonisation

We are developing innovative new technologies to help our customers make zero emission mining on their sites a reality. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to decarbonising mine sites. As such, we are committed to developing a range of energy-agnostic options that can provide customised solutions for each mine to meet their emissions reduction targets.

Agnostic and upgradable: the Liebherr Mining approach

Energy, powertrain and application agnostic

Modular solutions that can be upgraded or retrofitted

In-house core competencies

Liebherr's Zero Emission Mining Program

Our energy-agnostic decarbonisation solutions form part of Liebherr’s Zero Emission Mining Program. We are committed to meeting three decarbonisation targets within the Program:

By 2022, offer low-carbon solutions for Liebherr Mining’s full range of hydraulic excavators and off-highway trucks.

Today, we offer a range of low-carbon solutions for our excavators and off-highway trucks to help customers take their first steps towards decarbonisation. Our trucks and excavators can both run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and are available with Tier 4 final engines, providing significant reductions in greenhouse gas, nitrogen oxide, and particulate emissions. All of our mining excavators from Generation 7 onwards come with our proprietary engine and hydraulic management systems – Liebherr Power Efficiency – as standard, which can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20% without compromising the machine's performance. And all of our off-highway trucks are compatible with the Liebherr Trolley Assist System, which connects a truck’s drive system to a mine’s power grid, subsequently reducing fuel consumption and facilitating increased productivity through faster speed on grade.

By 2030, offer fossil fuel free solutions for all Liebherr Mining products.

We aim to have fossil fuel free alternatives for all of our machines by 2030. We have offered customers electric-drive excavators for more than 40 years and, with our cable reel solution, these machines maintain their flexibility and manoeuvrability on site. For our trucks, we are investigating a number of options for propulsion systems to achieve zero emission operations: battery electrification, fuel cell electrification, and internal combustion engines powered by hydrogen or hydrogen carriers such as green ammonia. We are working with industry partners to examine the viability of each option. We are also investigating how equipment purchased today can be upgraded or repowered to the zero emission drive option best suited for each customer’s operations in the future.

Facilitate the reduction of emissions, taking the entire value chain into account.

The third objective targets carbon reduction for Scope 1 and 2, and relevant Scope 3 categories other than Scope 3 Category 11. This will be defined at the Liebherr Group level. In 2022, the Liebherr Group published its corporate responsibility policy, which summarised the Group’s responsibility towards both people and the environment. This policy defined the Group’s objectives and commitments for social responsibility, sustainable business management, health, safety and the environment. As part of the corporate responsibility policy, the Group is currently conducting a business-wide analysis of the emissions of its diversified product portfolio and will publish information in 2024.

Liebherr Mining’s decarbonisation history

Since delivering our first electric excavator in 1981, we have been at the forefront of innovation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the industry. From early electric solutions to exciting hydrogen-powered technologies, our commitment to decarbonisation spans decades of continuous progress. Explore the milestones that have shaped our path toward a more sustainable future as we strive to offer fossil fuel free solutions for all our mining equipment by 2030.

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The five pillars of Zero Emission Mining Program

Powering machines with electricity

For many years, Liebherr Mining has offered electrified solutions for mining equipment to help customers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions on site. All of our mining trucks are equipped with electric-drive systems and are compatible the Liebherr Trolley Assist System. Further, we are developing battery-electric powertrains that will be integrated into our trucks in the near future. We also support customers by providing the trolley infrastructure needed for trucks to use this technology.

Most of our mining excavators, from the R 9150 and above, are available as electric drive in both face shovel and backhoe configuration. Our electric excavators have proven to be successful in the field, with a large number of these machines operating in mining and earthmoving applications worldwide. Liebherr Mining also offers a cable reel system for these machines to further assist our customers with cable management during excavator operation, improving mobility and operator safety.

Alternative fuels

Liebherr Mining is both powertrain and fuel agnostic, giving our customers the freedom to choose what works best for their operations. Alongside electrification, we’re working on providing zero emission solutions that work with ammonia and hydrogen, such as ammonia gensets and hybrid haulage options.

Contributing to the circular economy

Remanufacturing, retrofitting and repowering processes allow Liebherr Mining to reduce the amount of waste produced, raw materials used and greenhouse gas emitted during our products’ lifecycle by keeping customers’ older machines running for longer.

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Improving fuel efficiency

For customers who still rely on machines with internal combustion engines, we offer a range of these engines that meet EPA Tier 4 and EU Stage V requirements for limiting emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. The fuel efficiency of excavators with internal combustion engines can also be significantly improved through the Liebherr Power Efficiency systems, which decrease the amount of fuel burned on site, thus reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted.

Enabling the energy transition

Technology plays a huge role in the support Liebherr Mining offers our customers as they work to meet their emission reduction targets. Advances in technology help to optimise mining by facilitating and/or improving processes for organising, tracking, informing, predicting and assisting mines in reaching maximum production with the least amount of energy used. These innovations lead to a reduction in fuel burned and therefore the greenhouse gases emitted at a mine site.

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