Peru-based mining company Marcobre has been using electric Hitachi excavators as the main material-loading equipment at the Mina Justa copper mining project underway in Peru’s Ica province.
Marcobre took delivery of three Hitachi EX5600E-6LD (face shovel) electric machines in mid-2019 from Zamine, the local dealer and distributor for Hitachi mining equipment in Peru, making it the first customer of Hitachi electric mining machinery in the Americas.
The Hitachi EX5600E hydraulic excavator is powered by a high voltage, three phase, squirrel cage induction motor that is totally enclosed air-to-air-cooled (TEAAC). The motor has rated continous power output of 2 x 860kW and operating weight of 527,000kg (loading shovel) and 531,000kg (backhoe). The optimum hydraulic system (OHS) – 12 main pumps and 6 valves – enable both independent and combined operations of all functions.
The loading shovel is equipped with a 29m3 (heaped) bottom dump bucket and the backhoe is equipped with a 10.1m BE-boom, 5m BE-arm, and 34m3 (SAE, PCSA heaped) bucket.
Maintenance accessibility is the major feature in the layout of the deck machinery in the upperstructure. Sidewalks provide easy access to motors, hydraulic and electrical components. The shovel-type undercarriage has a dual-flanged-type bolt linkage for side frame and X-form center frame.
The operator cab, with OPG top guard level II (ISO), helps protect the operator from falling objects. The 7.5m3 cab is pressurized, 1 800mm wide and 2 150mm high with tinted-glass windows features all-round visibility.
The $1.6 billion Mina Justa project will consist of two open pit copper mines and two processing facilities that will enable an average production of 149,000 tons of copper concentrate and 58,000 tons of copper cathodes annually. The copper mine is located near the town of Nazca, home to the world-famous Nazca lines – 2,000-year-old geoglyphs carved into desert sands.Â
Zamin, a part of Japan-based Marubeni Corporation, provides after-sales support along with components, spare parts and consumables for the Hitachi machines which are covered by a labor plus parts (LPP) contract. Zamine’s product support team has joined Marcobre personnel for operation and maintenance of the electric excavators.