Truck-Shovel (TS) systems are the most common mining system currently used in large surface mines. They offer high productivity combined with the flexibility to be rapidly relocated and to adjust load/haul capacity and capital expenditure according to market conditions. As the world moves to decarbonise as part of the transition to net zero emission targets, it is relevant to examine options for decarbonising the haulage systems in large surface mines. In-Pit Crushing and Conveying (IPCC) systems offer a smaller environmental footprint regarding emissions, but they are associated with a number of limitations related to high initial capital expenditure, capacity limits, mine planning and inflexibility during mine operation. Among the emerging technological options, innovative Trolley Assist (TA) technology promises to reduce energy consumption for lower carbon footprint mining systems. TA systems have demonstrated outstanding potential for emission reduction from their application cases. Battery and energy recovery technology advancements are shaping the evolution of TAs from diesel-electric truck-based patterns toward purely electrified BT ones. Battery Trolley (BT) systems combined with autonomous battery-electric trucks and Energy Recovery Systems (ERSs) are novel and capable of achieving further significant emission cuts for surface mining operations associated with safety, energy saving and operational improvements. This article reviews and compares electrification alternatives for large surface mines, including IPCC, TA and BT systems. These emerging technologies provide opportunities for mining companies and associated industries to adopt zero-emission solutions and help transition to an intelligent electric mining future.

Through the analysis of winter operation problems in the alpine-cold open pit mine in Mengdong area, the technical and economic feasibility of adopting advanced peeling and winter peeling scheme is demonstrated. For the open-pit mining and transportation equipment in the alpine-cold region, the solutions for the scooping and sticking materials, the freezing of the brake circuit, and the sticking of the compartments are often proposed in winter operations. The anti-freeze system of the belt conveyor is composed of the cold resistant tape, the cleaning device, the antifreeze film, the heating device and the anti-freeze roller. Some safety production organization measures for blasting operations, mining operations, and semi-continuous systems in winter construction operations were proposed. It can effectively help the open pit mines in the alpine-cold regions to reduce equipment failures and ensure efficient operation in winter safety production.

A semicontinuous process system consisting of a single-bucket excavator, truck, crushing station, and belt conveyor is the main coal mining process system of a large-scale hard coal open-pit mine. Through analyzing the coal mining production process, the key issues of coal mining truck flow optimization are obtained. Statistical method of using triangular fuzzy numbers analyzes the key time parameters of coal mining truck flow. Taking one shift, the minimum expected value of number of trucks, as the objective function, the fuzzy expectation of the coal mining semicontinuous process system is established with the constraints of the truck flow continuity at the loading and unloading point, the production capacity of the electric shovel, the production capacity of the crushing station, coal quality, and coal mining production tasks. The truck flow planning model is solved using particle swarm intelligence algorithm. The simulation results show that the result of truck flow planning can effectively reduce truck number, truck dispatching number, transportation costs, and truck queuing. The fuzzy expected truck flow planning model established by the study is suitable for solving the problem of optimizing and matching the production capacity in the process which links electric shovel, truck, and crushing station. It can effectively improve the production efficiency of electric shovel mining, truck transportation, and crushing station.

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