the possibility of using electric-powered machinery at its coal mines, particularly the use of electric trucks at open-cast mine on the West Coast. According to the report, the company is considering the electric truck concept study for its operations, and has already trialled 100-tonne electric truck at its Stockton mine, the largest opencast mining operation in New Zealand.
“One initiative has been a 100-tonne electric truck concept study, which included the trial of an electric truck at the Stockton mine,” Chairman Peter Westerhuis and CEO Richard Tacon said in the report. “If approved, the outcome will be the replacement of three diesel-powered 100-tonne rigid trucks with two electric battery trucks,” they added.
According to the report, the company’s net profit rose by a whopping 241 per cent to $66.7 million, with a three per cent increase in revenue from domestic sales to $115.4 million. As countries New Zealand seeks to slash its greenhouse gas emissions across the economy, Bathurst Resources says sustainability remains a core value of the company.
“All coal that we mine has a buyer before it leaves the ground… Approximately 70 per cent of sales volumes are coal for steel-making, which is sold both here and overseas, and 30 per cent is thermal coal for producing energy which we sell in New Zealand,” the report read, adding that demand for thermal coal continue to remain high as electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines all depend on steel.
“We acknowledge New Zealand’s transition to a net-zero carbon economy and will continue to support our customers as they make the transition to greener energy alternatives,” Bathurst Resources noted.
