Sweden, home of TLGs graphite mine(s)

[beserk]

I'm in the transport and logistics sector so you may excuse me for taking an interest in the next pressing issue that Talga group is facing when scaling up to mining graphite in a commercial scale.

I think this is an oppourtune moment to reflect on the transport logistic side of things while we wait for the Decision of the Swedish Land and Environmental Court hearing on Nunasvaara exploration that took place in Luleå last month.

One day in the next 12 months or so we hope trucks will be transporting the 19, 500 tonnes of graphite, in the first instance, from Nunasvaara along the road across Torne river using the existing bridge, that is probably not rated for vehicles with loads in xs of 20 tonnes, and onto the E45.

It seems to me that the gravel access road leading to Nunasvaara Södra and the forementioned bridge will have to be upgraded in any case to increase the carrying capacity. But I assume that Talga has already considered this and there are discussions taking place with local politicians in Kiruna and the Swedish Transport Aminstration Authority, Trafikverket.

From a transport logistics POV it helps that the proposed mining activity will take place between the snow melts and the ice finally breaks up in the Torne river in late April/ beginning of May and snow and ice settles again in late September / early October.

No AWD trucks or winter tyres required and no training of drivers for driving in wintry conditions. And winters can be severe in the Arctic. As a boy of 7 living in Vittangi I wasn't allowed to go to school one morning in February 1966 by my parents. Our outside termometer indicated a bone chilling temperature of - 49 degrees centigrade.

Back to the trucks laden with graphite in the near future. After successfully negotiating the upgraded bridge and the 2 km upgraded dirt road they hit the intersection at European road 45 between Svappavaara and Vittangi.

This main road doubles up as the transport road from Kaunisvaara Iron mine outside of Pajala to the re-loading station in Svappavaara where the iron ore is loaded onto railway cargo wagons for further transport to the harbours of Luleå or Narvik.

The road already carries up to 80 transports of 90 tonnes of iron ore per day from Kaunis mine site in direction to Svappavaara ie one transport roughly every 10 minutes passing the Nunasvaara turn off.

En route from Kaunis Iron mine site to Svappavaara bridges have been upgraded, the road straightened and where possible heavy traffic has been diverted from centre of Vittangi and Masugnsbyn through construction of 20 km of new bypasses.

Trafikverket and Kaunis has in fact invested 1,200 million SEK in the upgrades to this major piece of infrastructure connecting mine to rail road. I have attached a letter from Kaunis on this road project. Note that Kaunis has contributed 127 million SEK to the upgrades for the road to be able to carry the 90 ton loads. The transport corridor is 150 km length in total.

Also Kaunis is allocating 6 million SEK per annum in maintaining this required infrastructure for its operation of the iron ore mine.

Any new major heavy mining road transport along this transport network requires a permit from the Swedish Government.

I am sure that Talga have planned the logistics of transporting the mined graphite to Luleå. The question that I have got is Talga planning to transport the graphite by truck from the mine all the way to the EVA factory in Luleå? Or are they planning to piggy back their transport from Nunasvaara to Svappavaara by truck and then by train to Luleå like Kaunis Iron is doing?

IMO it might be more straightforward to follow the established heavy haul transport network to Luleå that have passed all regulatory oversight than to set up your own independent routes from scratch.

Hi-ho, hi-ho now off to the mine we go....from Snow white and the 7 dwarfs... they were professional mine workers in another type of carbon mine..

 

[TentCity]

Sneak peek into what the Net Zero Industry Act contains ahead of the 14th

Shared by Vulcan CEO - but all equally relevant to Talga.

 

[Monkeymandan]

Sneak peek into what the Net Zero Industry Act contains ahead of the 14th

Shared by Vulcan CEO - but all equally relevant to Talga.

 

[Monkeymandan]

Sneak peek into what the Net Zero Industry Act contains ahead of the 14th

Shared by Vulcan CEO - but all equally relevant to Talga.

Assuming raw materials fall under the ‘battery technologies’ category, and that this is accurate, this is game changing.

On permitting - tech within scope of the regulation to receive status of "overriding public interest" and max 18month permitting timeframe for projects over 1GW.

 

[cosors]

I'm in the transport and logistics sector so you may excuse me for taking an interest in the next pressing issue that Talga group is facing when scaling up to mining graphite in a commercial scale.

I think this is an oppourtune moment to reflect on the transport logistic side of things while we wait for the Decision of the Swedish Land and Environmental Court hearing on Nunasvaara exploration that took place in Luleå last month.

One day in the next 12 months or so we hope trucks will be transporting the 19, 500 tonnes of graphite, in the first instance, from Nunasvaara along the road across Torne river using the existing bridge, that is probably not rated for vehicles with loads in xs of 10 tonnes, and onto the E45.

It seems to me that the gravel access road leading to Nunasvaara Södra and the forementioned bridge will have to be upgraded in any case to increase the carrying capacity. But I assume that Talga has already considered this and there are discussions taking place with local politicians in Kiruna and the State Roads Authority, Vägverket.

From a transport logistics POV it helps that the proposed mining activity will take place between the snow melts and the ice finally breaks up in the Torne river in late April/ beginning of May and snow and ice settles again in late September / early October.

No AWD trucks or winter tyres required and no training of drivers for driving in wintry conditions. And winters can be severe in the Arctic. As a boy of 7 living in Vittangi I wasn't allowed to go to school one morning in February 1966 by my parents. Our outside termometer indicated a bone chilling temperature of - 49 degrees centigrade.

Back to the trucks laden with graphite in the near future. After successfully negotiating the upgraded bridge and the 2 km upgraded dirt road they hit the intersection at European road 45 between Svappavaara and Vittangi.

This main road doubles up as the transport road from Kaunisvaara Iron mine outside of Pajala to the re-loading station in Svappavaara where the iron ore is loaded onto railway cargo wagons for further transport to the harbours of Luleå or Narvik. The road already carries up to 80 transports of 90 tonnes of iron ore a working day from Kaunis mine site in direction to Svappavaara ie one transport every 10 minutes passing this Nunasvaara turn off. Kaunis Iron maintains a fleet of 30 trucks for this purpose.

From Vittangi to Kaunis Iron site the road is local road 395 and road 99. They have also like E45 been upgraded to carry heavy traffic with loads of 90 tonnes.

Bridges have been upgraded, the road straightened and where possible the heavy traffic has been diverted through 20 km of new bypasses from going through villages like Vittangi and Masugnsbyn.

Vägverket and Kaunis has in fact invested 1,200 million SEK in the upgrades to this major piece of infrastructure connecting mine to rail road. I have attached a letter from Kaunis on this road project. Note that Kaunis has contributed 127 million SEK to the upgrades for the road to be able to carry the 90 ton loads.The transport corridor is 150 km length in total.

Also Kaunis is allocating 6 million SEK per annum in maintaining this required infrastructure for its operation of the iron ore mine.

Any major heavy mining frequent transport along this transport network requires a concession from the Swedish Government.

I am sure that Talga have planned the logistics of transporting the mined graphite to Luleå. The question that I have got is Talga planning to transport the graphite by truck from the mine all the way to the EVA factory in Luleå? Or are they planning to piggy back their transport from Nunasvaara to Svappavaara by truck and then by train to Luleå like Kaunis Iron is doing?

IMO it might be more straightforward to follow the established heavy haul transport network to Luleå that have passed all regulatory oversight than to set up your own independent routes from scratch.

Hi-ho, hi-ho now off to the mine we go....from Snow white and the 7 dwarfs... they were professional mine workers in another type of carbon mine..

Talga states in the application documents for the Hertsönfältet factory that they will use trucks. I can't say yet whether this will change later. However, there are controversial statements about how many trucks will be there. Some claim it is 30 a day, which I think is wrong and completely exaggerated to create sentiment against the factory. And on LinkedIn of the Lulea business region, I think it says that there will be two trucks a day. I think they will have everything in mind and planned properly.

There is also the question of whether it is worth using the railway for the first leg and whether the truck is not a better choice. I don't know which freight station they can use and there they would need a depot or warehouse like LKAB or Kaunis. So they would have to go from the mine to the station and there to the depot. Then collect until it is worthwhile to transport by rail. Then transport 300 km by rail. Then in Svartön/Lulea they would bring another depot. Then reload onto trucks to drive a handful of kilometres to the factory.

We have already done some calculations on this subject here. If you are from the transport industry, we could look it up and you could check what has been calculated. In the end, I suspect that our volume is far too low compared to LKAB and Kaunis, which have their own rail infrastructure. And both areas are not connected to the railway.

I hope that the switch to responsible trucking will be addressed as soon as possible. But MT has just visited a logistics company with alternative propulsion.

I also wondered about the bridge and the gravel road. They will certainly have to asphalt the road, but I am not so sure about the bridge, because the heavy transports of the test mining to the depot in Svappavaara were not a problem. ... and I think the depot on the E10 is only temporary.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, yes, there's a lot of work waiting.

 

[beserk]

Hello, so if I understand you correctly the graphite extracted in 2021 under the one off test mining concession of 22 000 tonnes was brought to Svappavaara by truck. The transported graphite deposited there for long term storage before some or all of it was consequently transported to the EVA by rail ( or truck load) when it was open for business in 2022 at Svartön location.

The railway line, the Iron Ore line or Malmbanan, that runs from iron ore loading sites close to iron ore mines located in Svappavaara, Gällivare, Kiruna (all owned and operated by LKAB ) and the Kaunis iron ore mine in Pajala (150 km of road transport to Svappavaara) is specially constructed to accomodate super heavy loads and is unique in Sweden.

It carries the heavy special iron ore train set comprised of two Iore class electrical locomotives that pull up to 60 - 70 wagons loaded with ore and transports in total 7,000 t in one go from for instance Svappavaara to Luleå. Malmbanan as mentioned extends to Svartön industrial area next to Luleå industripark.

The last leg of transport from the Luleå graphite depot at the train terminus in Svartön to the EVA located in Luleå industrial park would only be 2 km or so.

Possibly it would be OK to have a Luleå depot of mined graphite located at this industrial area within walking distance from the new EVA factory under construction as alredy mentioned by cosors. The required graphite could be accessed 24/7 depending on demand of anode material at the EVA factory.

Back to what already was achieved in the once off graphite transport mined in 2021. The distance between Nunasvaara and Svappavaara is only 15 km or so. If trucks with 20 tonnes hauling capacity were used, that the bridge and gravel road might be able to carry in a trial run without upgrade, it would have taken roughly 1000 return trips by the truck or trucks. The total distance per round trip and truck is 30 km.

Possibly we can assume it takes one truck 1.5 hour to complete return trip Nunasvaara to Svappavaara and back with 15 min loading and 15 min unloading at both ends for each truck load. And possibly more than one truck was used. Optimally 2 to 3 trucks operating around the clock with 3 drivers per truck working 8 hour shifts. And one reserve crew ie in total 12 drivers in an ideal setting. Plus the 6 staff assisting in loading and unloading. In total 18 short term contract staff in this scenario for the transport of the yearly output from the mine, ie 22,000 tonnes, in the shortest possible time. Using these parameters it would take approx 20 days to complete the task.

However I doubt you could find this super loyal contract workforce locally. More likely is that the number of heavy machine and vehicle operators in you could source locally is 2 crews of 3 drivers and 3 persons assisting in loading unloading. And that operation would be possible to operate for 24 hours 5 days a week.

In my estimation realistically speaking and looking at available semi skilled transport workers in Kiruna area this workprogramme would have taken 50 working days or 10 weeks and utilised 6 drivers, two trucks and three loaders/ unloaders.

So the logistical transport side of this problem is not inconsequential. And it increases if the turnover time for the transport stretches to 8 hours that the direct round trip from Nunasvaara to Luleå by truck would realistically take.

To have a depot in Svappavaara that you can fill up by truck from Nunasvaara makes sense with the assistance of a hired in skeleton contract crew based on estimation above.

The 7,000 ton of graphite, ie a third of the total amount of graphite dumped in the Svappavaara depot from the road short haulage route, is then loaded on a heavy duty long haulage ore train and transported the 330 km to the Luleå depot.

This scenario, with two depots and a mixture of short haul transport 30 km by road and long haul transport 330 km by train, makes sense to me logistically and environmentally. Specially now that Scania and Volvo are promoting sales of their recently released EV trucks.

The required three train loads of graphite of one years graphite harvest could be done in less than a week if you can negotiate favourable terms with LKAB or Kaunis and work around their busy schedules. I understand they have separate loading terminals in Svappavaara but don't know if they use the same train sets.

Of course this is a gedanken experiment and a guesstimate. The real resources used for completing this task only Talga knows but it might give you a feeling for the size of the task at hand and bottlenecks in the logistical chain such as the first kms of road transport specifically the carrying capacity of the bridge and gravel road. Also the permit required for heavy haulage along the road. Another potential bottleneck would be the access to loading terminal in Svappavaara, moreover access to the Malmbanan suited for super heavy haulage and 60 heavy duty ore train wagons and Iore locomotives required from Svappavvaara to Svartön.

 

[beserk]

Here is a link to a news item that mentions the new Electric Volvo trucks. They have a range of 200 km, a load carring capacity of 24 tonnes, and can be recharged in 45 minutes. Ideal for short haul jobs and the local road conditions.

What if we could convince MT that it would be good to invest in a Volvo FE electric truck or two painted in Talga livery?

The batteries for these trucks according to the article are going to be made in a factory being built in Korsby, Mariestad by Lake Vänern in Västergötland. My uncle lives here and it was he that alerted me to this article.

Maybe the Volvo Electric Swedish trucks carrying graphite to the battery factory in Luleå in the near future could be powered by Talga Group technology in form of Talnode containing anode?

IMO a perfect example of co-branding a transport and a battery company operating in the Swedish green economy that both are seeking to gain market share and reputation in the EU market.

Volvo expands heavy electric truck lineup - electrive.com

www.electrive.com

-beserk

 

[Pharvest]

Here is a link to a news item that mentions the new Electric Volvo trucks. They have a range of 350 km and can be recharged in 45 minutes. Ideal for short haul jobs.

What if we could convince MT that it would be good to invest in a Volvo electric truck painted in Talga livery?

The batteries for these trucks according to the article are going to be made in a factory in Mariestad by Lake Vänern in Västergötland. My uncle lives here and it was he that alerted me to this article.

Maybe the Volvo Electric Swedish trucks carrying graphite to the battery factory in Luleå could be powered by Talga Group technology in form of Talnode containing anode?

IMO a perfect example of co-branding a transport and a battery company operating in the Swedish green economy that both are seeking to gain market share and reputation in the EU market.

Volvo expands heavy electric truck lineup - electrive.com

www.electrive.com

-beserk

 

[beserk]

Another important aspect for environmental responsible mining is the source and cost of electricity and power required for large scale mining operation in pristine environment.

The green Volvo BVE trucks in the visual posting, thanks for the brilliant handiwork Pharvest, is addressing the greening of the road transport required for graphite mined at Talgas Nunasvaara site.

But in my mind the question remains where is the clean green electricity required for Talga operations in Northern Sweden coming from in the mid to long term?

You might think that it is originating from local hydropower captured from the nearby mighty Torne river but then you are mistaken. Torne river has no dams or power stations. It flows freely from the Norwegian border to the Botten viken the northernmost extension of the Baltic sea. And the politics of this decision to let the Torne river flow free and uninterrupted is not going to change in the foreseable future.

Norr and Västerbotten have been net producers of hydropower distributed to Southern Sweden and Norway for 100 years. It is interesting to note that central Norway is where the political protests against wind mill parks have erupted recently.

Part of the reason for Norway wanting to decrease its dependence of high cost imported hydropower from the other side of the national border I beleive is a realisation that Norway needs to become independent of imported green energy.

That explains the great haste and political expediency in developing wind mills in Fosen area of Tröndelag central Norway as an alternate greenish power source. That decision lead to the development of the wind mill park has now backfired due to the protection of the cultural practises of 33 indigenous Norwegian state employed game keepers.

So here comes the main point of my argument. Northern Sweden hydropower is generating and have generated an xs of cheap green electrical power since the first power station and dam were built in the North.

In the future with the green industrialisation of Northern Sweden (with Hybrit, H2Green Steel, SSAB, LKAB, Northvolt and others) there is a squeeze coming on locally generated power with requirement of new Tera Watt hours of power projected for these new mega projects.

Prices of electricity is going to go up and finding new source of power required for the green transition is going to be problematic. One radical solution is the construction of small nuclear power stations adjacent to the major power consumption sites in the North.

But the 70ies and 80ies saw some major upsurge in the "Nej till Kärnkraft" NIMBY political uprising that lead to the Swedish Social Democrats losing their three decades long hold on political power and the surge of the Centrist parties that now form the Swedish Government.

I found the article in the link below that describes possible solution to requirement of stand alone power generation for mining operations in remote locations.

Decarbonizing Australia’s first wind powered gold mine with Li-ion energy storage

www.saft.com

Interestingly here Li-ion battery technology is discussed for local mine site storage of power harvested from intermittent fickle winds and other energy sources.

In this context note that there is a wind farm in Kiruna located close to the Viscaria copper mine and clearly visible from the old center of Kiruna.

Maybe the dormant LKAB iron ore mine site in Mertainen, 20 km from Svappavaara direction Kiruna , by E10, that has been put on temporary life support for years could form the fundament of the next hybrid battery storage/wind mill power generation site?

The mine site was developed in the middle of the 2010s, when prices of iron ore fines was high, but has been underutilised for nearly a decade now. Mertainen is a local landmark mountain on the road to Kiruna.

The Mertainen site is an industrial zone with good road connections, road bridges and turn offs from E 10 thanks to LKAB, and in close proximity across the E10 to the loading terminus of Kaunis iron. Both the E10 and Malmbanan, the heavy duty railway track connecting Svappavaara with Luleå, run in paralell for the last kms past Mertainen site then past Kaunis Iron reloading site in Pitkäjärvi and finally to LKAB iron ore mine in Svappavaara.

If a possible future Talga road transport terminus/ reloading site in Svappavaara would be co localised with Kaunis Iron Pitkäjärvi terminus it would be a natural spot for a shared high capacity charging station of the Talga and possibly Kaunis iron electric Volvo trucks.

Kaunis Iron are thinking of going green. Their fleet of 30 + diesel heavy haulage Volvo trucks with a 90 ton capacity must IMO be a prime target for electrification.

The proposed charging infrastructure in Pitkäjärvi for Talga and Kaunis Iron trucks would according to this proposal be powered by wind power harvested at nearby LKAB owned Mertainen and the energy stored in batteries, preferably using Talga Group technology, on site in Pitkäjärvi at or near Kaunis reloading site.

I know Talga are dealing with LKAB and Kaunis Iron as major partners in shared transport infrastructure. The two Swedish iron ore mining companies being developers of pioneering mining and transport infrastructure in this premier mining district in Northern Sweden.

IMO this tripartite concept of shared green infrastructure would offer benefits for both Kaunis Iron and LKAB. And Talga.

Talga contributing to the tripartite partnership with the hybrid wind power/ storage battery concept and knowledge of next generation efficient Li ion battery technology. A win-win-win for all three parties.

BTW I have found pictures from inside Kaunis reloading terminal in Pitkäjärvi Svappavaara on the www and can now confirm, as you can see, that Kaunis in addition to their own heavy haulage trucks leases electric haulage locomotives and shunt locomotives from Rail care but own their own set of train wagons.

Kaunis Iron Omlastningsterminal - Google Search

- beserk

 

[beserk]

A bit further digging revealed the 10 year contract for railway transport of iron ore that was signed in 2021 between Rail care in Skelleftehamn and Kaunis Iron in Pajala. Note that this contract is for transport from Pitkäjärvi to Narvik shipping harbour in Narvik and is for the lease of electric locomotives.

Railcare signs a 10-year contract worth SEK 740 million with Kaunis Iron AB for the transport of iron ore – Railcare Group

www.railcare.se

So this gives you an indication of potential costs for rail freight of graphite from Svappavaara Pitkäjärvi to Luleå.

Kaunis Iron transports around 100 loads of 80 ton iron ore per day from mine site by road that reaches road terminus at Pitkäjärvi. Two Kaunis Iron train sets of 40 wagons pulled by dual Electric locomotive contracted out by Railcare carrying 4, 000 t each per day leave Svappavaara Pitkäjärvi on Malmbanan to export harbour in Narvik.

A total of 2.1 million t iron ore is transported by combined road and rail to Narvik shipping harbour from Kaunis Iron per year. This is one tenth of LKABs yearly output.

For Talgas mining concession of 19, 500 t of graphite using logistical estimation this would take two electric trucks with a loading capacity of 20 tonnes each , running 24/7 between Nunasvaara mine and Svappavaara loading site, roughly 40 days to complete the transfer of mined graphite. 500 t of graphite transported per 24 h.

The electric trucks could be charged in Pitkäjärvi. The high capacity charge point beeing fed power from wind mills located on closeby iron ore mountain Mertainen as discussed previously.

One train load of graphite of 4, 000 tonnes is theoretically loaded and ready for rail transport once a week.

The total transport requirement of graphite would equate to 5 loaded train sets and take in total 5 weeks to complete to match the delivery by road.

In comparison with Railcares transport contract with Kaunis Iron any contract based on Talgas projected requirements in 12 to 18 months would initially be in the order of two magnitudes smaller.

But depending on the possible increase in transport requirements when Niska comes on line the advantage being that a contract could be written for several fold scaled up rail transport in the future when and if required.

The extra road transport of graphite from Niska could be accomodated by putting on trucks with a higher load capacity up to 40 tonnes but you would need upgrading the bridge and access road from mine site to E45 main road.

A last point is that the Kaunis Iron operation in Pitkäjärvi contains shared maintenance halls for Railcare locomotives and heavy haul road trains.

Enjoy this video clip from Narvik station as Kaunis Iron train barrels past on the last stretch to Narvik harbour.



This could in the future be a train loaded with 4, 000 t of graphite going past Luleå station on its last leg to the anode factory in Luleå industry park ..... Dream on...

---

 

[beserk]

I must admit I'm a bit of a train and transport nerd. Though I prefer a 24 hour train trip to the 24 hour long haul torture of non-stop but connecting flights from Australia to Sweden.

I also enjoy watching videos, in real time, of long train journeys. There is something soothing and hypnotic watching for hours as the rail way tracks whizzes past. Enhanced by the spectacular surrounding landscape. In my next life I will be a train driver on the Arctic Iron Ore line.

So without further ado let us take the 4 hour train trip along the Arctic Iron Ore line from Narvik to Pitkäjärvi in late April /early May, in the middle of the night, from a train drivers perspective.



The video comes to you thanks to Swedish railcams.

You can enjoy the whole trip captured for posterity from the Narvik harbour by the North Atlantic that due to the effects of the Golf stream is free of ice year around to snowcovered Pitkäjärvi loading station where Kaunis trucks meets the train set.

The first 50 minutes takes you up to the border to Sweden and then through the majestic snowy mountains by Lake Torne Träsk the source of the mighty Torne river. The same Torne river that flows under the bridge at Nunasvaara on its way to the Baltic sea.

But most of you Talga transport and logistics buffs would want to fast forward to the juicy bit that start at the very end from 3:25:00 onwards.

Here are my notes that accompanies this 16 minute end section of the trip.

3:25:00 -Mertainen LKAB iron ore mountain visible on left.

3:26:30 - To the right of train line 100 kV power lines for Mertainen mine site. All mining and transport infrastructure co localised to this narrow km wide corridor ie the E10 road, to the left of Iron Ore train line, and high voltage power lines on right.

3 :30:50 LKAB railway siding at Mertainen prepared around 2016 to accomodate a separate loading station for Iron ore.

3:31:50 Note road xing railway. This transport road leads to Mertainen and connects with the proposed loading site.

3:37:00 - Arrival at Pitkäjärvi . Note white Railcare shunting locomotive and road on left carrying empty Kaunis Iron trucks departing on their 150 km return road leg to Kaunis Iron mine site out side of Pajala. Combined maintenance shed for Kaunis trucks and leased Railcare locomotives also shown. Pictures of interior of the maintenance shed posted earlier in this thread.

Also note at the end of video the train set on left, sans locomotives, to be loaded, comprised of 40 wagons already parked at Pitkäjärvi railway siding. Two loaded return trains carrying 4, 000 t per day depart road/rail terminus of Pitkäjärvi for Narvik.

These cool pictures and videos of my Arctic home makes me quite homesick. It reminds me that April and May is a beautiful time of year in the Scandinavian mountains. Perhaps I have to squeeze myself in and endure the 24 hour plane trip from Australia to the other side of the globe for a visit this Northern spring.

For background and history of the Iron Ore line, or Malmbanan, the amazing piece of century old Swedish wealth creating infrastructure see this link.

Iron Ore Line - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

-beserk

 

[beserk]

.....And Kaunis Iron is off... beginning to change over their fleet of 30 Volvo diesel trucks with a carrying capacity of 90 tonnes to Volvo electrical trucks starting this year and finally phasing out Volvo diesel trucks on the road in 2025 according to Kaunis Iron spokes person.

Volvo Trucks to provide 74 ton electric truck for iron ore transport

Swedish mining company Kaunis Iron will test 74 ton electric truck provided by Volvo Trucks. The e-truck will transport iron one in an environmentally friendly way

www.sustainabletruckvan.com

Good timing for Talga and the green transition of the whole of its mining and transport operations. The Volvo battery factory in Mariestad is projected to be up and running from 2028 and is going to produce the batteries for the next generation of Volvo electrical trucks.

Swedish Vattenfall is supplying the charging infrastructure for Kaunis Iron Volvo Electrical trucks. The article above doesn't spell out where the charging station or stations will be localised along the road transport corridor from Kaunis Iron mine to rail.

IMO to place the charge station close to the major transmisson power lines and transformer station where the electrical trucks are off loaded in Pitkäjärvi makes sense. One full charge cycle would be enough for the return trip of 300 km.

Keep on mine, truck training

-beserk

 

[cosors]

.....And Kaunis Iron is off... starting to change over their fleet of 30 Volvo diesel trucks to Volvo electrical trucks starting this year and finally phasing out Volvo diesel trucks on the road in 2025 according to Kaunis Iron spokes person.

Volvo Trucks to provide 74 ton electric truck for iron ore transport

Swedish mining company Kaunis Iron will test 74 ton electric truck provided by Volvo Trucks. The e-truck will transport iron one in an environmentally friendly way

www.sustainabletruckvan.com

Good timing for Talga and the green transition of the whole of its mining and transport operations. The Volvo battery factory in Mariestad is projected to be up and running from 2028 and is going to produce the batteries for the next generation of Volvo electrical trucks.

Swedish Vattenfall is supplying the charging infrastructure for Kaunis Iron Volvo Electrical trucks. The article above doesn't spell out where the charging station or stations will be localised along the road transport corridor from Kaunis Iron mine to rail.

IMO to place the charge station close to the major transmisson power lines and transformer station where the electrical trucks are off loaded in Pitkäjärvi makes sense. One full charge cycle would be enough for the return trip of 300 km.

Keep on mine, truck training

-beserk

Thanks again for all your work!
I have a lot to do at the moment and will answer someday later. Your ideas I find very good and your insight is also very interesting here!

 

[beserk]

No worries, my friend.

 

[beserk]

...Another news flash from the same transport and logistics source as in my previous posting. Very similar trucks driving similar routes judging from the pictures are undergoing rigorous testing under Arctic climate conditions focussing on battery technology.

In Sweden, Volvo electric trucks are being tested under very low temperatures

Volvo Trucks is having its electric truck range tested under very low temperatures close to the Arctic Circle. The aim of the manufacturer is to check

www.sustainabletruckvan.com

Talga has tested Talnode Si anode material in batteries, I think, and the tests have proven superior charging properties of these batteries in environments below freezing.

I realise that the Talga trucks, preferably electrical, are presumably only going to run for a couple of months summertime to cover the transport requirements.

So the question arises if it would be better economically for the company and shareholders to outsource transport to local traditional non electric transport company?

IMO it would be better from a marketing perspective if Talga would be visible to the outside world on the roads utilising Talga branded green electrical trucks even for such time limited transports.

When not in use the Talga green trucks could possibly be garaged in a Talga depot in nearlying Vittangi. There is a fast charge station in Vittangi for electrical vehicles paid by EU Next Generation Fund sources.

There are suitable centrally located high exposure truck garages close to the main road in Vittangi that could be leased and painted in Talga colours with prominent logos. Advertising the green nature of a local company that is part of the green industrialisation of Norra Norrlands inland. Something to be proud of to be associated with a local green tech business. And I am. Where is my Talga cap and pen?

This marketing and transport excercise would alleviate any lingering misconception that Talga is a fly in fly out foreign mining business that care little for the social, environmental and cultural ecosystem that is Sapmi land. Less chance for a Greta Thunberg to label Talgas operations as another example of "Green colonialism".

By investing in its own green truck fleet and the Vittangi real estate market Talga group could, in yet another way, show that Talga is a proud well grounded and connected ( pun unintended) local business.

And Talga green battery technology hopefully will be an integral part of the batteries of future Volvo electric trucks.

The proposed Volvo electrical trucks sporting the Talga livery could be moving advertisement billboards reminding everyone that Talga is a local green technology company linked in with the local community.

And it is possible that Kaunis Iron, in the future, will be using Talga green battery technology in their electrified fleet of trucks sourced from Volvo. And these Kaunis Iron Volvo trucks with green Talga battery technology will experience Arctic winter conditions. And perform better due to technology developed by Talga Group. Per-Erik Lindvall that sits on both the board of Kaunis Iron AB and Talga AB being a natural link and conduit between the two companies?

Talga needs to keep on being on the front foot in local marketing. And IMHO one way forward could be as outlined

...

-beserk

---

 

[cosors]

...Another news flash from the same transport and logistics source as in my previous posting. Very similar trucks driving similar routes judging from the pictures are undergoing rigorous testing under Arctic climate conditions focussing on battery technology.

In Sweden, Volvo electric trucks are being tested under very low temperatures

Volvo Trucks is having its electric truck range tested under very low temperatures close to the Arctic Circle. The aim of the manufacturer is to check

www.sustainabletruckvan.com

Talga has tested Talnode Si anode material in batteries, I think, and the tests have proven superior charging properties of these batteries in environments below freezing.

I realise that the Talga trucks, preferably electrical, are presumably only going to run for a couple of months summertime to cover the transport requirements.

So the question arises if it would be better economically for the company and shareholders to outsource transport to local traditional non electric transport company?

IMO it would be better from a marketing perspective if Talga would be visible to the outside world on the roads utilising Talga branded green electrical trucks even for such time limited transports.

When not in use the Talga green trucks could possibly be garaged in a Talga depot in nearlying Vittangi. There are suitable centrally located high exposure truck garages close to the main roads in Vittangi that could be leased and painted in Talga colours with prominent logos. Advertising the green nature of a local company that is part of the green industrialisation of Norra Norrlands inland. Something to be proud of. To be associated with a local green tech business. And I am. Where is my Talga cap and pen?

This would alleviate any lingering misconceptions that Talga is a fly in fly out foreign mining business that care little for the social, environmental and cultural ecosystem that is Sapmi land and that it is operating in. Less chance for a Greta Thunberg to label Talgas operations as another example of "Green colonialism".

By investing in its own green truck fleet and the Vittangi real estate market Talga group could, in yet another way, show that Talga is a proud well grounded and connected ( pun unintended) local business.

And Talga green battery technology hopefully will be an integral part of the batteries of future Volvo electric trucks.

The proposed Volvo electrical trucks sporting the Talga livery could be moving advertisement billboards reminding everyone that Talga is a local green technology company linked in with the local community.

And it is possible that Kaunis Iron, in the future, will be using Talga green battery technology in their electrified fleet of trucks sourced from Volvo. And these Kaunis Iron Volvo trucks with green Talga battery technology will experience Arctic winter conditions. And perform better due to technology developed by Talga.

Talga needs to keep on being on the front foot in local marketing. And IMHO one way forward could be as outlined

...

-beserk

---

I think your ideas are very good with the green truck fleet! That makes sense in any case also to show that Talga really means business, because this is exactly their market segment battery-powered mobility. Even if it would certainly be very provocative for some people to see the operator of colonialism and genocide driving past them several times a day Sarcasm. But maybe MT will not want to provoke either?

I would like to note that MT visited Wibax during his last visit, see here:
https://thestockexchange.com.au/threads/media.19849/post-233248

https://www.wibax.com/en/
Wibax is if I understand it correctly mainly a trader and distributor of liquid chemical products and bio-oils in large quantities but also with integrated logistics solutions. So maybe the meeting was just informal to get an overview. Who knows. You see, Wibax uses SCANIA Trucks for their logistics, so again NV because SCANIA belongs to VW.
Anyway, their logistic route would definitely fit as well.

Regular routes:
Monday morning: Locally around Piteå and its surroundings (possibly Luleå)
Monday afternoon – Tuesday: Southerly route to Sundsvall
Wednesday – Thursday: Northerly route to Gällivare (possibly Kiruna)
Friday: Locally around Piteå and its surroundings (possibly Luleå/Skellefteå)


Next, Volvo is not listed as our partner as it is also NV not.
And they are creating a new large battery plant together with Northvolt: Volvo Cars and Northvolt accelerate shift to electrification with new, 3,000-job battery plant in Gothenburg, Sweden

We haven't heard anything further from NV. Maybe there are other plans. Who knows. Volvo is also mostly owned by the Chinese even if Volvo has been able to position itself more independently than others. Nevertheless, there may be divergent interests.
Talga will become one of the biggest European answers to independent raw material supply for battery production. But I don't want to get into conspiracy theory here.

NV also has two research projects going on. One is production from renewable raw materials with Stora Enso for Lignode®.
The annual lignin production capacity is 50,000 tonnes, making Stora Enso the largest kraft lignin producer in the world. The Group is also evaluating its first industrial production of Lignode at the Sunila site through a feasibility study.
But I can't say how far that will ever go. You will know that wood is also an increasingly scarce raw material. I have also learned this from researching Billerudkorsnäs; the fierce battles against logging. And the forests to be logged are becoming scarce - at least that's how it seems in the media. The fight against any extraction of raw materials is being fought everywhere in the EU.

And in addition, this news from 2020: Korea's Dongjin will supply carbon nanotube slurry to Northvolt's battery cell factory in Skellefteå. The factory will be built on land directly adjacent to Northvolt.

I really cannot say why NV has not made any commitment in our direction in recent years. NV is the great unknown for me. And there are enough other interested parties on the other side. But it seems that they simply have other plans and so does Volvo. But whether that speaks against a fleet of Volvo I can not judge also. And I think if the permit is granted many will come out of hiding. At the moment it seems too fantastic for the Europeans that they could be self-sufficient as everywhere in the EU there is a bitter fight against any self-sufficiency as we see in Slovenia or Portugal or just with us. NV is also struggling with Portugal.
NV also got off to a faster start than the raw material mining as they had hoped at the beginning.


Still, your mind games are very interesting and MT played them out as well I think.


And finaly they are all in the same boat together:

Green transition on display. The A30G articulated hauler - made from fossil-free steel - has travelled North to show Brussels green value chains. Here, parked outside the City Hall of Kiruna. Photo: Anna Arbius, Volvo

Green Value Chains in Focus at First Summit During Swedish EU Presidency​

KIRUNA, 13 January, 2023

From climate neutral mining to fossil-free steel, from fossil-free steel to construction equipment machines and electrified heavy-duty trucks. From copper and graphite to batteries. Some of the most essential green value chains in Sweden are represented today as the EU Commission and Swedish government visit Kiruna. These value chains give Sweden a first mover advantage - but success is not guaranteed, not quite yet.​

The North of Sweden is experiencing a new industrial revolution linked to fossil-free production of raw materials and electrification; green value chains starting in the bedrock. This is high on the agenda of the first political summit of the Swedish EU presidency in Kiruna.
Svemin, the Association of Mining, Mineral and Metal Producers, is coordinating a unique exhbition “Value chains for the twin transition” at the summit venue in central Kiruna.
– We are illustrating examples of fossil-free value chains starting in the bedrock of Northern Sweden. The companies present are some of the most important actors contributing to the EU ambition to become climate neutral by 2050, says Maria Sunér, CEO of Svemin.
The world is facing a transition from fossil-based energy solutions to new fossil independent and often mineral- or metal-based solutions. To meet the goal of net zero emissions globally, six times more metals and minerals than today are needed - and many times more for some specific energy-critical metals, according to IEA, International Energy Agency. The mining industry will thus play an important role in supplying the raw materials needed for the twin transition and lay the foundation for long value chains. The new geopolitical situation in Europe has also uncovered our dependency on raw materials.
– Raw materials are essential to sustain Europe's climate ambitions as well as our independance. Without mining and smelting of metals and minerals, it is not possible to produce the technologies required for the green transition, says Mikael Staffas, CEO of Boliden, mining and metal production company. The upcoming Critical Raw Materials Act is therefore key.
Mr Staffas is in Kiruna together with Jan Moström, CEO of mining company LKAB.
– To put it short, the green transition starts in the mine, says Jan Moström. Speed and determination are essential. EU has shown the ability during Covid; vaccine production and coordination was impressive and REPowerEU is promising. Now, we need the same mindset in creating an Agenda for Green Competitiveness and maintain resilient value chains here in Europe.
Swedish industry is a global front runner in innovative and green technology.
– Our industry transformation is clearly driven by demand which means true innovation happens when you want it to, not when it has to, says Martin Lundstedt, CEO of Volvo Group. The green transformation is more than a response to climate change, it is a business opportunity to increase self-sufficiency and growth of low carbon technologies with speed and determination, in tandem with climate benefits. Partnership in the value chains are essential, connecting demand-supply-infrastructure.
He brought a 30-ton dumper truck (see picture) to Kiruna to showcase to EU Commissioners that the transformation is happening here and now. The dumper has been built using fossil-free steel, produced by SSAB, a steel company with a leading position in high-strength steels.
Martin Lindqvist, CEO of SSAB, is also present in Kiruna, agrees with Mr. Lundstedt.
– Partnerships and value chain cooperation are key - they strengthen competitiveness and create business opportunities. The EU should agree on a Green Competitiveness Agenda with an enabling framework that accelerates transition. It is also important to secure a level playing field within EU and on global markets, including leading the way towards internationally agreed green standards, Mr Lindqvist says.
The demand for fossil free steel is undeniably high.
– We are a greenfield company that has already pre-sold 60 percent of our initial volumes. To ensure greater speed in the transformation of the steel industry, the EU must make sure that allocation benchmarks and funding mechanisms support startups and new technologies, as well as incumbent players, says Henrik Henriksson, CEO of H2 Green Steel.

The Swedish industry welcomes the Swedish Presidency's ambition to seek to anchor a concerted approach to European competitiveness at the top of the political agenda, as well as green and energy transitions.
– Responsible mining and refinement of critical raw materials, such as the graphite in northern Sweden, is critical in facilitating the shift towards a fossil free European economy. We need policy to reflect this on all levels to speed up electrification, says Martin Phillips, CEO of Talga, graphite mining and battery anode producer.
The sence of urgency is tangible among the industry leaders.
– We are at a critical juncture, both when it comes to access to raw materials and support for building a larger ecosystem for European green technology. The situation calls for incredibly strong cooperation between private sector and public leadership within the EU to pave the way for a fast and comprehensive green transition, says Peter Carlsson, CEO of Northvolt, battery producer.

MEDIA ENQUIERIES​

The CEO:s of all companies are present at Aurora Congress Centre and available for interviews, 14:00-16:00. Please contact the companies directly to set up individual appointments.​

Boliden – a high-tech metal company with own mines and smelters. Production of base metals and precious metals as well as recycling of metal that will all be needed in the green transition. MEDIA: Klas Nilsson, Director Group Communications, +46 (0) 70-453 65 88. klas.nilsson@boliden.com.

H2GreenSteel - a Swedish company with plans to produce steel in a virtually fossil-free process using hydrogen. MEDIA: Karin Hallstan, Head of Public and Media Relations, +46 76 842 81 04, Karin.Hallstan@h2greensteel.com.

LKAB – Mining company based in Norrbotten Country active since 1890. Produces iron ore with fossil-free technology, but also production of rare earth elements that are needed in, for example, wind turbines. MEDIA: Niklas Johansson, SVP Communications and Climate, + 46 (0)724 50 52 19. niklas1.johansson@lkab.com, or Anders Lindberg, Group Media Relations Manager, + 46 (0)72 717 83 55. anders.lindberg@lkab.com

Northvolt is a European battery developer and manufacturer started in Sweden, specializing in lithium-ion technology for electric vehicles. MEDIA: press@northvolt.com

SSAB – Nordic and US-based steel maker that is switching its production to fossil-free processes for steel, replacing the existing blast furnace system with new mini mill technology. MEDIA: Viktoria Karsberg, Head of Identity and Group Communications, +46-8-4545734. viktoria.karsberg@ssab.com.

Talga is a battery anode and advanced materials company based in the north of Sweden accelerating the global transition towards sustainable growth. MEDIA: Cen Rolfsson, Media Relations Manager, +46 703-62 19 05, cen.rolfsson@talgagroup.com

Volvo AB: The Volvo Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. Volvo is the world’s first truck manufacturer to introduce fossil-free steel in its trucks. MEDIA: Anna Arbius, Volvo Group Public Relations, anna.arbius@volvogroup.com, +46 73 902 29 93."
https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/svemi...t-summit-during-swedish-eu-presidency-3227320

__________________​

Sandvik launches battery electric loader

Photo: Sandvik
Published by
simon matthis - mar 7, 2023
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions announces the launch of a battery electric mine loader, the Toro LH518iB. The mine loader is currently undergoing extensive factory tests and the first machine will be delivered to a customer in the first half of 2023, according to Sandvik.
The loader is prepared for Automine functions. With AutoMine, a single operator can run the "full loading cycle" including battery replacement remotely. Connecting and disconnecting batteries from chargers and coolers is the only human interaction required underground.
The machine has a capacity of 18 tons.
- This is not experimental technology that will be ready sometime in the future, but it is developed and ready to be delivered to our customers this year, says Jari Söderlund, Head of Product Management, Division Load and Haul, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, in a press release.

 

[cosors]

From last year and about 200Km from the mine a road in the highlands I think. This should be an unusual sight for you Australians.

Here the clip: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/video/35...strom-snorojde-vildmarksvagen-i-borjan-av-maj

 

[cosors]

Newsletters
March 9, 2023​

Welcome to meet Talga at Smedjan in Luleå on Saturday, April 1, 11.00-15.00.

On Saturday, April 1, we are in Luleå Municipality's information room in Smedjan to tell you about the plans for our factory for battery anode materials at Luleå Industrial Park. See you there!


Main hearing in the Land and Environment Court concluded
On Wednesday, February 22, the main hearing in the Land and Environment Court for Talga's planned graphite mining at Nunasvaara södra was concluded. The verdict is expected on April 5. Read more here.

​

Record attendance when Talga acted as breakfast partner for the Luleå Business business breakfast with the theme Luleå industrial park​

On February 24, Luleå Business Region held a business breakfast with a record number of visitors. 300 people, the maximum allowed number in the House of Science, were allowed in, while another 100 curious people were unfortunately turned away at the door. The breakfast, which had the theme of Luleå industrial park, is recorded and available here. unfortunately there is no transcrit function here at Youtube.
@beserk Would you listen to it for us and report us if there is something interesting that PEL tells?

​

Take a trip on the ice with our Talga kicks​

Every year the municipality of Luleå makes an ice rink from Norra Hamn around Gültzauudden to Södra Hamn and on to Gråsjälören.
Now you can enjoy the spring sun by borrowing the Talgasparks available at the parking lots around the ice rink.​

Comments, questions and complaints​

Talga's ambition is to create sustainable growth by refining socially necessary metals and minerals that contribute to a green transition. We want to ensure accountability and high quality in all our commitments, and feedback is an important part of our work to constantly improve our processes and routines.

We gratefully accept questions, comments and complaints regarding our operations. When you leave a point of view, question or a complaint, Talga is responsible via a well-defined process.
Read more on Talga's website .
​

_________

https://www.facebook.com/talgasverige/

 

[beserk]

Pity we missed out on taking the Talga kicks, Talga Sparks in Swedish, I kid you not, on the 7 km ice skating track that is prepared each year for the Dutch Skating festival end of February. Hmmm, Talga Spark A new brand for a 100% natural and locally produced mode of transportation

The professional skaters get up to speeds of 50 km/h and fly around the course followed by cars...

Iceskating Luleå - Schaatsen Lulea

Iceskating in Luleå in Swedish Lapland - At 23 February a beautiful tour and 22, 24 and 25 February 2024 Grand Prix competitions.

schaatsenlulea.nl

My brother can observe them speeding by from his flat close to Norra hamnen..

...

-beserk

 

[DAH]

Pity we missed out on taking the Talga kicks on the 7km ice skating track that is prepared each year for the Dutch Skating festival end of February.

The professional skaters get up to speeds of 50 km/h and fly around the course followed by cars...

Iceskating Luleå - Schaatsen Lulea

Iceskating in Luleå in Swedish Lapland - At 23 February a beautiful tour and 22, 24 and 25 February 2024 Grand Prix competitions.

schaatsenlulea.nl

My brother can observe them speeding by from his flat close to Norra hamnen..

...

-beserk

We were fortunate to take our girls on the track last month - an amazing experience! Safe to assume we were in the slow lane
Luleå is a fascinating place to visit.