Blog by Björn Jonsson, Business Line Manager Mining & Materials at ABB’s Process Industries division

An opportunity formed by urgency

Today, the mining industry contributes up to 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Haulage trucks are the single biggest source of mining emissions, accounting for up to 25% of total emissions from a single mine. Ore grades are also declining, with new deposits found deeper and in more remote locations than ever before, which requires more energy-intensive operations to access them. As a result, mining companies are facing increased pressure to accelerate decarbonization efforts and addressing haulage fleet emissions is key.

Amid growing scrutiny, ABB’s Mining’s Moment survey found that 30% of mining leaders are behind schedule with their decarbonization goals. This has resulted from delayed uptake of electrification and automation technologies, with almost half (46%) of respondents saying the risk of disruption to operations and production is a key barrier to their sustainable transformation.

Hesitation is understandable. As global demand for critical materials intensifies, precision and timing remain critical to production and delivery. Even more so when you consider that mining companies continue to miss production targets. According to Accenture, missed production targets have cost the industry $64 billion in revenue loss over the last five years.

Electrification offers a way through. It provides a strategic foundation for cleaner, more reliable mining. What’s more, it’s already helping companies to make better decisions, minimize costly downtime, improve safety and enhance efficiency.

Start small, think big

The journey to electrification doesn’t have to be disruptive. Electrification is a proven solution that’s already delivering measurable improvements today. 70% agreed that significant decarbonization can be achieved using existing technologies.

Mining’s Moment also showed that 68% of mining leaders are planning to

electrify at least 25% of their fleet by 2030 – and the technologies needed to drive this change are mature enough today. At Copper Mountain in Canada, electrified haulage had delivered a 90% emissions reduction for trucks running on trolley power. That’s not all, trucks run twice the speed, ensuring higher performance.

Meanwhile, Boliden, Epiroc and ABB have successfully deployed the first battery-electric trolley truck system on a 5 kilometers underground mine in Sweden, with efficiency gains expected to accelerate the company’s decarbonization targets significantly.

The lesson from early success stories like Copper Mountain and Boliden is clear; the path forward isn’t about disruptive overhauls. It’s about steady, deliberate evolution. Each upgrade, no matter how small, builds the foundations for the all-electric mine of the future. Mines should start small, retrofit, and scale up incrementally.

This incremental approach to transformation will ensure the mining industry can supply the materials needed for our low-carbon future, such as lithium for electric vehicles and rare earth elements for wind turbines. Moreover, early adoption projects prove that mining teams will experience minimal disruption while making efficiency gains across carbon, operational and financial performance.

Now is the time to scale up

So, is now the right time to pursue full electrification? Yes. Every pilot, retrofit, and partnership lays the groundwork for tomorrow’s fully electric and automated mining operations.

Electrification solutions, digital optimization tools, and automation platforms are proven and ready to scale. What we need now is the confidence to deploy them more broadly, connecting individual projects into a unified approach that transforms how mines operate day to day.

As an industry, we don’t need to wait for the perfect solution to solve all problems. The journey to the all-electric mine doesn’t begin with a grand unveiling; it begins with a single decision to move forward. We need to start, learn, and adapt today.

At ABB, we believe in starting small but thinking big. Over the last 4 years, we have conducted 26 electrification studies across 9 countries. On this journey, we have gained learnings that are offering blueprints for progress.