Cummins repowers project slashes costs for Whitehaven coal

Expanding Cummins footprint at Maules Creek

Whitehaven Coal, noted for producing high quality thermal and metallurgical coal, has four operating mines in the Gunnedah Basin which achieved run-of-mine (ROM) production of 18.2 Mt in 2023. More than 100 high horsepower Cummins engines are involved in its three open-cut operations, including the Maules Creek operation which is repowering five Hitachi EH3500 haul trucks with 2000 hp Cummins QSK50 MCRS engines.

The original engines in the EH3500s, from another manufacturer, are being replaced while Hitachi carries out a 32,000-hour refurbishment program on the trucks at its facility in Gunnedah, New South Wales.

The repower project will be completed in early 2024.

Cummins’ involvement in the Maules Creek operation – currently Whitehaven’s largest mine which shipped its first coal in 2015 – is significant with 61 engines in service, a mix of QSK50 MCRS and QSK60 MCRS powerhouses spanning 1944 to 2850 hp, all certified to Tier 2 emissions level.

They are powering a range of Hitachi equipment, including 45 ultra-class EH5000 haul trucks with a 296-tonne payload and five 800-tonne EX8000 excavators.

“We’ve had a long, healthy relationship with Cummins,” says Mark Irwin, Whitehaven’s maintenance manager at Maules Creek, commenting on the reasons behind the repower project. “We’re familiar with the Cummins product and we get high quality support. So when the opportunity arose to increase the Cummins footprint at Maules Creek we jumped at it.”

Total cost of ownership

When Cummins first got involved in the Maules Creek project, during the tender stage to supply engines, it was emphasized by Whitehaven Coal that the mine was a low-cost business model and that total cost of ownership and local service support were the critical elements.

All the engines at Maules Creek incorporate Cummins’ high-pressure modular common rail fuel system (MCRS) technology for longer life-to-overhaul and reduced fuel consumption and emissions. In fact, a fuel consumption improvement in excess of 3% is calculated for the QSK50 over the engine it replaces in the EH3500, and this results in a significant greenhouse gas reduction for a truck doing 5,000 to 6,000 hours a year.

“We had high expectations from the start based on our conversations with Cummins and those expectations are being met,” says Mark Irwin decisively.

PrevenTech remote monitoring

Another key benefit of repowering with Cummins is the availability of Cummins’ remote engine monitoring system, PrevenTech, which is connected to all Cummins-powered trucks and excavators at Whitehaven mines.

“During the trial period we only had 10 engines connected but still prevented a couple of potentially significant downtime events. The machines were diagnosed and then repaired in a short period so as not to interrupt production,” adds Mark Irwin.