Ecuador mining power generation system case: from load review to delivery and after-sales service

We said it very simply at the beginning: the power in the mining area was unstable and we wanted to purchase diesel generators. But after the conversation continued, we realized that what we were really worried about was not that a certain piece of equipment ran out of power, but that once the power went out, crushing, drainage, maintenance, and the power supply to the camp would all be hampered.

A mine site is not like an office with backup power. Breaking lines, water pumps, lighting, communications, camps and repair shops all have their own rhythm. When the power grid fluctuates, not only is there one less machine on site, but the entire production rhythm is interrupted. Drainage and road conditions also make recovery times more uncertain once the rainy season arrives.

Houhan did not just ask us about one machine, but asked us to talk about production, drainage, camp and safety load separately. It was then that we discovered that what we needed to solve was not to buy a generator, but to stabilize the power supply in the mining area first.

We first gave the approximate location of the mining area, the equipment we wanted to bring, and a power range. We originally thought that the other party would recommend the model immediately, but Houhan did not rush to quote, but continued to ask about the equipment list, voltage frequency, starting method, operating hours, altitude, rainy season roads and subsequent expansion plans.

I did feel it was a bit thin at first. But then we realized that just knowing how many kilowatts we needed was not enough. The start-up conditions of crushers, water pumps, air compressors and conveyor belts are different, and drainage and communication cannot simply be ranked behind. If you select a machine based on total power, there may be problems on site with insufficient capacity on paper and voltage drops during startup.

It moves us from "how much power to buy" to "which loads must be preserved first." This will be important later in our discussion of ATS, power distribution, fuel tanks, and spares, as each relates to site loads.

We were initially concerned about the model and price, but later the focus of the discussion became how to connect the system to the site. Houhan asked us to divide the loads into production, drainage, maintenance, camp and security groups, and then look at which ones are running at the same time, which ones start with delay, and which ones must be given priority to ensure power supply.

We are most concerned about whether the equipment can be used smoothly after arriving at the mining area. For example, how to configure low-voltage cabinets, who will check the grounding, who will judge if an alarm is reported later, how to replenish spare parts later, and how to arrange service response. These are more realistic than simply looking at the parameters of a machine.

They did not just give us a unit price, but explained the configuration range and delivery content separately. Which ones belong to equipment supply, which ones require our on-site or EPC cooperation, and which ones require data to be prepared in advance, are all clearly listed.

We focused on confirming the division of responsibilities. The coordination of foundation, cables, grounding, low-voltage cabinets, hoisting, oil lines, exhaust and on-site construction cannot be discussed after the equipment arrives at the port. In the past, we easily understood delivery as the arrival of the equipment at the port. This time we found that there was a lot of on-site connection work after the equipment arrived.

Start-up test, load test, ATS logic, protection parameters, operational training and handover documents were all communicated in advance. Houhan reminds us that in many projects, it is not the equipment itself that has problems, but insufficient preparation for on-site access and debugging, which results in a prolonged commissioning time.

Our on-site team can prepare foundations, grounding, cables, hoisting and construction windows in advance, without having to wait for the equipment to arrive in port before starting coordination. For remote mining areas, one less wait can reduce a lot of uncertainty.

What we value most is having someone to judge first when something goes wrong. Every visit to a remote mining area has a cost. If it is just an alarm, trip, difficulty starting, abnormal voltage or unstable load, it is best to know first whether it affects critical loads such as drainage, crushing, ventilation, communications or camps.

They will ask us to send fault codes, photos of the controller, live video, operating hours, recent maintenance records and current load. If it can be handled on-site first, they will provide guidance first; if it involves the engine, generator, controller, ATS or power distribution configuration, it will be reviewed by the factory's technical data.

It is important that someone locally can take over first. We don’t want every minor issue to turn directly into a high-cost doorstep. Determine the scope of the problem first, and it will be more efficient to arrange personnel, tools and spare parts later.

First determine whether the site lacks a machine or a set of stable power supply logic. Electricity consumption in mines involves production, safety, drainage, camps and maintenance. If you only compare based on price or single machine power, it is easy to miss the links that really affect downtime.

Mine location, equipment list, voltage frequency, expected operating hours, existing power supply issues, site photos and expansion plans. The more complete the information, the easier it is for engineers to judge capacity range, start-up risk, power distribution range, delivery responsibilities and after-sales preparation.

Don’t just focus on the model too early. When on-site problems have not yet been clarified, the faster the model is determined, the higher the risk of subsequent rework. Let’s clearly explain the load and delivery content first, so that we can be more stable later.