Nexa Resources appoints ABB to provide state-of-the-art industrial automation systems for existing and new operations in Brazil and Peru. (Photo: ABB)
Nexa Resources signed a five-year agreement with ABB on modernizing existing mining and smelting process installations in Brazil and Peru. As part of the agreement, ABB will install ABB Ability System 800xA, a distributed control system automation platform. The platform will serve as the basis for the digital transformation, and as a common operations platform to support all technology upgrades.
The platform will allow remote monitoring and control and will offer safety gains, ABB reported. “The platform also increases productivity by applying modern control techniques and creating value for the company and local community,” said Marcos Hillal, global product line manager, automation and digital, mining, ABB. “As part of the journey, we are providing Nexa with a thorough training and communications plan to support them through the transition.”
ABB reported it is supporting Anglo American Technical Solutions, an analytical support center in Johannesburg, after the latter adopted ABB Ability System 800xA for use in continuous laboratory testwork. There, the control system allows for expansion and application in mini-pilot plants for hydrometallurgical testwork. The support provided by ABB consists of automation expertise and software solutions, licensing and training. It is part of an effort to expand the laboratory, modify experimental setups and maximize control.
ABB reported it will also deliver automation platforms at Aripuanã, a zinc-lead-copper mine in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The scope includes ABB Ability System 800xA equipped with MineOptimize solutions such as the Minerals Process Control Library, Power Control Library and camera connection. The plant at Aripuanã is a greenfield site.
Separately, ABB reported it signed a (MOU) with Hydrogen Optimized to explore development of large-scale sustainable hydrogen production systems. The companies plan to prove that Hydrogen Optimized’s RuggedCell water electrolysis technology can be used to develop an integrated solution based on a 100-MW single-module plant design.
