The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - December 11, 2023
A rendering of the Dietrich Oldendorff equipped with Flettner Rotors, rotating cylinders that are expected to cut the ship's CO2 emissions in half by transforming wind to thrust.
The pending sale of its steelmaking coal business to commodities giant Glencore has not slowed Teck Resources Ltd.'s push of new technologies that will lower the carbon dioxide emissions footprint of shipping the bulk commodity used to transform iron ore to steel.
To lower the CO2 emissions of shipping coal from its mining operations in southeastern British Columbia to steelmaking plants in Asia, Teck has partnered with the 102-year-old family-owned shipping company Oldendorff Carriers to outfit a ship with an innovative new wind propulsion system.
"This innovative agreement to utilize wind power in shipping will reduce the carbon footprint in Teck's supply chain and help advance the development of green transportation corridors," said Teck Resources President and CEO Jonathan Price.
The wind-powered ship will not have the furling sails of yore. Instead, the bulk commodities vessel Dietrich Oldendorff is being equipped with large spinning cylinders known as Flettner Rotors. These wind-spun rotors create lift due to the Magnus effect – which is the generation of force when a spinning cylinder is immersed in a fluid – that can be converted to thrust.
The trip between Teck's coal loading port on Canada's west coast and steelmaking mills in Asia is one of the best in the world for implementing this innovative wind propulsion technology.
"Forty years of historical weather data show that the trade between the Pacific Northwest and Asia is one of the best trade lanes for producing reliable wind energy," said Oldendorff Carriers CEO Patrick Hutchins.
The rotors, along with other measures, are expected to lower Dietrich Oldendorff's CO2 emissions by 55%. This equates to roughly 17,000 metric tons less CO2 emissions per year, equal to removing 3,500 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road.
Adding to the sustainability credentials, the rotors manufactured by Norsepower are constructed in part with recycled materials from approximately 342,000 plastic bottles.
"We are excited to harness the power of the wind in the transpacific dry bulk trade with a progressive partner like Teck," Hutchins said. "Our mutual determination to drive a decarbonized supply chain can only be realized through cooperation and collaboration."
The CO2-reducing collaboration between Oldendorff and Teck goes back to November 2021. Over the ensuing two years, the joint efforts by the global shipping and Canadian mining companies have eliminated an estimated 115,000 metric tons of CO2 emission, the equivalent of removing over 25,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road.
Teck and Oldendorff plan to add to their cumulative CO2-reducing total with a biofuel pilot on another bulk carrier.
"The energy transition has begun, and we are prepared to make the necessary joint investments that will provide a meaningful reduction of emissions," Hutchins added.
Teck's innovative commitment to lowering the CO2 emissions of shipping steelmaking coal from operations that are in the midst of a sale to Glencore, pending regulatory and other approvals, demonstrates the mining company's dedication to achieving net carbon neutrality by 2050 and developing technologies that will benefit the entire mining sector.
"Teck is collaborating with our customers and suppliers to reduce emissions in our supply chain as part of our climate strategy," said Price.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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