PRESS RELEASE: The mining system, including two newly developed barracuda bucket wheel excavators, will be used to remove overburden at the Mae Moh coal mine in northern Thailand. It is due to go into operation in spring 2020.

Torsten Gerlach, CEO of the Mining Technologies business unit at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, said: "The barracuda compact bucket wheel excavator is one of our recent innovations for the mining industry.

"We are pleased to see this new technology supporting ITD's future open-pit operations, contributing to a more efficient and cost-saving environment. As with all our mining solutions, this builds customer value by increasing yields while minimising impacts."

The Mae Moh mine is an open-pit lignite mine, located some 600km from Bangkok, in the Lampang province in the north of Thailand.

The new mining equipment, with capacities of up to 18,000t per hour, will be used to remove, convey and dump overburden. Two barracuda compact bucket wheel excavators with belt wagons and hopper cars will be supplied by thyssenkrupp, as well as two spreaders with tripper cars.

Within the scope of the order thyssenkrupp will take care of engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the continuous mining system.

Due to its continuous operation the new mining system will help reduce both operating costs and environmental emissions at the Mae Moh mine, thyssenkrupp said. This is made possible by the use of two barracuda bucket wheel excavators that are able to work in hard material layers.