• World’s fastest overland conveyor belt that belongs to PT Kaltim Prima Coal is powered by Siemens Integrated Drive Systems (IDS) technology
• Combined with automation technology, Siemens IDS technology enables reliable operation of high speed belt conveyors, improves operational efficiency, and reduces energy costs.

Siemens, the world’s leading technology supplier of innovative and environmentally-friendly products and solutions for industrial customers, today announced the successful installation of the world’s fastest overland conveyor belt for PT Kaltim Prima Coal, one of the largest open-pit mining operators in the world.

The installation consists of a series of superior automation and drives solutions that enable them to benefit from a shortened engineering and procurement cycle, as well as improved risk mitigation. The new solutions have also helped lessen the company’s carbon footprint by reducing the overall energy required by conveyor belt operation by up to 10%.

To overcome the risks of operating conveyors at high speed, PT Kaltim Prima Coal decided to partner with Siemens to install the superior Integrated Drive Systems (IDS) technology combined with Siemens automation technology to replace the older technology on several existing conveyors. The technology is also installed on two newly constructed overland conveyors. One of which is the Melawan overland conveyor, which is a curved conveyor that runs at a speed of 7.5 metres per second.

The second conveyor belt, “OLC2,” is a straight conveyor belt that runs at a speed of 8.5 metres per second and connects PT Kaltim Prima Coal’s coal preparation plant and port stockpile, Both conveyors transport coal over a total distance of 25 kilometres. Their respective speeds makes them the fastest two overland conveyor belts in the world.

Stefanus Arif, Head of Digital Factory Division and Process Industries and Drives Division of PT Siemens Indonesia said “With production industries under immense pressure to reach increasingly higher levels of productivity at the lowest possible cost, the ability to achieve high degrees of effectiveness has become more important in today’s mining industry. We are proud to see PT Kaltim Prima Coal reaping the benefits of our latest IDS technology, even going as far as achieving the world’s fastest overland conveyor belt speed, whilst reducing energy requirements.”

With a desire to increase productivity whilst ensuring sustainability of operations, PT Kaltim Prima Coal turned towards automation to meet their needs. “We are constantly looking towards the future and exploring new ways to innovate, improving operations and making our processes more environmentally sustainable. IDS technology from Siemens is the best fit for us thanks to its capabilities and relevant solutions that suit our needs. Since the implementation, we have observed the reliability of the technology to smoothly run the conveyor at high speed with a significant increase in energy savings and without any complications,” stated Poltak Sinaga, General Manager at PT Kaltim Prima Coal.

Based in Sangatta, East Kalimantan, PT Kaltim Prima Coal manages a mining area of more than 90,000 hectares and produces more than 50 million tonnes of coal per year, which equates to about one-sixth of Indonesia’s expected coal export in 2016. However, with China’s slowing demand for coal, coupled with potential coal export from India, Indonesia’s coal miners will have to produce coal at a faster rate and at the same time lower prices in order to remain competitive.