Electricity cost management in mining

15% of all electrical energy consumed in 1993 in South Africa was used by deep-level mines. It is of the utmost importance to have a mine energy systems planning model to minimise the cost of the electrical energy consumption of deep-level mines. An energy conversion model for end-user groups such as a mineral processing plant, a mine winding system, an underground mining system, a compressed air system, an underground water pumping system, a fridge plant and a ventilation system, was developed. Each of these models can be used to calibrate the electrical energy consumption and quantification of energy norms of the end-user group, or in a simulation for integrated mine electrical energy planning to accommodate external/internal influences on the system, and change of energy carriers, storage capacity or machine capacity