Liebherr-Australia repowers Yancoal excavators

Liebherr-Australia has successfully repowered two R 9800 excavators for Yancoal at its Mount Thorley Warkworth (MTW) coal mining operation in the Hunter Valley region of NSW.

The repower involved replacing the excavators’ existing engines with Liebherr’s D9812 12-cylinder engines, which are designed specifically for the mining industry. This was the first repower of Liebherr R 9800s in the world and highlights Liebherr’s engineering expertise and commitment to supporting customers with innovative solutions that drive performance and efficiency.

The process began at Liebherr-Australia’s Mount Thorley facility, where the D9812 engines were prepared for integration. Once completed, the engines were transported to MTW where the final phases of the repower were executed, ensuring a smooth transition into operation.

According to Liebherr, the teamwork, attention to detail and care of the OEM-trained customer service team at Liebherr Australia’s Mount Thorley facility were crucial in this endeavour.

Liebherr-Australia’s Mount Thorley facility service manager Ben Carlyle says to realise this significant achievement, the team had to face their share of challenges, including unfavourable weather, while maintaining a steadfast focus on safety and quality.

“The success of this project speaks to the strength of our partnership with Yancoal and the dedication of everyone involved across multiple departments,” he said.

“Repowering two R 9800s was no small feat, but the finished product stands as a testament to the expertise and resilience of the team.

“This marks an exciting moment for Mount Thorley and will undoubtedly shape future opportunities in New South Wales.”

Yancoal maintenance manager Warwick Gloster comments on the achievement.

“The teamwork, quality and professionalism from the MTW project managers, planners, supervisors and technicians working alongside the Mt Thorley Liebherr team was the basis for the success of this world-first field repower of the R 9800 with the D9812 modules,” he said.

The benefits of D98 engines

These R 9800 excavators join a growing number of machines powered by Liebherr’s D98 engines within Yancoal’s Australian fleet. An R 9400, delivered with a D9812 engine, has been running for nearly two years at Moolarben Coal Operations in NSW. The same site also received an R 9600 with two D9812 engines in November 2024, with another set to join the fleet in February of this year. Once the last of these R 9600s has been delivered, Yancoal will have a total of nine machines powered by Liebherr’s D98 series engines operating across its Australian sites.

“The D98 engines have performed extremely well since being installed. The first unit, EX322, has achieved not only a 4% fuel burn reduction in the first three months but set a global production record for highest monthly output of 1.752m million BCM [bank cubic metres] in January of this year,” said Mr Gloster.

“This was on the back of some amazing maintenance statistics: 96.6% availability and 147 hours MTBF [mean time between failures] with an 84.2% utilisation average for the same month — all of which surpassed the previous global monthly record of 1.6 million BCM set by its sister machine, EX321, in August 2024.”

Liebherr hopes its repower program will help customers all over the world modernise their large Liebherr excavators and trucks with cutting-edge engines and experience improved fuel efficiency, enhanced productivity and decreased maintenance and operational expenses.

In the coming years, there may be opportunities for further repower projects among Yancoal’s fleet of Liebherr excavators. Yancoal has been impressed with their performance and fuel efficiency and have expressed interest in further developments.

Liebherr-Australia executive general manager of sales, marketing, training and solutions Brian Boitano says the D98 series engines has become recognised for its fuel efficiency and performance advantages across Australia.

“As we move our large mining machines to being 100 % Liebherr powered, our customers are asking us to speed up the transition,” he said.