Within the Kaltim Prime Coal (KPC) project, Siemens faced two major challenges. One of them was the difficult landscape, as they had to avoid some immovable things in the terrain. This is why some conveyors had to be curved as much as 2,000 m while still maintaining the high speed. The entire solution had to be as fast and take up as little space as possible. In addition, the conveyors had to cover up a distance of 25 km between the mine and the ship loaders. Furthermore, a complete control and an automated control were required for starting and stopping of the tremendous overland conveyors as well as for taking fast corrective actions.

Siemens, Siemens Indonesia (EPC) and the KPC Project Department created in close collaboration a remarkable solution for Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC). It shortened the engineering procurement cycle on the customer side, cut the delivery time and mitigated the client's risk of failure. Siemens provided the technology to drive 49 conveyor drives inside the plant. The finished construction measures 25 km in total length. The following two conveyor systems stand out for their exceptional properties and they are building the two main parts of the whole construction: On one side is the 13 km long overland conveyor (OLC2) which is unique regarding its speed. It is running at about 8.5 m/sec and was fully constructed with Siemens products. Siemens Integrated Drive System operates using SINAMICS Converters (e.g. SINAMICS GM150 MV Converter), SIMOTICS Motors, FLENDER Mechanical Drives, Couplings, Flywheels, FZG Gear Units and Oil Supply Systems. On the other side is the curved overland conveyor Melanwon (8 km long, 7.5 m/sec) which constituted a technical challenge because of the required curvature of 2,000 m. All of the built-in components were obtained from Siemens, such as the SCALANCE X Industrial Ethernet Switches, Siemens Circuit Breakers, SIMATIC WinCC, SCADA System and SIMATIC S7-3000 PLC. Furthermore, Siemens provided engineering support, installation assistance, commissioning, and the training to KPC's operation and maintenance crew, in order for them to be familiar with the technology. The new conveyor solution not only improved maintenance practice but also increased operational flexibility and decreased power consumption. As a result, the overall energy required was minimized by up to 10 % which exceeded KPC's initial target with regard to efficiency and reliability.

PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), located in Indonesia, is the world's largest open-pit coal mine that is operating today. Since its first installation in 1991, Siemens has been providing KPC's system. Thereby KPC is not only using motors and gearboxes, but also PLC's and switchgears from Siemens. With areas covering 90,000 hectares and an overall production outcome of more than 50 million tons per year, KPC is one of the largest coal producers and exporters in the world. KPC recently faced the need to expand their conveyor drives and therefore engaged Siemens for providing the required technology. Additional 49 conveyor drives had to be constructed linking a distance of 25 km with high speed, high torque and energy efficiency. Because KPC is a well-known economic driver in Indonesia, one of the main aspects was to explore new opportunities to innovate and improve operations. Therefore, the aim was to accomplish environmentally sustainable processes while maintaining high torque and high speed.