Oyu Tolgoi Underground: Specifying Arctic-Grade Type 241 11/11kV 3x50mm² for Mongolian Winters
The safest way to write this page is not to pretend that Rio Tinto has publicly released a project call-off for this exact cable. The stronger and more credible angle is this: under Oyu Tolgoi Underground-style conditions, Arctic-grade Type 241 11/11kV 3x50mm² is a rational engineering specification direction.
That distinction matters. A serious mining page should never fake project-specific approval language that has not been published. What it should do is explain the logic clearly. Oyu Tolgoi Underground is a world-class block-caving copper-gold project in Mongolia’s South Gobi. The site sees a harsh thermal range, with hot summers and deep winter exposure. Standard Type 241 mining cable is designed to AS/NZS 1802 and is publicly described for applications such as continuous miners, pump feeders, monorails supplying DCBs and longwalls. Electrically and structurally, that makes it a very credible candidate architecture for underground mining distribution circuits. But when winter ambient moves below the standard low-temperature threshold, the correct engineering response is not to abandon Type 241 altogether. The correct response is to specify an Arctic-grade low-temperature sheath and insulation system built on the Type 241 platform.







