Vale has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with XCMG Construction Machinery Limited (XCMG Machinery), a subsidiary of Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) which is China’s largest machinery manufacturer, for the potential supply of mining and infrastructure equipment, including zero-emission and autonomous equipment.
According to the MoU, prototypes of the equipment including two electric battery-powered mining haul trucks up to 72 t with zero emission will be delivered to Vale to be tested in its operations in Minas Gerais (Brazil) and Indonesia in the first half of 2022. Another electric truck up to 240 t with zero emissions will also be tested in a date to be defined. This is likely to be a battery version of the XDE240 truck which is already equipped with electric drive.
The signing took place on October 26 in Nanjing, during the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of sister state-province relationship between the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais and the Chinese province of Jiangsu.
The MoU was signed by Antonio Cardoso, Head of Procurement China of Vale and Sam Shang, Deputy General Manager of Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Import and Export Co Ltd, with Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura, Consul-General of Brazil in Shanghai, Hui Jianlin, Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province, Tracy Xie, President of Vale China and Hansen Liu, Vice President of XCMG Machinery all present.
Following the signing ceremony, Alexandre Pereira, Vale’s Executive Vice President for Global Business Solutions, congratulated on this initiative. He highlighted the search of Vale and XCMG to expand the use of electric battery -powered vehicles, which took the companies to include in the MoU the intention of supplying such equipment.
“This initiative is in line with Vale’s goal of reducing its carbon emissions of scope 1 and 2 by 33% by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and reinforces our ambition to lead the road to low carbon mining. We also see this partnership with XCMG Machinery as one more important step in the deepening of our long-term and win-win partnership with China, which dates back to 1973, when we sent our first iron ore shipment to this country,” Pereira said.
Marcello Spinelli, Vale’s Executive Vice President, Iron Ore added: “This is yet another example of our efforts on this regard, we will receive by 2022 the first units of a 72 t battery truck to be tested in our operations. We intend to continue to develop zero-emissions solutions with global partners, as XCMG.”
“It is an honourable pleasure to establish a deeper partnership with Vale. XCMG is committed to serving global customers by providing energy-saving construction and mining solutions. We will increase R&D investment into zero-emission technologies to help customers achieve the goal of green mining. We believe that MOU signed with Vale will drive our value chain to promote environmental protection,” Hansen Liu said.