Chile’s National Center of Piloting Technologies in Mining (CNP) last week published its 2023 annual report, highlighting significant advances in its management and in the promotion of technological innovation in the mining industry.
The CNP reported progress and projects in piloting, technological surveillance and market intelligence, analysis of test protocols, training, studies and business cases. It also reported that CNP signed more than 20 contracts, six of which are broad contracts with large mining companies.
The publication highlights a specific agreement with Albemarle, which added two lithium mining test sites to the CNP’s network of 12 test spaces. The technology centre also indicated that it strengthened its business model, with a view to economic sustainability in the medium term. “We report new technical, financial and ecosystem achievements, as well as our contributions as a strategic articulator between academia, industry and the public sector,” explained Andrés González, General Manager of the CNP.
Over the period 2020-2023, the CNP has managed to carry out more than 50 technology pilots and surveillance programs; plus has presented more than 200 proposals to clients. It has 14 piloting spaces in seven regions of the country; and maintains strategic agreements with Anglo American, Codelco, Sernageomin, Enami and Albemarle; in addition to collaboration alliances with more than 30 other relevant players in the ecosystem. In its value offering it also has access to more than 100 mining and technology experts from its network of academic partners.
José Miguel Benavente, Executive Vice President of CORFO, explained that in this sector you cannot improvise. “The work of entities like the CNP, promoted by CORFO, is key to taking this possibility of sophisticating our production processes with a strategic and long-term view.”
The executive highlighted CORFO’s productive development policy, focused on sustainability, making connections, collaboration and local value creation. “To achieve this, it is necessary to give space to entrepreneurship and the incorporation of new partners, a matter on which during 2023 CNP placed special emphasis with conscious and deliberate support for the segment of technological developers and small mining,” said Benavente.
Along these lines, Juan Cariamo, President of the CNP Board of Directors, indicated that they aim to be a benchmark in mining technological innovation in Chile and the region. He stressed that the agreement with Albemarle in October 2023 incorporated lithium into other critical areas in which the CNP has been testing and investing, such as green hydrogen, tailings and technologies for sustainability. “This is the way to set the course and lead in what we believe will strengthen us as a technology centre,” he said.
Among the developments that the CNP highlighted during the year is the construction of a green hydrogen (H2v) pilot plant for mining in Til Til at Minera San Pedro. The plant has three electrolysers, producing up to 3 kg of H2/day, stored at 35 bar in an 850-litre buffer tank, powered by solar energy generated by 22 solar panels. With on-site generation and storage capabilities, the initiative expands CNP’s piloting capabilities to test H2v-based technologies, including fuel blending as well as innovations that use hydrogen as an energy vector. In 2024, when fully operational, this development seeks to become an epicenter of innovation and technological experimentation and a showcase for innovations applied to the entire H2v value chain in mining operations. It also seeks to create a training space for technicians and professionals in new technologies.
Meanwhile, for the Ministry of Mining, the CNP carried out a study and analysis on public policies in the world, which govern the implementation of H2v in mining; state of the art of H2v technologies in the industry, and an experimental plan with cost quantification to implement green hydrogen mining pilots in Chile.
The CNP has also contributed with its pilot tests to other industries such as energy and transportation. At the end of the year, the project for the first hydrogen bus manufactured entirely in Chile began, led by the public-private alliance of Anglo American, Colbún, Reborn Electric Motors and the support of CORFO; and as strategic partners the CNP and Fundación Chile.
IM spoke to Felipe Cevallos Becker who is the CEO & Co-Founder at Reborn Electric Motors about the project at EXPONOR 2024 in Antofagasta earlier this year. He said of the consortium-led project: “With our partners in the consortium we are developing a hydrogen bus capable of long distance worker transport using a combination of green hydrogen fuel cells and a battery pack. This will be a special bus designed for the mining industry that will carry 26-31 passengers and will be capable of doing longer trips that the BEV buses are currently not capable of doing.” The specific mine or route has not yet been finalised but the bus build is underway and testing should begin by late 2024/early 2025, Becker told IM with a view to it beginning operations at a mine within 2025. Toyota is supplying the fuel cells and CATL the LFP batteries. The hydrogen is pressurised at 350 bar and the bus will have 15-20 kg of hydrogen in tanks located in the roof of the bus. The new bus is expected to have a range of about 600 km. Other components in the bus like the electric motor are similar to those found in existing BEV mine buses.
IM Editorial Director, Paul Moore with Felipe Cevallos Becker, CEO & Co-Founder at Reborn Electric Motors
Within its public role, the CNP led the project, ‘Digital transformation of small-scale mining in the Valparaíso region’ part of CORFO’s Technology Diffusion Program (PDT), benefiting the mining companies of Catemu, Cabildo, Petorca, San Felipe and Illapel. This initiative is carried out in alliance with Anglo American, Sonami, AMTC of the University of Chile and the support of CORFO.
Regarding the pilots, it was reported that in 2023 pilot tests of various advanced technologies were and are being carried out. These include air classifier equipment from Anglo American; grinding balls made of steel bars with innovative anti-wear steel alloy, from Siderúrgica Huachipato; online monitoring of balls for SAG mills, from Smart Mining; a system for monitoring and modelling environmental variables, developed by the Metropolitan Technological University (UTEM); plus a system of modified reagents for flotation, from Industone, among others.
The report also reviews the first CNP 2023 Ecosystem Meeting, held in October in Antofagasta and Santiago, which brought together more than 300 people from industry, academia and government. During the event, more than 70 people were trained in piloting and technological surveillance workshops. The CNP announced that in September and October it will hold a second version of the meeting.
With these achievements, the CNP says it “consolidates its position in the mining innovation ecosystem, preparing for even greater opportunities in 2024 and positioning itself as a relevant promoter of new mining technologies.”