Chilean iron ore miner Compania Minera del Pacífico (CMP) together with ENGIE Chile have signed an alliance that they say represents a major step in the decarbonisation of mining: the first pilot of haul trucks in Chile powered by natural gas in the form of LNG. The project contemplates the modification of two trucks, over a period of six months, from a diesel combustion system to a dual fuel system, which will be mostly operated with natural gas. The truck type was not given but an accompanying image showed a Caterpillar 793F which is the main truck type used at the operation.
With this technological innovation, the trucks will see reduced CO2 emissions by between 20 and 25% and PM emissions by more than 30%, maintaining their current performance, and it will also mean economic savings for the mining operation. There is already international dual fuel mining truck experience – mines in Mexico, Turkey, Russia, Australia, USA, Canada, among others – that have showed the same results.
“This piloting is key in the process of changing to cleaner energies. The hydrogen route is not yet available, so we will incorporate LNG and while we reduce our impact, we will learn to operate with gaseous fuels. We believe that we are on the right path, taking concrete steps towards decarbonisation,” said Claudia Monreal, Deputy Manager of CMP Development. To arrive at the plan, CMP worked for a year researching different motor conversion solutions. Finally, a laboratory test was carried out on a mining truck engine that allowed validation of the expected results in terms of performance, which marked the initial catalyst to be able to offer this type of solution to mining.
“This project marks a milestone for mining in Chile and is a concrete action that demonstrates the commitment of both ENGIE Chile and CMP to decarbonisation. In addition, it is in line with our purpose of acting to accelerate a carbon-neutral economy with mature technological solutions available today, economically competitive, and that leverage the fulfillment of the goals proposed by Chile regarding climate change in its Level Determined Contribution. National (NDC) to 2030,” explained Andrés Peragallo, Gas Product Manager of ENGIE Chile.
The pilot project – which will be carried out at CMP’s Los Colorados mine located in the Atacama region – is in a first stage of development and implementation that includes the importation of the necessary equipment, the conversion of the trucks to dual fuel, the implementation of the LNG refuelling station on site and, finally, the formalisation of this initiative before the Superintendency of Electricity and Fuels (SEC). With an eye on the expected results, this technological innovation could not only be applied to the entire fleet of CMP mining extraction trucks and other support equipment, but also to other medium and large mining sites in Chile.
