According to the company’s website press release on February 6, 2023, the mining market in Brazil is considered one of the most important in the world, with emphasis on the iron mining sector. Other important minerals include manganese, bauxite, nickel and gold. The country is also one of the largest producers of high-tech minerals such as niobium and tantalite. However, mining in Brazil faces regulatory, social and environmental challenges.
The environmental challenge has become more evident in recent years, generating a more rigid posture by mining companies, which still have a lot of work to do in terms of decommissioning dams raised upstream. In addition to profound changes in the regulatory field related to this management and operation, the ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) has made environmental, social and governance responsibility a priority.
There is a very strong trend in the market to reduce the emission of pollutants. SANY, always attentive to trends and innovations, has been investing heavily in research and development of electrical equipment. The company currently have a vast variety of electrical equipment under development, homologation and even in operation, says Thiago Brion, Commercial Manager at SANY do Brasil.
The SANY SKT90E Off-Highway trucks, for example, use state-of-the-art lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. These vehicles transport 60 tonnes of payload, and their autonomy varies according to the type of application: when the load is transported from the highest level to the lowest, the energy regeneration system contributes a lot to an even longer autonomy, reaching to situations where the vehicle is capable of operating for days without needing to recharge the battery, explains Fabiano Rezende, Engineer responsible for the brand's electrical equipment in Brazil.
Last year, one of the bigest mining companies in Brazl, which has one of the largest open pit mining complexes, is developing a new and extremely important project for the continuity and evolution of the Brazilian mining market started the project with electric trucks from SANY, SKT90E.We started operating the first SKT90E in Brazil in the second half of 2022. Despite being a technical analysis still under development, we can already see a considerable reduction in operating costs, given the better efficiency of the electrical system compared to internal combustion engines, boosted by the cost of electricity compared to the cost of diesel. In addition, there is a potential increase in productivity, as the electric vehicle has proven to be faster than its diesel counterpart, reducing load displacement time - Fabiano Rezende, Engineering team.
In an interview for ROTA DIGITAL NEWS, CSN's director of sustainability, Helena Brennand Guerra said, “We are very happy with this partnership, which demonstrates yet another important action aligned with innovation and sustainability. CSN Mineração already stands out for all its pioneering movement, having been the first in the country to implement technology for filtering and stacking tailings, operating independently of the use of dams, which are currently in the process of being de-characterized. We spare no effort to rely on ever more state-of-the-art technology in our operations, including initiatives already mastered abroad by companies and their partners to contribute to the decarbonization process and digital transformation in our operations”, celebrates Helena.
Without a doubt, it is a path of no return. All major companies in the mining sector are engaged in ESG-related actions. The carbon emission reduction policy is a reality and the use of electrical equipment only has to contribute. The existing obstacles are completely circumventable, especially when dealing with controlled and restricted environments such as those of a mining company. They concern the infrastructure needed to receive the equipment, such as tools and professionals with specific knowledge to perform maintenance on them, installation and operation of battery chargers which, as they provide fast charging, involve more robust electrical installations - Thiago Brion, Commercial Manager at SANY from Brazil.
