Fundación Chile seeks technological solutions for mining safety

Technology transfer foundation Fundación Chile's Expande initiative has been receiving proposals to reinforce mining safety from SQM, Glencore, Collahuasi, Codelco, Anglo American and Antofagasta Minerals. 

The Safety Tech Mining Challenge, which is being carried out in partnership with Chile’s geology and mining service Sernageomin and is sponsored by the mining ministry, is open to companies, startups, research centers and other entities, both local and international.

The proposals that began to be collected in September must provide a solution for one of these challenges:

• Safety against fires in large mobile equipment
• Safety in maintenance tasks of mills and conveyor belts
• Safety in tailings dam bathymetry
• Monitoring of structures in mining plants and facilities
• Control and monitoring of personnel in industrial areas

Solutions must have a maturity level of TRL 5 or higher, that is, the prototypes must have at least been tested in a complex environment. The deadline for sending proposals is Wednesday.

Óscar Concha, technology manager at Expande, told BNamericas they have received around 100 innovations from suppliers in countries such as Canada, Australia, the United States, South Africa and China.

Finalists will be able to present their ideas at the Demo Day technology fair on November 28, as well as participate in networking sessions with mining companies and other industry players.

Concha praised the supervision carried out by Sernageomin and the ministry on compliance with safety regulations and the actions of companies in implementing management systems, fomenting culture and new technologies. This has allowed the Chilean mining industry to be above other jurisdictions in Latin America and elsewhere in the world in terms of safety, he said.

"Between 2010 and 2023, the fatality rate decreased by 83%, reaching a level better than mining countries such as Peru or Canada," Concha said, adding that more needs to be done.

"Last year, 13 fatal accidents were reported, which indicates the urgency of continuing to advance and innovate with the adoption of new processes and technologies to achieve the goal of zero fatalities."

A key aspect is the piloting of prototypes. "There is an innovation ecosystem that facilitates the piloting of technological solutions in controlled and real environments, and in direct connection with mining companies," Concha said.

However, limited access to financing for entrepreneurs to develop and scale their technologies remains an obstacle. For this reason, it is key to continue to coordinate joint work between the public, private and academic sectors, as well as to promote a culture of innovation, he said.

The Expande initiative was created more than seven years ago to lead open innovation processes that promote more efficient and sustainable mining.

Other challenges can be found at  https://expandemineria.cl/desafios/