Scandinavian miners bringing sustainable technologies to Chile

In the coming days, a delegation of government authorities and key mining companies from Sweden and Finland will arrive in Chile to present technologies aimed at decarbonizing the local mining industry and strengthening existing bilateral agreements.

“Sweden and Finland are two of the seven mining countries within the European Union. Finland is the EU’s only producer of cobalt, which makes it a key player in internal supply,” Patricio Sazo, CEO and founder of the global consultancy Latnord, told BNamericas.

The two Nordic countries are also important copper producers in the EU.

On October 22, Latnord will host a seminar in Chile's capital focused on sustainable mining, where Swedish and Finnish mining companies will showcase innovations. The event will also highlight the progress of two agreements for mining development.

In September last year, Chile’s production promotion agency Corfo signed an MOU with Finland’s VTT technology center to create synergies between the private sector and academia for the joint development of sustainable innovations and to advance the decarbonization of the mining sector.

In 2020, Chilean state copper company Codelco signed another MOU with the Swedish Mining Innovation (SMI) cluster, which includes partners such as ABB, Epiroc, Boliden, and Sandvik, aimed at promoting optimization, efficiency and the use of electric equipment.

The SMI is backed by the Swedish Energy Agency, which is equivalent to Chile’s energy ministry.

Sazo expects that ties between these countries and Chile will strengthen significantly in the coming years, noting, “There is a lot of technological development in the Nordic countries that offers solutions for Chilean mining challenges, such as the trolley assist systems from Boliden, which are already operating in their Aitik copper mine in Sweden and Kevitsa in Finland.”

“Boliden began piloting these systems in 2018, seeking a solution to the electrification of transport, which is one of the biggest challenges for decarbonization of mining. About 80% of emissions in mines come from CAEX trucks,” Sazo said.

The pilot project was conducted in collaboration with Caterpillar and concluded in 2020. Currently, the trolley system operates in Aitik with two lines – one in the dump area and another in the open pit, Sazo added.

Similarly, Chilean company Antofagasta Minerals is developing a pilot plan to implement the trolley system in its CAEX trucks at Minera Los Pelambres, aiming to replace diesel with electric power to reduce emissions. Antofagasta estimates that the new trolley system will begin operations in the first half of 2025.

Besides its successful application in underground mines, another benefit of the trolleys is increased speed. Sazo highlighted that, at Aitik, the system doubled the transportation speeds achievable with diesel to 30km/h. "Aitik is now the most efficient and productive copper mine in the world in terms of man-hours."

The upcoming Latnord seminar will feature experts from Codelco, BHP, Glencore, Anglo American and other major companies. According to Sazo, the event will foster networking opportunities and open doors for local startups, as European companies are eager to learn about advances in Chilean mining automation and remote operation centers.