Green mining and electromobility take center stage at congress organized by Antofagasta Minerals, Enel X, and SQM

Published on Friday, 23 September 2022

Within the framework of the Extreme E electric car race:

  • The encounter brought together the country's top mining and energy companies and national and regional authorities, trade associations, and executives. The event addressed the objectives of sustainable mining, electromobility, and decarbonization of production processes, to maximize the economic and social benefits while minimizing the environmental impact.

 

Antofagasta, September 23, 2022-. "Green mining and electromobility, together for sustainable operations" was the name of the Great Mining encounter held at the Huanchaca Ruins in Antofagasta. The event aimed at placing the Antofagasta Region at the center of the energy plan. Topics included the mining industry's sustainable development, transport electrification, and decarbonizing the energy matrix by 2050.

The occasion ensued within the framework of the all-terrain electric car race, with gender equity competing in different extreme and remote parts of the world. This time they have chosen the Atacama Desert in the Antofagasta Region to accelerate the mass adoption of electromobility and combat the effects of climate change.

The initiative co-organized by Antofagasta Minerals, Enel X, and SQM, with the presence of the Minister of Mining, Marcela Hernando, brought together different national and regional players from the public and private sectors. Participants debated and reflected on the Antofagasta Region's sustainable development, the mining industry's challenges, electromobility, and the advancement toward the energy transition.

Alejandra Vial, Environment Manager for Antofagasta Minerals, a leading private Chilean mining group and one of the top 10 copper producers worldwide, said, "we are aware of the key role that copper plays in the fight against climate change. Its properties make it fundamental to the transition toward a new energy matrix. As an industry, we are faced with the challenge of increasing production and doing so sustainably. Our Mining Group has a Climate Change Strategy that includes electromobility. We believe that green mining is possible and are responsible for delivering the copper it needs to the world to build a better future."

Activities included presentations by top executives from organizing companies (Antofagasta Minerals, Enel X, and SQM). Also part of the event was a distinguished conversation panel formed by regional authorities, trade associations (national and local), and company executives who debated electromobility, mining, and regional planning.

“This encounter invites us to reflect and act on speeding our energy matrix's decarbonization while advancing towards electrifying one of the country's most important production sectors: mining. Enel X is already working as a strategic ally implementing energy efficiency solutions for the mining sector. Actions include electrifying the bus fleet for employee transport, high-tonnage vehicles for mine sites, electrical infrastructure development, and supporting the community with solar-powered systems for autonomous energy generation," says Karla Zapata, CEO of Enel X.

Once the seminar ended, authorities and executives toured the Electromobility display located on the terrace of the Huanchaca Ruins.

At the site, there was an exhibition of electric buses, high-tonnage electric mining trucks, and Enel X Way's different charging station models. Enel's new line of business is dedicated exclusively to electromobility and the all-terrain electric prototype car for Extreme E, similar to those that will race through the Atacama Desert.

Rodrigo Jasen, Logistics Manager for SQM, presented the company's experience implementing the first 100% electric mining truck in its operations, which is added to the largest and most diverse electric fleet in the Chilean mining industry and considers the incorporation of 34 more vehicles of this type. “At SQM, we believe that sustainability, efficiency, and productivity are not exclusive and can be managed jointly to advance towards carbon neutrality, a goal we have projected for all our product lines by 2040.”

Sustainable and green mining is here to stay. The Antofagasta Region has been a pioneer in implementing technology that drives operational sustainability, working decisively to achieve carbon neutrality across all its processes.

EXTREME E

Extreme E is the most extreme electric car race in the world. The competition will be held this Saturday and Sunday in the Atacama Desert, near Sierra Gorda. This race covers the most remote areas in the world to raise awareness of the impact of climate change. The competition comes to Chile thanks to Antofagasta Minerals as its main sponsor and Enel X Way as a Global Partner and leading provider of charging infrastructure worldwide.

Extreme E features a unique vehicle, using a competition format similar to Formula E. All teams are equipped with the Odyssey 21, an electric SUV modified to address off-road racing challenges, developed and introduced by Spark Racing Technology in 2019. Since then, it has been tested in different extreme natural environments.

The Huanchaca Ruins was the exhibition spot for the all-terrain electric prototype competing in Extreme E. The car measurements reach 4.4 meters long, 2.3 meters wide, and 1.8 meters tall. The Extreme E competition car can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and reach maximum speeds of 200 km/h.