The BHP group, has signed a deal with Caterpillar and its dealer Finning, to replace its entire haul truck fleet at the Escondida copper mine in the Antofagasta Region, northern Chile.
The Caterpillar 798 AC electric drive trucks will be deployed at the mine. The trucks will feature technology which will provide improvements in efficiency, safety and reliability and generate a positive impact in key initiatives, like decarbonization, autonomous technologies and the development of local capabilities.
“It will allow us to generate significant efficiencies at the operational level, but it is also in line with some of the main challenges that drive us as a company: innovation for the future of mining, decarbonization, and development of capabilities in Antofagasta´s community,” James Whittaker, president of Escondida-BHP, said. “We have great expectations regarding the benefits that will be generated in the short and long term for both the company and the Antofagasta region.”
The deliveries of the first trucks are expected in the second half of 2023 and the remaining trucks will be delivered over the next decade. The entire fleet comprises more than 160 haul trucks. Finning´s Integrated Knowledge Center, located in Antofagasta will provide technical support for the fleet.
The fleet will also be transitioned to technology facilitating autonomous operation.
“The Caterpillar team is excited to support the successful deployment of machines and technology that will facilitate a step-function improvement in BHP’s operational excellence. We applaud BHP as this mine site transformation accelerates the delivery of their aggressive sustainability targets,” said Denise Johnson, group president Resource Industries, Caterpillar Inc.
