Chile Launches Mine Electrification Research Project
en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 23, the University of Chile announced the launch of a three-year project titled "Mine Electrification: Rethinking Mine Design and Operations for Sustainable Development," jointly undertaken by its Center for Accelerating Sustainable Electrification (CASE) and the Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC). Funded by M.C. Inversiones Limitada (MCI), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, the project involves Codelco and Antofagasta Minerals as industry partners and will conduct applied research on mine electrification and operational decarbonization.
The project focuses on four areas: mine design, power infrastructure, fleet electrification, and energy management. The power infrastructure research will examine the power supply conditions and associated planning required for connecting electric mining equipment to the grid, while the energy management research will focus on coordinating equipment operations with energy demand. The research will cover both open-pit and underground mines as well as the practical operational requirements of mines of different scales, and will comprehensively assess the interrelationships among mine layout, fleet operations, and power systems.
The project does not simply aim to replace diesel equipment with electric equipment, but rather to evaluate electrification solutions from the perspective of overall mine design and operations. Marcos Orchard, Director of CASE, noted that mine electrification requires simultaneous consideration of mine design, fleet operations, power infrastructure planning, and energy management, and that tools will be developed to support companies in evaluating different technology options and their operational performance.
Through applied research, decision-support tool development, and professional capacity building, the project will produce methodologies and tools that can be promoted to mining companies. Codelco and Antofagasta Minerals will provide practical operating experience and participate in the development and validation of solutions; the research results will be used to support mine planning and electrification decisions and to facilitate the translation of research outcomes into real production scenarios.
The project was officially launched on October 23, 2026, with the cooperation agreement signed by the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the University of Chile and MCI. MCI is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation that manages mineral resource development operations in Latin America, with business interests in copper and iron ore. The specific funding scale of the project and subsequent investment in power infrastructure construction have not yet been disclosed.
