Codelco & CEA-Liten collaborate to boost underground fleet electrification
Codelco and the CEA-Liten institute have signed a collaboration agreement to study and develop technologies that enable the electrification of equipment in underground mining operations, a milestone that marks a new advance in the state-owned company’s commitment to the decarbonisation of its production processes and cutting-edge technological innovation.
The Liten (Laboratory for Innovation in New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials) is part of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). Based in Grenoble, France, it is one of Europe’s leading research centres for energy storage technologies, electromobility, and the energy transition. Furthermore, it is the technology centre that has registered the most patents related to lithium batteries in the last 20 years, consolidating its leading position globally.
The initiative with Codelco involves several complementary lines of work, notably the development and preparation of technical specifications, technological maturity assessments, and technical-economic parameters for the main available solutions. This will allow for the simulation and modelling of electrification scenarios for mining fleets under different operational conditions and the performance of comprehensive battery tests at CEA-Liten’s facilities. Ultimately, the results of this work will inform a plan for future research and development projects, which could lead to a long-term strategic alliance between the two organisations.
The one-year project will be co-financed by Codelco and the French government through the FASEP fund (Fund for Studies and Assistance to the Private Sector), an instrument designed to promote the transfer of sustainable technologies to strategic markets. The University of Chile is also participating through the AMTC (Advanced Mining Technology Center) and the CASE (Center for Sustainable Acceleration of Electromobility), contributing its academic expertise in the field. Meanwhile, the French manufacturer WattAlps will design and supply the batteries that will be tested at the CEA-Liten facilities.
This collaboration aligns with and strengthens Codelco’s strategy of building relationships with international centres of excellence to enhance its innovation capabilities and decisively advance towards more sustainable, efficient, and safe operations. The electrification of the underground equipment fleet is a key element of the Corporation’s decarbonisation roadmap, with a direct impact on emissions reduction, but also on safety: the use of electric vehicles means less exposure of people to risky environments by reducing maintenance tasks and times, and eliminating the logistics associated with the use and refuelling of fossil fuels.
The agreement was formalised at a meeting at Codelco’s headquarters in Santiago, which included a visit to the Codelco HUB’s state-of-the-art control and monitoring centre. Attendees included leaders from the Corporation, representatives from CEA-Liten and academia, and the French Ambassador to Chile, Cyrille Rogeau.
“At Codelco, we understand innovation as a sustained and collaborative effort that connects Chile with the world. Beyond accessing cutting-edge technologies, we seek to develop frontier knowledge in partnership with centres of excellence, universities, and industry, because the challenges of the future of mining are complex enough to be faced alone. With alliances like this, we are accelerating the Chilean industry’s transition toward sustainable, safe, and globally competitive mining,” commented Felipe Lagno, Corporate Manager of Innovation and Technology at the state-owned company.
“This alliance marks a new stage in Franco-Chilean cooperation in support of the global energy transition. Thanks to CEA-Liten and its industrial ecosystem, all of France’s excellence in research and innovation is being put at the service of Codelco and Chile to meet the challenge of decarbonising the mining sector,” stated Rogeau.
He added: “As the representative of the French State in Chile, I am even more proud that this project has the support of a FASEP grant from the French Ministry of Finance, intended to promote French green and innovative technologies internationally. I am convinced that this project will deepen the existing cooperation between French stakeholders and Codelco, strengthening the exchange of knowledge, innovation, and technologies for a more sustainable and decarbonised mining sector.”
For his part, Robin Hervé, CEA-Liten’s representative in Chile, emphasised: “Codelco is the global leader in underground mining, and CEA-Liten is the institute with the most lithium-ion battery patents worldwide. This alliance combines the best of both worlds to ensure the successful deployment of these technologies in Codelco’s mines and thus accelerate the decarbonisation of copper. Electrifying underground trucks is a historic transformational milestone for the company. The major challenge today is mitigating the uncertainty surrounding the lithium-ion batteries that will power this equipment, and that is where we contribute our technological capabilities to support and facilitate this transformation.”
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