Komatsu Partners with Mining Giants on Zero Emissions Mining Equipment Solutions
Japan-based mining equipment company Komatsu announced the launch of the Komatsu Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Alliance, a collaboration with leading mining companies, including founding members Rio Tinto, BHP, Codelco and Boliden, aimed at accelerating the development of the next generation of zero-emission mining equipment and infrastructure.
Masayuki Moriyama, President of Komatsu’s Mining Business Division, said:
“We are honored that our customers, several of the largest mining companies in the world, have agreed to participate in the Komatsu GHG Alliance and work in partnership with us to develop sustainable solutions for mining. We look forward to close collaboration with these industry leaders to accelerate development and deployment of the next level of equipment designed to reduce greenhouse gases from mining operations and ultimately achieve the goal of zero-emission mining.”
According to Komatsu, the partners in the alliance will collaborate with the company on product planning, development, testing and deployment, with an initial focus on Komatsu’s power agnostic truck concept for a haulage vehicle that can run on a variety of power sources including diesel electric, electric, trolley (wired), battery power and even hydrogen fuel cells.
Commenting on the new partnership, Rio Tinto’s Chief Commercial Officer Alf Barrios said:
“We know that addressing climate change effectively requires businesses, governments and society to work together. Our collaboration with Komatsu recognises the role zero-emission haul trucks will play in meeting the emission reduction goals of not only Rio Tinto, but the entire mining industry.”
Rio Tinto also said that it has secured the option to purchase some of the first trucks from Komatsu once they are commercially viable.