Chile’s state-owned copper group Codelco is the largest copper producer in the world. On Wednesday, August 17, the company announced that about one-third of its fleet will be powered by electric buses to reduce its environmental footprint in producing the metal.
Unveiling the new fleet at the flagship El Teniente mine, some seventy-six kilometers southeast of Chile’s capital Santiago, Environment Minister Maisa Rojas said the state-owned company’s decision should support the efforts of the entire sector.
“This change in a company as important as Codelco will contribute significantly to Chile’s ability to meet its (environmental) commitments,” she affirmed.
This year, the one hundred and fifty-five electric vehicles will transport workers in Chuquicamata (forty-five buses), El Teniente (one hundred and three buses), and Andina (seven buses), the company said.
They also informed that the contracts for the Salvador, Radomiro Tomic, and Ventanas areas are currently being tendered.
Codelco aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by seventy percent by 2030 and achieve decarbonization by 2050, which is in line with the targets set by the Chilean government in recent years. Some of the buses come from the local company Reborn Electric Motor, which plans to produce about two hundred units annually.
With information from Latina Press