Press-centre

9 april 2024

The first to see the new eco-dump trucks were more than 160 representatives of BELAZ’s key partners from the CIS countries and Asia, who participated on April 11 in a traditional international conference, the theme of which this year was “Electrification of mining transport.”

The presentation of the latest models of mining dump trucks powered by alternative energy sources, which expanded the BELAZ family of eco-dump trucks, took place at the factory test site. For the first time, two newest products were demonstrated to the audience at once - the 100% electric 120-tonne dump truck BELAZ-7513E and the 130-tonne gas-powered BELAZ-7513R.

Following the 90-ton electric pioneer BELAZ-7558E, the company has created another perspective model of a battery-powered mining dump truck - BELAZ-7513E with a payload load capacity of 120 tons.

The energy source for the electric giant is 26 lithium-ion batteries with a total capacity over 1,500 kW. BELAZ-7513E has an energy recovery system, which makes it possible to replenish energy reserves when braking on descents. Calculations show that the new electric-powered BELAZ will be even more efficient in its efficiency than the diesel version of the 130-ton BELAZ-7513 series dump truck, which is popular in quarries, primarily due to the difference in the cost of electricity and diesel fuel.

The use of electric quarry equipment will reduce operating costs and improve the environmental situation in heavily polluted quarries. The “green” 120-ton dump truck BELAZ-7513E has zero emissions into the atmosphere.

Another perspective dump truck is the BELAZ-7513R, which runs on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The world's first gas mining dump truck with a payload capacity of 130 tons combines high power and fuel efficiency, environmental friendliness, productivity, reliability and the maximum level of operator safety and comfort.

The dump truck is equipped with a modern gas engine with a power of 1,194 kW. This power unit, unlike a diesel engine, requires less maintenance and has a longer service life. Also it allows the consumer to significantly save on fuel, since the cost of gas is lower compared to the price of diesel fuel.

Another significant advantage of a 130-tonne LNG dump truck is that it is more environmentally friendly than its diesel counterpart, since significantly less harmful emissions are released into the atmosphere when natural gas is burned.

After the presentation of BELAZ eco-products, conference participants discussed trends in the development of the mining industry, prospects for the electrification of mining equipment and further areas of cooperation in this area at the enterprise’s Palace of Culture. Leading experts, heads of partner companies and BELAZ top managers shared their vision of using “green” technologies in quarry equipment.

– The main advantage of these dump trucks is the ability to use braking energy, the so-called recovery system,” noted Sergei Lesin, General Director of OJSC «BELAZ». – Usual dump trucks don’t have this option. There are storage devices here that can return the energy that is generated when the car slows down or brakes. This is the key feature. Here we can get savings on fuel consumption if we are talking about a diesel hybrid, or we can get savings on electricity if we have a pure battery dump truck.

During the discussion and exchange of views, conference participants were able to receive detailed answers to all pressing practical questions. It was especially emphasized that the electrification of quarry transport and advanced technologies based on the use of alternative energy sources are now acquiring important strategic importance for the mining industry. Emphasis is placed on the growing interest in the electrification of quarry equipment fr om companies seeking to improve mining safety, reduce the impact of emissions on the environment and improve the environmental situation in quarries.

– This conference is a good opportunity to meet with partners, colleagues, share news, discuss existing difficulties and ways to solve them. We will try to look into the future of transport technologies for mining enterprises. Of course, none of us can say with confidence how this future will look like in a year or two, but we will try to create it through joint efforts,” summed up Sergei Lesin.

For BELAZ, innovation is not only about producing the most powerful and reliable mining dump trucks in the world. Every new project and development of the company embodies the desire not only to keep abreast of current trends in the evolution of quarry transport, but also to anticipate the future, wh ere technology pursues not only economic goals, but also concern for the environment, ensuring the safety and comfort of people.