Tailor-made energy for a copper mine in the Atacama Desert

GEN2200HC, grupo electrógeno para planta de cogeneración

We supply generator sets for mining.

Chile is a treasure trove. The world’s largest copper reserves are found in Chile: 27% of the world’s entire production comes from here and last year alone more than five million metric tonnes of this precious mineral were mined. Copper revolutionised the history of humanity 10,000 years ago and is now a strategic raw material alongside lithium, cobalt, zinc and lead, as copper is needed to make the energy and digital transition.

Why is it so important? Because it is omnipresent in industry and renewable energies largely depend on it.

The secrets of Copper

Copper is a perfect electrical conductor and is part of many products that are ubiquitous in our daily lives. Copper is found in air conditioners, microchips, mobile phones etc… It is vital in solar and wind farms, as well as in the alternators used in generator sets.

The Chilean city of Calama, with a population of about 120,000, is not only known as the gateway to the Atacama Desert, but also considered the capital of copper mining. Genesal Energy has designed two emergency units for two facilities of a large mining company, just a few kilometres from Calama.

Location:
CHILE
Supply:
2 x GEN200YI
Customer’s need:
Max reliability gensets including a fire detection & extinguishing system assuring autonomous and safe operation.

Context

The challenge was to provide emergency power to these mining facilities, which must always have generators. Mines are often located in remote areas or locations where access to the power grid is limited. Notwithstanding, they operate up to 24 hours a day. This high level of activity can lead to safety failures with highly serious or unpredictable results.

Our Engineered Solution

A tailor-made canopy housing the entire fire extinguishing system in an integrated way, both the control centre and the extinguishing devices, to deal with any outbreak of fire in seconds.

Each genset was equipped with motorised louvers to seal off the cabin in the event of the fire extinguishing system being triggered.

As this is a desert location, the equipment is fitted with washable dust filters to keep it in optimum operating condition even during sandstorms.