Miner Codelco said it has implemented a transition for its Salvador Division that implements smart bus stops and converts all of its worker and contractor bus fleet to electric.
The company said the 30 buses are in addition to the 155 it already operates at the El Teniente, Chuquicamata and Andina complexes.
The move is at the center of the miner’s “Electromobility for El Salvador” program, which it rolled out this week alongside Undersecretary of Mining Suina Chahuán and Codelco Executive President Rubén Alvarado.
The inauguration of the smart bus stops, the second element of the program, are located in various parts of the city, and were built in structure and in seats with recycled materials and are supplied with solar energy. They are equipped with security cameras and have two information screens, on which news of the camp and live information on the route of the buses are broadcast as they transport Codelco workers. The company noted it is one of the few mining companies in the industry to apply this type of measure.
El Salvador’s program is part of Codelco’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, an objective that has led the company to form the largest mining fleet of electric buses in the national mining industry.
“Milestones like this manage to reconcile fundamental values: we lowered emissions, we developed smart bus stops with a circular economy, we integrated Codelco personnel and contractors; all on the basis of collaboration with the companies we work with,” said Alvarado.
The new transport units were manufactured by the Chinese company Yutong and have wide spaces between seats, belts with alarms, three TV screens and several internal cameras, which allow better viewing for drivers.
Christian Toutin, general manager of Codelco Salvador, said: “This project seeks to value the new mining that we want to develop, taking care of the environment and transforming our entire fleet to electric buses, with smart stops, mobile applications, but most importantly, integrating our own workers and those of collaborating companies, since we all seek the goal of a more humane and efficient mining.”
Source: Codelco