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In the Vale project, called “Sol do Cerrado”, approximately US$500 million was invested to implement the project in Minas Gerais
The mining company Vale chose the Nexttracker to provide its bifacial solar trackers, optimized with artificial intelligence for the solar energy project, called “Sol de Cerrado”, in the state of Minas Gerais. The 766 megawatt (MWp) solar power complex, which will be one of the largest in Brazil, will help power Vale's mining operations in the Jaíba area of Minas Gerais and will be interconnected to the regional transmission grid. See also: Mineradora Vale has almost 150 open job opportunities throughout Brazil
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Investments by the mining company Vale in the solar energy project
The “Sol do Cerrado” project, announced in December last year, received investments of US$ 500 million and will play an important role in Vale's efforts to achieve its corporate sustainability goals. When in operation, the solar energy project will supply 13% of the mining company's total energy needs in Brazil and offset GHG Protocol Scope 2 emissions by up to 136.407 tons of CO2 per year. Vale plans to produce 100% of the energy needed by its Brazilian operations by 2025, and achieve carbon neutrality in its global footprint by 2050.
According to Marco Braga, director of Global Purchasing at Vale, the mining company's decision was based on the proven performance of Nexttracker after a complete process of due diligence. Marco also says that they are very confident in Nexttracker's experience and in the reliability of its products to support Vale in solving the challenges of this important solar energy project in Minas Gerais.
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Mining sector acquires more and more renewable energies
Alejo Lopez, Nexttracker's vice president of sales for Latin America, says that the Vale Sol de Cerrado project in Minas Gerais is yet another example of how the mining industry is embracing renewable energies (such as solar energy, electrification of trucks) as a reliable source of generation for power operations and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions.
Lopez also points out that they hope to work closely with Vale and deploy the smart solar energy trackers and software to maximize plant performance while minimizing operating costs over the plant's 30-year lifespan.
Read also: BHP, Rio Tinto and Vale want to develop electrical solutions for trucks used in mines
The three largest mining companies in the world BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Vale informed, last Thursday (13/05), in a global teleconference for entrepreneurs, suppliers and start-ups, that they intend to develop solutions for the electrification of large trucks used in mines. The miners explained, in a joint statement, that the objective is to provide a solution that not only improves the safety and efficiency of battery production, but also replaces diesel with batteries, significantly reducing emissions during operations.
This plan by the biggest miners comes at a time when base metals are becoming increasingly important as an important raw material for battery production. The Charge On Innovation Challenge, as the program by mining companies Vale, BHP and Rio Tinto was called, aims to generate solutions to replace diesel with batteries in large trucks.
