Belarusian heavy equipment manufacturer BelAZ and Russian mining and metals company Norilsk Nickel have joined forces to develop environmentally friendly transport. The partners plan to produce battery-powered mining dump trucks and also introduce a hydrogen fuel model.
At the Innoprom-2025 forum in Yekaterinburg, BelAZ Deputy Chief Designer M. Rak announced the strategic cooperation with Norilsk Nickel. The companies, together with lithium-ion battery manufacturer Renera (part of Rosatom), will create dump trucks with electric motors. This will reduce emissions from quarries and reduce dependence on diesel fuel.
In parallel, BelAZ is developing a hydrogen dump truck. The first prototype of a truck for transporting rock mass is planned to be tested in 2025. The technology has already been tested at the enterprise’s test site.
BelAZ, the world leader in the production of mining dump trucks, relies on environmentally friendly solutions. Before the sanctions, the company occupied a third of the world market for heavy-duty equipment. Among its records is the production of the world’s largest dump truck with a lifting capacity of 450 tons.
New projects with Norilsk Nickel will strengthen BelAZ’s position in the era of energy transition. Hydrogen and battery models can become an alternative to traditional technology, especially in the face of stricter environmental regulations.
The cooperation between BelAZ and Norilsk Nickel opens up new opportunities for the mining industry. The introduction of environmentally friendly transport will allow companies to reduce their carbon footprint and comply with global trends in sustainable development. It is expected that the first samples of new dump trucks will appear in the coming years.
The material was prepared with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science as part of the Decade of Science and Technology
Source: neftegaz.ru
