Energyst wins three year Chilean mine contract

Energyst Cat Rental Power has won a three year contract to provide a 23 MW emergency power plant to the Escondida Mining Co for use at its Puerto Colosso facility close to Antofagasta in Chile.

Escondida Mining, which is partly owned by BHP Billiton, needs the power back-up because the existing power grid is not sufficient given the growing demand for power in support of operations at the nearby copper mine, which is the world’s largest.

“The mining industry has had our special attention for years and winning this tender proves to us again that our offered solutions are competitive and highly adequate”, said Gary Smith, chief executive officer of Energyst.

“We have demonstrated expertise in deploying large projects worldwide and by collaborating with Caterpillar we are able to provide reliable and creative high value solutions to our customers. We’re looking forward to working together with Escondida Mining Company and we are dedicated to get the job done”.

The customer has required high environmental standards for the power contract. For example, the level of nitrous oxide and sound produced has to be minimised because the power plant is close to Caleta Coloso, a small fishing village. Energyst is using the XQ2000 unit powered by a Cat G3516B heavy duty engine, with 75 dB(A) at 15 m and low in emissions.

Energyst is a pan-European company formed by Caterpillar and 10 of its European dealers. In addition to its services in Europe it provides power rental coverage worldwide by collaborating with local Cat dealers.