Belaz ships first batch of 130-tonne LNG dump trucks to Kuzbass

MINSK. Oct 30 (Interfax) - Belarusian mining dump truck manufacturer Belaz has announced the shipment of the first batch of 130-tonne liquefied natural gas (LNG) dump trucks, the company's press service said.

"Fifteen Belaz-7513R mining dump trucks of the flagship 130-tonne payload class, running on liquefied natural gas as fuel, will be sent to coal mines in the Kemerovo region in October-December," the press service said.

The test results of a Belaz-7513R prototype confirm the efficiency of the equipment running on LNG, the company said.

"The total mileage of the innovative machine has exceeded 250,000 km, the gas engine's operating time is more than 16,000 engine hours, more than 1 million tonnes of rock mass have been hauled, and the reliability and efficiency of the LNG technology have been confirmed," the press service said.

Tests of the prototype machine were previously carried out at a coal mine in Kuzbass.

The dump trucks are equipped with a 1,194 kW (1,600 hp) gas piston engine. According to calculations cited by Belaz, savings from the difference in fuel cost for LNG amount to around 20 million rubles per year per unit of equipment.

Belaz is one of the world's largest manufacturers of mining dump trucks and transport equipment for the mining and construction industries. Before the introduction of Western sanctions, the plant held around 30% of the global market for extra-heavy-duty mining dump trucks.