Terminal Graneles del Norte (TGN) successfully completed its first trial shipment of copper concentrate, an important milestone in its expansion project. In this operation, 10,800 t of Codelco’s calcine were loaded onto a Handymax vessel, showcasing the terminal’s ability to handle the increasing demand for copper concentrate.
TGN Port is located in Mejillones Bay at the heart of Chile’s mining region some 60 km north of Antofagasta. It has a strategic location, close to the most important copper district in the world, which contains world famous mineral deposits.
The project includes the construction of a new berthing site with full automated handling equipment for receiving, storage container staking, transport and ship loading of copper concentrate.
Empresa Constuctora Belfi SA, is the construction company that chose Bedeschi as one of the suppliers for the new project. The company designed and supplied three belt feeders designed to receive copper concentrate from rotating containers, an underground conveyor of approximately 400 m length in the storage yard and a pipe conveyor of approximately 950 m to connect the storage yard overland conveyor to the dock facility.
The most innovative aspect of this expansion Bedeschi states is the integration of automation technology, enabling minimal human-machine interaction. The entire process runs on renewable electric power, reinforcing the company’s dedication to sustainability and its efforts to lower its carbon footprint.
Bedeschi says it has a green product portfolio of modern and eco-friendly solutions designed to minimise impacts in terms of noise, dust emissions, material dispersion etc which meet the strictest environmental standards. In fact, the pipe conveyor was chosen to guarantee the handling of copper concentrate from the storage to the ship without any dispersion of material in the surrounding area to avoid environmental pollution.
It adds: “The first shipment test not only validated the system’s operability, but also affirmed the project’s high standards of safety, efficiency, and sustainability.” The TGN Port expansion is set to begin operations in January 2025, with an annual capacity of 4 Mt.
