Two projects to get $3.5 million
Local MPPs have announced a $3.5-million investment in two projects that are helping to green the mining industry.
FVT Research, a manufacturer of battery-electric drive systems, will receive $2 million for “the design, development and testing of a 14-ton battery-electric vehicle for underground mining activities,” according to a release.
“This project will convert one of the largest pieces of underground mining equipment from diesel to battery power.”
The Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation, meanwhile, is getting $1.5 million to develop a natural heat exchange system, using fractured rocks, which would improve air delivery in deep underground mines.
Both projects are funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Growth Program, which invests in clean technology research and development projects in Canada’s energy, mining and forest sectors.
Mike Commito, left, director of Applied Research at Cambrian College, Nickel Belt MP Marc Serre, Jennifer Abols, president and CEO of MIRARCO, Todd Pratt, of FVT Research, Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre and Bill Best, president of Cambrian College, were on hand for a funding announcement for the mining industry at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ont. on Tuesday February 11, 2020. John Lappa/Sudbury Star