FERBASA’s first Cat R2900XE in Brazil: ventilation and fleet notes for mine planners
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
Brazilian chromite and ferroalloys producer FERBASA has taken delivery of Brazil’s first Caterpillar R2900XE diesel-electric LHD for its Ipueira underground operation, part of the Campo Formoso–Andorinha mining complex in Bahia state. The 15 t-class R2900XE, which combines a diesel engine with electric drive and regenerative braking, is expected to cut fuel burn and heat load compared with conventional mechanical-drive loaders in FERBASA’s narrow-vein chromite stopes. For mine planners and maintenance teams, the move signals growing interest in high-efficiency, lower-ventilation-load fleets in deep Brazilian underground mines.
Technical Brief
- Diesel-electric drivetrain uses an onboard engine driving generators feeding electric wheel motors.
- Regenerative braking converts downhill retardation into electrical energy, reducing friction brake use and wear.
- Electric drive allows finer torque control at low speed, improving tramming on steep or uneven footwalls.
- Lower mechanical drivetrain complexity (no torque converter, fewer gear sets) typically reduces drivetrain maintenance hours.
- Reduced heat rejection from the electric drive can enable lower ventilation airflows in constrained headings.
Our Take
Caterpillar’s delivery of the R2900XE to FERBASA in Bahia lines up with its broader electrification push seen in recent coverage of battery‑electric and trolley‑assist haul truck trials, signalling that Brazil’s underground chromite segment is now part of the same early‑adopter cohort as large open‑pit operators.
Within our mining database, chromite appears far less frequently than iron ore or copper, so FERBASA’s move at Campo Formoso, Andorinha and Ipueira suggests that even niche ferroalloy supply chains are starting to treat low‑emission loading fleets as a competitive differentiator rather than a purely regulatory response.
Caterpillar’s recent acquisition of RPMGlobal, noted in another related piece, raises the prospect that future optimisation of FERBASA’s Bahia operations could integrate OEM‑supplied planning and simulation tools with the performance data from the R2900XE, tightening the link between equipment selection and mine design for underground chromite orebodies.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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