Belaz CEO: one of the strategic tasks is the introduction of unmanned vehicles for work in quarries

One of the strategic tasks is the successful introduction of unmanned vehicles for work in quarries. Plans with the correspondent sb.by shared General Director of OJSC "BELAZ" - the management company of the holding "BELAZ-HOLDING" Sergey Lesin.

Belaz is a flexible production. Each customer requirement, whether it is working at +60 °C or switching to alternative fuels, forms the basis of new design solutions. In addition, what today is an individual request of the client and in some ways exotic, often tomorrow becomes a standard, a familiar reality. Take at least the gas engine equipment. The request of Russian companies to reduce fuel costs and gas pollution of quarries led to the creation of dump trucks BELAZ-7558H, BELAZ-7513P and BELAZ-7530P, operating on liquefied natural gas, he said.

According to him, in response to environmental requirements and rising prices for diesel, BELAZ creates equipment on other alternative fuels, including a dump truck with a hybrid hydrogen-battery scheme of operation without a diesel engine on board:

- Today, one of our strategic tasks is the successful introduction of unmanned vehicles for work in quarries, in particular in extremely difficult conditions. Autonomous dump trucks with an intelligent control system operate without the participation of the operator, which increases safety and eliminates human errors.

This year, BELAZ presented the world’s first 220-ton dump truck on liquefied natural gas.

- Our new gas piston dump truck BELAZ-7530R is a truly significant event for the mining industry. The premiere of the 220-ton machine took place this summer at the international exhibition "Coal of Russia and Mining-2026" in Novokuznetsk. Now it is the most powerful dump truck in our line of equipment on liquefied natural gas, said Sergey Lesin.

There are two major innovations in this model.

- The first is its “heart”, a modern gas piston engine with a capacity of 2335 horsepower, which works in a single complex with traction electric drive and on-board electronics of control systems. The gas engine has the same power and torque indicators as the classic diesel engine, but significantly changes the economics of production in the direction of cheaper due to the lower cost of gas. At the same time, environmental indicators in quarries are improving due to a multiple reduction in the volume of toxic emissions. The second major innovation is the new generation cabin. We have invested a wealth of experience, knowledge and advanced technologies in creating a dump truck operator workplace, where comfort and safety are not just options, but the basis for high performance. We have improved ergonomics, guaranteeing the driver the most comfortable working conditions, he said.

At the same time, for all its innovativeness, BELAZ-7530R is based on the proven, ultra-reliable platform of the BELAZ-7530 series.

The general director said that the machine inherited all the qualities for which Belarusian equipment is valued all over the world: structural strength, high performance, safety, comfort and unpretentiousness in service:

- Thanks to two tanks with a total capacity of 3850 liters, the dump truck is guaranteed to work out a 12-hour working shift without refueling. We see the future behind this technology. According to our estimates, up to 30 percent of the fleet of cars we produce will eventually be equipped with gas-piston engines. The next step is pilot-industrial testing of the new products, after which BelAZ will be ready to completely cover the need for gas-engine technology in the most popular classes of miners carrying capacity - 90, 130 and 220 tons.