Steady growth of the mining industry in Latin America has further increase water use causing increased water stress in the region. Mining companies are on the path towards new technology implementation for water and wastewater management. The upcoming 3rd Annual LatAm Mine Water Conference will see much debate and discussion on current water management trends, success stories and lessons learnt from mining firms and technology providers alike.

Leading pump manufacturing company, Kirloskar Brothers Limited is asscociated with the conference as Premium
Bronze Sponsor. A market leader in fluid management, KBL provides complete fluid management solutions for large infrastructure projects in the areas of water supply, power plants, irrigation, oil & gas and marine & defence.
Mr. Jayant Raghunath Sapre (Director on the Board at KBL) spoke to Fleming Gulf about major water challenges faced by the Latin American mining sector and some innovative technologies being offered by the company.

Q: As an introduction, could you tell us more about Kirloskar Pumps and its focus within the mining sector?

Established over a century ago in 1888 and incorporated in 1920, Kirloskar Brothers Limited (KBL) is the flagship company of the USD 2.1 billion Kirloskar Group. The core businesses of KBL are manufacturing of Centrifugal Pumps for Industrial, Agricultural & Domestic applications, Valves, Hydro Turbines and Concrete Volute, Metallic Volute pumps and other components for Turnkey Projects in Water Management. KBL has acquired CE & ATEX Certification for Europe, N & NPT Certification for pumps to be used in nuclear applications with credible references in each category. KBL’s product range covers Pumps from 0.1 kW up to 26,000 kW, Valves up to the size of 4000 mm and Hydro Turbines up to 25 MW.


Q: What are the main challenges that your clients from the mining industry are facing?

We are aware that the water resources across the globe are depleting. This needs to be well managed in order to sustain overall development. As mining industry extracts a large portion of water resources from surrounding regions they operate in, re-cycling is one of the themes that have gained momentum. Re-claiming used water and re-circulation by treating it appropriately is one of the critical processes they follow to manage water optimally. With such a process in place, energy consumption is also a challenge and causes increase in running costs, year-on-year. Upgrading technology to meet these requirements is also a challenge they face.


Q: What are the projects that you have taken up recently in the Lat Am regions?

KBL provided 2 sets of Circulating Water (CW) pumps for the Termozulia 500 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) in Venezuela, for critical continuous duty with a capacity of 27,750 m3/hr. Based on our competence and timely delivery, the customer placed a second order for 3 sets of Circulating Water pumps with a capacity of 24,860 m3/ hr. for the 480 MW CCPP unit., KBL supplied 25,000 m3/hr – 2 sets of Circulating Water pumps for the 350 MW Puerto Coronel Power Plant in Chile through Technimont, Italy. We are closely working with them for the second project as well. For more than 2 years, our partners Koslan Ltda in Chile is working enthusiastically and has established a substantial distribution base across various sectors, providing KBL the market reach for better visibility.


Q: How, in your opinion can mining companies manage water resources more effectively?

KBL has strong DNA of Green technologies and we believe by using efficient systems and processes; water resources can be conserved and re-used. KBL pumping systems operate at higher efficiencies and are sustainable over a period of 20 to 25 years. Our Lowest Life Cycle Cost (LLC™) pump series is one such product that can support the mining industry and manage water resources better. We believe that mining companies should focus more on deploying such concepts all across operations right from procurement of new equipment to replacement of existing old units.


Q: How does KBL address the need for water management for the mining industry?

KBL has a history of 100 years of fluid management expertise supported by a highly talented research and hydraulic engineering team. We provide an array of pumps such as End-Suction Pumps, Mixed Flow Pumps, Horizontal/Vertical Multistage Pumps, Horizontal/Vertical Split Casing Pumps, Vertical Turbine Pumps, Metallic Volute Pumps, Concrete Volute Pumps and Valves for mining Industry. KBL engineers have the proficiency to assess and provide water management solutions to this industry.


Organised by Fleming Gulf Conferences, the 3rd LatAm Mine Water Conference takes place on 27-28 August at the Radisson Decapolis Miraflores in Lima, Peru. The event is held under the honorable patronage of Autoridad National Del Agua, and endorsed by Sernageomin (Government of Chile) and the Institute of Mining Engineers, Peru. Officially supporters include CDP Brazil, Global Water Partnership South America, Peruvian Canadian Chamber of Commerce, ASOCIACIÓN GEOHIDRÓLOGICA MEXICANA, A.C., National Ground Water Association and GERENS.