July 11 (Reuters) - Brazilian mining giant Vale

said on Thursday it has partnered with Japan's

Komatsu ( KMTUF ) and U.S.-based Cummins to develop and

test haul trucks powered by a mixture of ethanol and diesel.

The dual-fuel engines made by Cummins will be retrofitted to

the mining company's existing fleet of diesel-powered haul

trucks, making them capable of using up to 70% ethanol and

reducing direct CO2 emissions by up to 70%, Vale said in the

release.

Among mining equipment, the haul truck is the biggest

consumer of diesel and therefore the biggest emitter, added the

release.

The haul trucks, manufactured by Komatsu ( KMTUF ), will have payloads

of 230 to 290 tons.

"Removing a fossil fuel like diesel from our mine operations

is fundamental to achieving our decarbonization targets", said

José Baltazar, engineering director for mine and plant

operations at Vale.

Cummins, whose customers include Paccar, Daimler Truck

Holding AG and Stellantis NV, has been ramping its spend on

producing efficient truck engines as the industry comes under

pressure to manufacture greener vehicles.