Epiroc Boomer M2 Battery drill
Mining and infrastructure industry productivity and sustainability partner Epiroc has won a significant order for battery-electric mining equipment from Ivanplats, which will use the equipment to develop its greenfield mine in South Africa.
Ivanplats, a subsidiary of Canadian mining company Ivanhoe Mines, has ordered several Boomer M2 battery face drill rigs and Scooptram ST14 battery loaders for its Platreef underground mine, which will trial the emissions-free machines during its initial development phase.
Ivanplats aims to use all-battery-electric vehicles in its mining fleet at Platreef, which will produce palladium, rhodium, platinum, nickel, copper and gold.
The order exceeds R150-million in value.
"It is encouraging that Ivanplats is considering going all-battery-electric at Platreef and we are proud to support them on this journey,” says Epiroc president and CEO Helena Hedblom.
She notes that battery electric equipment is increasingly being embraced by mining companies as it provides a healthier work environment, lower total operating costs and higher productivity.
“We want to be at the forefront of using battery electric, zero-emission equipment at all of our mining operations,” says Ivanhoe Mines president and CFO Marna Cloete, who adds that the partnership with Epiroc “is an important first step towards achieving our net-zero carbon emissions goals, while mining metals required for a cleaner environment”.