‘Large’ Australian mining order for Epiroc

Epiroc’s MT65 S

Epiroc has announced that it has won a large order for underground mining trucks in Australia from Byrnecut, one of the world’s largest underground mining contractors.

Byrnecut has ordered a fleet of Minetruck MT65 S haulers – said to be the world’s highest payload underground truck in the field. The equipment will be used at the Kathleen Valley mine in Western Australia.

The mine, where lithium as well as tantalum will be produced, is currently under development, with production targeted to begin in 2024.

The equipment order is valued at about MSEK 130 (US$12 million) and Epiroc will also provide parts and service support, including service technicians on site.

Lithium is a common mineral in electric vehicle batteries. Tantalum is used, among other things, for high-temperature applications such as in aircraft engines.

“We are excited to contribute to the success of the new Kathleen Valley mine, where the production of lithium, especially, will support the acceleration of the transformation to a low-carbon society,” said Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO.

Epiroc says that the mining trucks have several advanced features, such as Epiroc’s telematics system Certiq, which allows for intelligent monitoring of machine performance and productivity in real-time. Delivery will begin soon and will continue in 2024 and 2025.