Ivanplats, which is a subsidiary of Ivanhoe Mines, has the ambition to use all battery-electric vehicles in its mining fleet at Platreef and as such it has ordered several Boomer M2 Battery face drill rigs and Scooptram ST14 Battery loaders.

The new Platreef underground mine, which will trial the emissions-free machines during its initial development phase, will produce palladium, rhodium, platinum, nickel, copper and gold.

"It is encouraging that Ivanplats is considering going all battery-electric at Platreef, and we are proud to support them on this journey," said Helena Hedblom, Epiroc's President and CEO, talking about the SEK90 million (US$10 million) order. "Battery-electric equipment is increasingly embraced by mining companies as it provides a healthier work environment, lower total operating costs and higher productivity. The technology is now well established and Epiroc is driving this change toward emissions-free mining."

"We want to be at the forefront of utilising battery-electric, zero-emission equipment at all of our mining operations," said Marna Cloete, Ivanhoe Mines' president and CFO. "This partnership with Epiroc for emissions-free mining equipment at the Platreef Mine is an important first step towards achieving our net-zero carbon emissions goals while mining metals required for a cleaner environment."

Boomer M2 Battery face drill rigs and Scooptram ST14 Battery loaders are built in Sweden and are automation-ready and equipped with Epiroc's telematics solution Certiq.

The equipment will be delivered early in 2022. Epiroc will also provide on-site operator and maintenance training to Ivanplats. Epiroc will offer its complete fleet of underground mining equipment as battery-electric versions by 2025 and its full fleet for surface operations as battery-powered versions by 2030.

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