Today Epiroc and Gold Fields Australia formally entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner on the development of the next generation of electric drive hybrid underground mine trucks. The companies will work in a formal partnership to develop and test a proof of concept for the 65 t class Minetruck MT65 E-Drive with the aim of having a prototype at Gold Fields’ Granny Smith Mine site in Western Australia at the beginning of 2024.

A diesel-electric mine truck combines a traditional combustion engine with electric drive system technology, providing the opportunity of significantly reducing the amount of diesel used across a mine’s fleet and increasing operational productivity. “Epiroc has set ambitious sustainability goals for 2030 including halving our CO2 emissions, and our innovation agenda goes hand in hand with our customers’ sustainability agenda,” said Sami Niiranen, President of Epiroc’s Underground division.

“We are proud to partner with Gold Fields in the development of a future-proof, low emission mine truck in the large segment that will support them in reducing their emissions as well as overall TCO, without compromising on safety and productivity,” Niiranen said.

Gold Fields’ Executive Vice President Stuart Mathews highlighted the alignment of sustainability targets as a key driver for the partnership. “Gold Fields is committed to its decarbonisation targets and we have been a leader in the Australian mining sector at integrating renewable energy and battery storage into our operations. This agreement with Epiroc broadens that emissions reduction focus to our underground vehicles and equipment. We are pleased to be partnering with a company like Epiroc who are investing in technical solutions that support our target of reducing carbon emissions while maximising our potential from current assets like Granny Smith through innovative solutions,” Mathews said.

The Gold Fields project team will now work with Epiroc’s R&D team in the Underground division, headquartered at the Orebro, Sweden based facilities to review development and plan the trial phases.