At MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas last week, global miner ERG signed a contract with Epiroc worth more than €32.4 million for the supply of underground mining equipment for the construction of the second stage of the 10th Anniversary of Independence Mine, part of Donskoy GOK in Kazakhstan, which itself is owned by ERG’s chromite mining company TNC Kazchrome JSC. Kazchrome is the world’s largest high-carbon ferrochrome producer.
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Within the framework of the cooperation, Epiroc will supply a new generation of underground equipment to help Kazchrome gradually achieving the mine’s design capacity of up to 7.5 Mt of chrome ore per year. In particular, a face drilling rig, a production drilling rig, ground support rigs, loaders (LHDs) and dump trucks will be supplied. Specifically, the equipment ordered includes the battery-electric and automation-ready trucks and loaders Minetruck MT42 SG and Scooptram ST14 SG. Other machines include the Boomer S2 face drilling rig, Simba E70 S production drill rig, and Cabletec M10 S rock reinforcement rig, among other models. Delivery of the equipment will begin in the first quarter 2025 and will continue into the second half of 2026. Several of these machines will be operated driverless (tele-remotely), and all of the equipment will be supplied with a collision avoidance system.
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The procurement was handled by the ERG Commercial Center, which carries out centralised procurement of goods and services for ERG companies. “It is important for our company that our partners are not only reliable, but also share our goals in terms of improving production processes. And Epiroc has proven itself from the best side over 19 years of cooperation, helping us solve problems in terms of production time, logistics and financing terms,” says Ruslan Mulyukbayev, General Director of ERG Commercial Center LLP.
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The new equipment will be used by Donskoy GOK in Khromtau for the construction of the second stage of the 10th Anniversary of Independence Mine. ERG will invest more than 877.6 billion tenge in the construction which equates to over US$1.8 billion. The second stage is focused on advanced sub-level caving, as well as drift and fill mining. This new phase will not only allow Donskoy GOK to replace diminishing chromite output from Phase 1 of development and from the Molodezhnaya mine, but will enable it to increase output of ore and, by extension, production at its main ferroalloy plants in Aksu and Aktobe.