Globally diversified miner South32 has selected Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions to supply 22 battery-electric vehicles as part of a 42-unit underground equipment fleet for its greenfield Hermosa critical minerals project in Arizona.
Sandvik’s largest-ever BEV fleet order, booked in the June quarter of 2025, includes six Sandvik DS412iE bolters, five Sandvik DD422iE development drills, four Sandvik DL422iE longhole drills, four Toro® LH518iB loaders and three Toro TH665iB trucks (the AutoMine®-ready version of the TH665B).
The South32 order also includes 20 units of conventional equipment: five Toro TH551i trucks, five Sandvik DS422i cable bolters, four Toro TH663i trucks, four Toro LH517i loaders and two Sandvik DU412i longhole drills. Several of the conventional units ordered may ultimately be manufactured and delivered as BEVs.
Deliveries are expected to begin in the December quarter of 2026 and continue through 2030.
“We’re proud that Sandvik BEVs will help contribute to an increased supply of critical minerals, supporting the continued electrification of society and global green transition,” Mats Eriksson, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said. “Lower fuel expenses and maintenance costs coupled with longer equipment lifespan will enable a more efficient, economical and sustainable mining operation at Hermosa.”
With Hermosa, South32 is expected to become a globally significant producer of critical minerals vital to a low-carbon future. The polymetallic underground development project is located in a historic mining district in southern Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains, about 80 km southeast of Tucson and less than 20 kms north of the US-Mexico border. It is currently the only advanced US mine development project that could produce two federally designated critical minerals essential for powering a clean energy future, manganese and zinc, South32 states.
South32 is developing Hermosa’s zinc-lead-silver deposit to be a multi-decade operation with first production expected in 2027.
“Zinc is essential for national security as there is a growing zinc gap worldwide,” Pat Risner, President of South32 Hermosa, said. “We estimate a 4 Mt gap by 2033 and only 6% of zinc is currently mined in the United States. Our zinc deposit is the only deposit of its size discovered in the past 10-plus years. Zinc is used to galvanise steel which is needed for wind turbines, solar panels and other energy infrastructure like transmission routinely exposed to the elements.”
Beyond the zinc deposit, Hermosa also includes a battery-grade manganese deposit and a highly prospective land package with extensive exploration potential, including a copper-lead-zinc-silver target and further polymetallic and copper mineralisation.
South32 is designing Hermosa to be its first ‘next generation mine’, harnessing automation and technology to drive efficiencies, minimise environmental impact and ultimately to target a carbon-neutral operation in line with the miner’s goal of achieving net zero operational carbon emissions.
“Technology and innovation play an essential role in helping to improve safety and performance, and reduce our emissions,” Risner said.
“We’re committed to sustainable development of the resources at Hermosa, which we’re designing as a small footprint underground mine with dry-stack tailings and reduced water consumption to minimize environmental impact. A battery-electric underground equipment fleet supports our ambition for Hermosa to set a new standard for sustainable mining. Sandvik BEVs will meet our safety, reliability, range and capability requirements.”
Headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, South32 produces bauxite, alumina, aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, silver, nickel and manganese from operations in Australia, Southern Africa and South America.