The largest ever electric haul truck to be deployed in the Indian mining sector has been commissioned by Larsen & Toubro, the distributor of Komatsu equipment in India. Komatsu’s Model 830E-AC trucks with a payload capacity of 218 t were ordered by the mining giant, Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL), a Vedanta Resources company, in Rajasthan.

These are the first large trucks in India and are expected to lead to other large truck deployments in the country as it catchews on to the ‘economies of scale’ for moving huge volumes of overburden and ore. With HZL poised to become the largest integrated zinc producer in the world, L&T reiterated its commitment to meet this challenge with Komatsu’s new generation off-highway truck technology.

L&T also recently secured a lumpsum turnkey contract worth Rs. 276 crore from Coal India for Coal Handling Plant at Northern Coalfield, Amlohri, in Madhya Pradesh. L&T’s Bulk Material Handling Business Unit has secured this on an EPC basis, against competitive bidding. To be completed in a time frame of 24 months, the scope of work involves basic and detail engineering; supply and erection of mechanical, electrical and instrumentation works; complete civil and structural works, including testing and commissioning.