Building on the proven success of Komatsu trucks at Barrick’s Lumwana copper mining operation in Zambia, Nevada Gold Mines (NGM), has signed a multi-year agreement with Komatsu to deliver 62 Komatsu 290 t class 930E-5 haul trucks between 2023 and 2025. NGM is the single largest gold-producing complex in the world, formed as a joint venture between Barrick and Newmont.

The new Komatsu haul trucks will be in operation at two Nevada mines: 40 will be deployed to the Carlin Complex and 22 will be at the Cortez site. In addition to the haul trucks, NGM has also purchased multiple pieces of support equipment from Komatsu.

“Based on the successful implementation at Lumwana, we chose to upgrade our fleet with 62 new Komatsu trucks,” said Peter Richardson, Executive Managing Director, Nevada Gold Mines. “Komatsu has provided us with tremendous regional support and their team in Elko has been instrumental in helping us maintain our fleet with parts and component rebuilds for our trucks; a wheel motor upgrade program; and maintenance and support for the P&H shovels that are part of our operations.”

This new fleet acquisition in Nevada is a result of the strong performance demonstrated by a recently installed fleet of Komatsu trucks and auxiliary equipment at Barrick’s Lumwana mine in Zambia. Late last year, the two companies met at Komatsu’s surface mining headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to lay the groundwork for a collaborative global partnership. Komatsu is committed to building its partnership with the Barrick Group based on its success at Lumwana and NGM and is pleased at being considered for the company’s Reko Diq project in Pakistan.

“We are excited to build on the success we’ve achieved so far with Barrick through this new collaboration with Nevada Gold Mines,” said Josh Wagner, VP and GM for Komatsu’s North America Mining Division. “We will be ready to support the fleet ramp up with our state-of-the-art and growing Elko service capabilities.”

Komatsu is building a nearly 50,000 square-foot warehouse adjacent to its Elko service centre to expand local parts support for mining and construction customers in region. The facility is planned for completion in early 2024. The company’s 189,000-square-foot Elko service center supports mining and construction equipment including haul trucks, hydraulic shovels, electric rope shovels and support equipment.