The underground mining team at the McIlvenna Bay project in Saskatchewan, Canada, has reached a major milestone by installing the first resin anchored rebar bolts with the Sandvik DD422iE rig, the OEM reports.

This battery-powered machine – which carries out tramming on battery and plugs into the mine grid for face operations – is a multi-purpose jumbo that allows miners to bolt and bore with a single machine. This results in a significantly reduced overall cycle time that supports rapid development, Sandvik says.

Back in 2022, Sandvik announced it would supply a fleet of 20 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), including trucks, loaders and drills, for the project in what was its biggest battery-electric vehicle order to date.

Among this 20-strong fleet was seven Sandvik 18-t-payload LH518B loaders, six Sandvik 50-t-payload TH550B trucks, four Sandvik DD422iE jumbo drill rigs, two Sandvik DL422iE longhole drills and one Sandvik DS412iE mechanical bolter.

The owner of the mine, Foran Mining, is putting these machines to work alongside help from contractor Procon Mining and Tunnelling.