Eldorado Gold’s Lamaque mine welcomes first BEV truck
Leading gold and base metals producer Eldorado Gold Corporation has taken delivery of the first of two Sandvik TH550B battery-electric trucks at its Lamaque mine in Val-d’Or, Quebec. The 50-tonne BEV at Lamaque is the first Sandvik TH550B assembled and delivered in Canada from Sandvik’s factory in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The delivery is a major milestone in Eldorado Gold Corporation’s efforts to continuously improve sustainable mining practices at its Canadian mine. The company also has operations in Greece and Türkiye.
“Eldorado Gold is excited to take this next step towards electrifying our mining operations,” said George Burns, President and CEO of Eldorado Gold Corporation. “Integrating electric vehicles into our operations is just one of the many ways we are reducing our environmental impact, lowering our operating costs and ensuring the long-term sustainability of our business.”
Sandvik TH550B has been designed from the ground up entirely around its battery systems and electric drivelines. It features Sandvik’s patented self-swapping battery system, including the AutoSwap and AutoConnect functions, improving equipment availability and safety. Sandvik offers the industry’s fastest BEV “pit stop,” enabling its equipment to return to operation significantly sooner than ‘fast-charge’ mining BEVs. Sandvik TH550B also features sophisticated data collection and analysis capabilities, enabling operators and maintenance personnel to monitor and optimize the truck’s performance in real time.
“Sandvik is proud to partner with Eldorado Gold Corporation as it continues to set a new standard for sustainable and highly productive mining,” said Peter Corcoran, Vice President of Sales Area Canada for Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. “Sandvik battery-electric trucks have proven to deliver superior productivity and a clean work environment, and this transition by Eldorado Gold Corporation will help reduce the environmental impact of mining activities in Quebec.”
As part of its commitment to more sustainable mining, and with the expected success from first two BEV trucks, Eldorado Gold Corporation plans to build a larger electrified haulage fleet in the future. The delivery of the Sandvik TH550B trucks is a significant first step towards achieving this goal.
Val-d’Or, Quebec, Canada, June 16, 2023
For more information, please contact:
Alex Willows
Business Line Manager, Load and Haul
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions
Email: alex.willows@sandvik.com
Sandvik Group
Sandvik is a global, high-tech engineering group providing solutions that enhance productivity, profitability and sustainability for the manufacturing, mining and infrastructure industries. We are at the forefront of digitalization and focus on optimizing our customers’ processes. Our world-leading offering includes equipment, tools, services and digital solutions for machining, mining, rock excavation and rock processing. In 2022 the Group had approximately 40,000 employees and revenues of about 112 billion SEK in about 150 countries within continuing operations.
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions is a business area within the Sandvik Group and a global leading supplier of equipment and tools, parts, service, digital solutions and sustainability-driving technologies for the mining and construction industries. Application areas include rock drilling, rock cutting, loading and hauling, tunneling and quarrying. In 2022, sales were approximately 57 billion SEK with about 16,200 employees.