Epiroc wins equipment and service order from Codelco

Epiroc's Minetruck MT65, part of the Codelco order Credit: Epiroc

Epiroc, a productivity partner for the mining industry, has won a large equipment and service order from Codelco for its Chuquicamata mine in northern Chile.

Codelco has ordered underground loaders, face drill rigs, rock bolting rigs and mine trucks, as well as technical support and training for the Chuquicamata underground mine project.

The order is valued at more than $20 million and was booked in the company's orders for April 2020.

Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, opened the Chuquicamata underground mine in 2019.

The company is transforming the century-old Chuquicamata copper and gold open pit - the largest such mine in the world - into a high-tech underground operation. According to Codelco, this transformation will extend the mine's life by 40 years.

"We are proud to be a key partner of Codelco as it significantly extends the life of the Chuquicamata mine in the most productive, efficient and safe manner possible," Helena Hedblom, Epiroc's president and CEO, said in a release.

"Epiroc was chosen because it complied with all the technical, safety and performance requirements that Codelco demanded for the Chuquicamata underground mine project, while being the supplier that provided the best economic proposal for all its equipment as a whole," added Juan Mariscal, sourcing category manager at Codelco.

The order includes multiple units of the Scooptram ST1030 and ST18 loaders, Boomer S2 face drilling rigs, Boltec M bolting machines, and Minetruck MT65 units.

The Minetruck MT65 is the highest payload capacity underground truck in the world. The machines will be equipped with automation, connectivity and information management solutions.

These include Epiroc's Rig Control System (RCS), which sets the equipment up for automation and remote control, and Epiroc's Certiq system, which allows real-time monitoring of machine performance and productivity. The equipment will be delivered later this year.

This latest order follows a large service contract, signed last year, for Codelco's Andina mine and a large equipment order for the company's El Teniente mine.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)