Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has announced an order from South32 for its greenfield Hermosa critical minerals project in Arizona that is the largest ever placed for the company’s battery-electric vehicles.

South32 is a mining and metals company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia.

The order includes six Sandvik DS412iE bolters, five Sandvik DD422iE development drills, four Sandvik DL422iE longhole drills, four Toro LH518iB loaders and three Toro TH665iB trucks. The 22 EVs are part of a 42-unit underground equipment fleet South 32 has ordered. Several of the conventional units ordered may ultimately be manufactured and delivered as EVs, Sandvik said.

A bolter such as the Sandvik DS412iE is used to install roof support bolts in underground mines, while a development drill such as the Sandvik DD422iE is a mining vehicle that is used to drill holes in the surface of a coalbed so that explosives can be inserted and detonated. Longhole drills such as the Sandvik DL422iE models are used for production drilling, in which the typical hole depth varies between 10 m and 40 m.

Loaders such as the Toro LH518iB can serve a variety of purposes, including transporting oversize material away from a loading area, touching up dumps, cleaning up around shovels and tandem loading alongside shovels. Finally, the Toro TH665iB is a purpose-built dump truck optimized for underground environments.

Deliveries to South32 are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 and continue through 2030.

“Lower fuel expenses and maintenance costs coupled with longer equipment lifespan will enable a more efficient, economical and sustainable mining operation at Hermosa,” said Mats Eriksson, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.

Hermosa, which is South32’s flagship project in the United States, is an historic mining district located in the Patagonia Mountains of southern Arizona. The mining company anticipates the project will allow the company to become a globally significant producer of critical minerals. It is currently the only advanced US mine development project that could produce two federally designated critical minerals essential for powering a clean energy future, namely manganese and zinc.

Source: Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions