Boliden noted that the delivery also marks the entry of Komatsu electric dump trucks into the European market.

The first Komatsu 830E-5 trucks have arrived at the Kevitsa mine, which will receive 17 of the trucks in total by January 2020. Boliden's Aitik mine is also scheduled to receive nine Komatsu 930E-5 trucks by April 2020.

The Komatsu 830E-5 haul trucks have a 220t payload and comply with EU Stage V emissions standards. They significantly reduce diesel exhaust emissions compared to earlier truck models and provide improvements in operator environment and safety.

The Komatsu 830E-5 fleet will replace the current truck fleet in Kevitsa and reduce production cost in the mine. To further increase efficiency and productivity, the trucks will be equipped with dispatch and maintenance systems from Modular Mining Systems to enable optimised production and tracking as well as supporting maintenance of the fleet.

To mark the delivery milestone of the first truck, a handover ceremony was arranged at Kevitsa on July 10 as a joint event by Boliden and Komatsu together with key partners in the project.

Mikael Staffas, president and CEO of Boliden, said at the event: "This is an important step in the development of our open-pit mines while improving our environmental performance from an already strong position. This not least because we now create opportunities for increased electrification and related productivity development."

Masatoshi Morishita, managing director and CEO of Komatsu Europe, also commented: "Today is a milestone for Komatsu Europe. With the delivery of first CE-certified electric dump trucks to Boliden, Komatsu can offer a full line-up of mining products and solutions in Europe as well. We aim this will only be the start."