South African subsidiary Ivanplats ordered "several" Boomer M2 Battery face drill rigs and Scooptram ST14 Battery loaders in the second quarter of 2021 for its Platreef project, Epiroc revealed.

"It is encouraging that Ivanplats is considering going all battery-electric at Platreef, and we are proud to support them on this journey," says Helena Hedblom, Epiroc's President and CEO.

The equipment will be delivered early in 2022, while Epiroc will also provide on-site operator and maintenance training to Ivanplats.

"Battery-electric equipment is increasingly embraced by mining companies as it provides a healthier work environment, lower total operating costs, and higher productivity."

"We want to be at the fore-front of utilising battery electric, zero-emission equipment at all of our mining operations," says Marna Cloete, Ivanhoe Mines' President and CFO. "This partnership with Epiroc for emissions-free mining equipment at the Platreef Mine is an important first step towards achieving our net-zero carbon emissions."

Epiroc plans to offer a complete fleet of underground mining equipment as battery-electric versions by 2025, and its full fleet for surface operations as battery-powered versions by 2030.

The company's competitor, Sandvik, said earlier this month that it received orders for battery-electric mining vehicles (BEVs) amounting to about SEK 140 million ($16.2 million) in June, marking Sandvik's highest ever order intake for mining BEVs in a single month.

Ivanplats is currently arranging project-level financing of up to US$420 million to advance development of the Platreef palladium, platinum, rhodium, nickel, copper and gold project.