The mining contractor has ordered a range of Epiroc loaders, mine trucks and drill rigs for use at the Kipushi mine, which is set to reopen in late 2024. The order, valued at approximately $17m, includes Scooptram ST14 loaders, Minetruck MT42 haul trucks, and Simba production drill rigs.
The equipment will be manufactured in Sweden and include Epiroc's telematics system Certiq and Rig Control System (RCS).
The Kipushi mine is jointly owned by Ivanhoe Mines and Gécamines, a DRC state-owned mining company, and will be powered by renewable hydro-generated electricity. The mine has been closed for maintenance since 1994 but is now set to reopen.
Kipushi is a historic mine located in the Katanga province. It was first discovered in 1924 and has produced copper, zinc, lead, and germanium. It was last operated by the state-owned mining company, Gécamines, in 1993, but has remained on care and maintenance since then.
In 2017, Ivanhoe Mines, a Canadian mining company, acquired a majority stake in the Kipushi mine through its subsidiary, Kipushi Corporation. The company plans to rehabilitate and expand the mine to reach an annual production of 530,000 tonnes of zinc and 49,000 tonnes of copper concentrate once it is fully operational.
Epiroc has won several orders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 2010. In 2019, Epiroc was awarded an order from KCC, a subsidiary of Glencore, for the supply of mining equipment for their copper and cobalt mining operations in southeastern DRC. In 2018, Epiroc won an order from Kamoto Copper Company, a subsidiary of Glencore, for the supply of mining equipment for their copper and cobalt mining operations in southeastern DRC. In 2015, Epiroc won a contract from Tenke Fungurume Mining, a subsidiary of China Molybdenum, for the supply of mining equipment for their copper and cobalt mining operations in southeastern DRC.
