Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Boliden Complete Major Autonomous Transport Milestone at Garpenberg Mine in Sweden

Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Boliden Complete Major Autonomous Transport Milestone at Garpenberg Mine in Sweden

(IN BRIEF) Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Boliden have completed an autonomous transport project at Boliden’s Garpenberg site in Sweden, reaching a major milestone in their collaboration following the memorandum of understanding signed in 2023. The project involved moving nearly 700,000 tonnes of rock fill material from an on-site quarry to reinforce a local dam and raise the dam wall, with Volvo’s autonomous haulage system completing more than 11,000 transport cycles across 56,000 kilometres. The operation used Autona / earth, Volvo Autonomous Solutions’ end-to-end autonomous transport offering for mines and quarries, which combines the autonomous Volvo FH for mining, a virtual driver, infrastructure, operational support and maintenance. Delivered as Transport-as-a-Service, the solution allows autonomous technology to be integrated into existing customer operations while V.A.S. manages technical and regulatory requirements. The successful completion of the Garpenberg project demonstrates that autonomous haulage can operate at scale in real mining conditions, while supporting safer and more efficient operations by reducing human exposure to hazardous environments. The milestone also provides a strong basis for continued cooperation between Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Boliden on future mining automation projects.

(PRESS RELEASE) STOCKHOLM, 4-Jun-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Boliden have completed an autonomous transport project at Boliden’s Garpenberg mining site in Sweden, marking a major step forward in their collaboration on safer and more efficient mining operations.

The project represents the first delivery under the memorandum of understanding signed by Volvo and Boliden in 2023. It also establishes a foundation for future joint initiatives between the two companies as they continue exploring how autonomous transport can support productivity, safety and operational development in the mining sector.

As part of the work at Garpenberg, rock fill material was transported from an on-site quarry within Boliden’s premises and used to reinforce a local dam and raise the dam wall. The autonomous haulage operation moved close to 700,000 tonnes of material, an amount comparable to around 280 Olympic swimming pools or the combined weight of approximately 100 Eiffel Towers.

Volvo’s autonomous haulage system completed more than 11,000 transport cycles and covered 56,000 kilometres during the project. The scale of the operation demonstrates how autonomous transport can be applied in real mining conditions and integrated into active industrial sites.

Rikard Mäki, Head of Electrification and Automation at Boliden, said the company is pleased to have reached the 700,000-tonne autonomous transport milestone at the Garpenberg tailings facility. He added that Boliden will continue to pursue safe and productive solutions through partnerships as part of its ambition to develop world-leading mining operations.

Ingo Sturmer, CTO at Volvo Autonomous Solutions, said autonomy offers clear advantages for the mining industry, particularly by helping remove people from hazardous environments while improving safety and operational efficiency. He noted that the Garpenberg project shows autonomous haulage can function at scale in real customer operations.

The solution used at Garpenberg is Autona / earth, Volvo Autonomous Solutions’ autonomous transport offering for mines and quarries. The system combines the autonomous Volvo FH for mining with Volvo’s internally developed virtual driver, supporting infrastructure, operational assistance and maintenance services needed to run autonomous transport.

Autona / earth is delivered through a Transport-as-a-Service model, allowing customers to introduce autonomous transport into existing operations while Volvo Autonomous Solutions manages technical complexity and regulatory compliance. The model is designed to make deployment easier for mining and quarrying customers by providing an end-to-end service rather than only vehicle technology.

The completion of the Garpenberg project highlights the potential of autonomous transport as a competitive solution for selected mining operations. It also reinforces the importance of close cooperation between technology providers and mining companies in developing autonomous systems that can operate safely and effectively in demanding industrial environments.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions is a Volvo Group business area focused on developing and commercialising autonomous transport solutions for selected industry sectors. Its offering combines purpose-built vehicles, virtual driver technology, infrastructure, fleet management, operations support and uptime services to help customers improve safety, productivity and sustainability.

Boliden is a European producer of sustainable metals, operating across exploration, mines, smelters and recycling. The company’s vision is to become the world’s most climate-friendly and respected metal provider. Boliden has around 8,000 employees, annual revenues of approximately SEK 90 billion, and its shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm’s Large Cap segment.

About Volvo Autonomous Solutions 

Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) is the business area within the Volvo Group focused on developing and commercializing autonomous transport solutions in selected industry verticals. V.A.S. delivers end-to-end autonomous transport solutions that combine a purpose-built vehicle, a virtual driver, required infrastructure, operations and uptime support, and a fleet management system that orchestrates transport operations and manages logistics flows. Solutions are tailored to each customer’s needs and designed to support safer, more productive and more sustainable operations.

Metals for generations to come

Boliden’s vision is to be the most climate-friendly and respected metal provider in the world. We are Europe’s producer of sustainable metals and, guided by our values care, courage and responsibility, we operate within exploration, mines, smelters and recycling. We are around 8,000 employees and have annual revenues of approximately SEK 90 billion. The share is listed in the Large Cap segment of NASDAQ Stockholm.

www.boliden.com

Media Contact:

Klas Nilsson
Director Group Communications
+46 70 453 65 88
Klas.Nilsson@boliden.com

SOURCE: Boliden