Garpenberg Mine Prepares for Autonomous Rock Transport with Boliden and Volvo Autonomous Solutions

Garpenberg Mine Prepares for Autonomous Rock Transport with Boliden and Volvo Autonomous Solutions

(IN BRIEF) Boliden, a prominent mining and smelting company, has teamed up with Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) in a strategic partnership aimed at introducing autonomous transport solutions in Boliden’s mining operations. Their first project will be initiated at the Garpenberg mine in 2023. V.A.S. will provide a comprehensive Autonomous Transport Solution for transporting rock fill from an on-site quarry to the Garpenberg mine’s tailings facility. This solution will encompass autonomous trucks, software, hardware, and training, all delivered as a transport-as-a-service (TaaS). It’s part of a broader collaboration between Boliden and V.A.S. to pioneer new technologies related to electrification, remote-controlled loading, and autonomous underground transportation in mining.

(PRESS RELEASE) STOCKHOLM, 13-Sep-2022 — /EuropaWire/ — Boliden AB (STO: BOL), a Swedish multinational active in exploring, extracting and processing base metals and precious metals, announces that it has joined forces with Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) in a far-reaching strategic collaboration aimed at implementing autonomous transport solutions within Boliden’s mining operations. This groundbreaking partnership marks its inaugural project at the Garpenberg mine, set to commence in 2023.

Under the terms of this implementation agreement, V.A.S. will provide Boliden with an Autonomous Transport Solution tailored to the Garpenberg mine’s unique requirements. The primary objective is to autonomously transport rock fill from an on-site quarry to facilitate long-term storage at Garpenberg’s tailings facility. These autonomous transports will cover distances of up to four kilometers and will involve five specialized trucks. Volvo Autonomous Solutions is committed to delivering a comprehensive autonomous solution encompassing vehicles, hardware, software, and training. Operating on a transport-as-a-service (TaaS) model, this innovative autonomous transport solution will be integrated with Volvo’s premium truck range and V.A.S.’s in-house developed virtual driver. In addition, V.A.S. will provide a wheel loader for the loading operation.

“It is of course very satisfying that we can be far ahead in technology development and ensure the continued development of our business. Automation is an important part of increasing safety and competitiveness. With this collaboration, we further increase our competence and experience,” says Daniel Eklund, Director Technology, Boliden Mines.

The agreement pertaining to autonomous transports at the Garpenberg mine marks the initial step in a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Boliden and V.A.S. This overarching collaboration focuses on advancing technology related to underground electrification, remote-controlled loading, and autonomous underground transports.

This collaborative effort signifies a significant stride towards more efficient, sustainable, and technologically advanced mining practices. Both Boliden and Volvo Autonomous Solutions are committed to driving innovation in the mining sector while enhancing safety and productivity.

For further information, please contact:
Klas Nilsson, Director Group Communications, phone: +46 70-453 65 88
klas.nilsson@boliden.com

Boliden is a metals company with a focus on sustainable development. Our roots are Nordic, our market global. Our core competence lies within the fields of exploration, mining, smelting and metal recycling. Boliden has around 6,000 employees and annual sales of approximately SEK 85 billion. The share is listed in the Large Cap segment on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm. www.boliden.com

SOURCE: Boliden Group