Quebec’s Lamaque Complex goes big on battery power

Eldorado Gold, an intermediate gold and base metals producer, has selected Sandvik to supply 10 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and 10 charging systems for its Lamaque Complex in Val-d'Or, Quebec.

Sandvik provides technologies for the mining, manufacturing, and infrastructure industries.

The order includes five Sandvik TH550B trucks and five Toro LH518iB loaders. Sandvik delivered the first two 50-ton trucks in October. The company will deliver the remaining three trucks and five 18-ton loaders from mid-2026 into 2027.

This new equipment will contribute to Lamaque's transition towards an electrified underground load-and-haul operation. The investment follows the performance of the first two Sandvik battery-electric trucks delivered to the mine in 2023 and 2024. It aligns with Eldorado Gold's strategy to improve the site's environmental performance, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance productivity and underground logistics.

"The first Sandvik BEVs at Lamaque have proven their capability underground, and expanding the fleet lets us move more tons with less energy and heat. We see electrification as a long-term enabler of safer, more efficient and more productive mining,'' Sylvain Lehoux, vice president for Canada at Eldorado Gold Quebec, stated.

Sandvik has designed the TH550B and Toro LH518iB from the ground up around their battery systems and electric drivelines to be purpose-built BEVs. Both the truck and loader feature Sandvik's patented self-swapping battery system, including the AutoSwap and AutoConnect functions.

Sandvik's BEVs can return to operation faster than 'fast charge' mining BEVs. The Sandvik TH550B and the automation-ready Toro LH518iB also incorporate data collection and analysis capabilities, allowing operators and maintenance personnel to monitor and optimize equipment performance in real time.

More information is posted on www.Mining.sandvik/en