South32 has awarded Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions the contract to provide 22 battery-electric vehicles for its greenfield Hermosa critical minerals project in the US.
This represents Sandvik’s largest-ever BEV fleet, which will form part of a 42-unit underground equipment fleet.
“We’re proud that Sandvik BEVs will help contribute to an increased supply of critical minerals, supporting the continued electrification of society and global green transition,” Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions president Mats Eriksson said.
“Lower fuel expenses and maintenance costs coupled with longer equipment lifespan will enable a more efficient, economical and sustainable mining operation at Hermosa.”
Deliveries to the Arizona project are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 and continue through 2030.
Advancing the polymetallic underground development puts South32 in a strong position to become a globally significant producer of critical minerals.
Hermosa is the only advanced mine development in the US that has the potential to produce two federally designated critical minerals essential for powering a clean energy future.
Hermosa’s zinc-lead-silver deposit is expected to feed a multi-decade operation with first production expected in 2027.
The project also boasts a battery-grade manganese deposit with a highly prospective land package, extending the asset’s promising exploration potential.
“Zinc is essential for national security as there is a growing zinc gap worldwide,” South32 Hermosa president Pat Risner said. “We estimate a four-million-metric-ton gap by 2033 and only six per cent of zinc is currently mined in the United States. Our zinc deposit is the only deposit of its size discovered in the past 10 plus years.”