MacLean Engineering has delivered its first Volvo Penta-powered underground mining machine to a Quebec operation, using an industrial off-road diesel from Volvo Penta supplied through Canadian distributor Wajax. The deal follows the formalisation of the Volvo Penta–Wajax distribution partnership in Canada, targeting MacLean’s fleet of battery-electric and diesel support units such as bolters, shotcrete sprayers and utility vehicles. For mine operators, the move standardises powertrains around a globally supported engine platform, simplifying parts, service logistics and emissions compliance across mixed fleets.

Epiroc is analysing how electric surface drill rigs interact with weak and remote mine grids, focusing on load profiles, start-up currents and grid contingencies that can destabilise existing 11–33 kV distribution systems. The company is testing smart power management strategies such as ramped starts, active power factor correction and local energy storage to smooth high transient loads from large electric drills. For mine planners and electrical engineers, the work points to earlier integration of grid studies with fleet selection and potential use of hybrid on-site generation to avoid costly grid reinforcements.

Metso has secured orders worth about €39 million ($45 million) to supply crushing and grinding plant equipment for Artemis Gold’s Blackwater Mine Expanded Phase 2 (EP2) project in central British Columbia, supporting the next throughput step-up at the open-pit operation. The package includes a Superior MKIII primary gyratory crusher and Nordberg HP Series cone crushers, integrated into a new comminution line. For process engineers, the standardised Metso flowsheet should simplify spares, liner management and control integration across Blackwater’s staged expansions.