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Holcim UK’s 20 LiuGong 870HE loaders: quarry power and layout implications for engineers

April 18, 2026|

Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

Holcim UK’s 20 LiuGong 870HE loaders: quarry power and layout implications for engineers

First reported on International Mining – News

30 Second Briefing

Holcim UK is deploying 20 LiuGong 870HE pure electric wheel loaders across its quarry fleet, expanding one of the highest-tonnage battery-electric loader deployments in the sector. The 870HE units, among the largest pure electric loaders currently available, are targeted at high-duty quarry loading cycles traditionally dominated by diesel machines. For geotechnical and quarry operators, this signals accelerating adoption of heavy battery-electric equipment for primary load-and-haul, with implications for power supply design, charging infrastructure layout and ventilation requirements in future pit and plant planning.

Technical Brief

  • LiuGong 870HE loaders use a pure battery-electric drivetrain rather than diesel-electric hybrid systems.
  • Roll-out forms part of Holcim UK’s formal decarbonisation roadmap for its heavy mobile equipment fleet.
  • Electric loaders are expected to operate in high-duty load–haul cycles typical of primary quarry faces.
  • Integration will require redesign of on-site electrical distribution to support multiple simultaneous high-capacity chargers.
  • Reduced on-site diesel storage and handling changes COMAH-related risk management and emergency response planning.
  • For similar hard-rock and aggregate quarries, large pure-electric loaders shift pit design towards power-corridor planning.

Our Take

Holcim UK’s move to add 20 electric wheel loaders aligns with its recent push on recycling and secondary aggregates in the UK, as seen in the PJ Thory acquisition coverage, suggesting these units are likely to be deployed not just in primary quarries but also in integrated recycling-heavy sites.

In our database, Holcim UK features frequently in sustainability-tagged Mining pieces, and its call for mandatory EPDs on UK projects indicates that electrifying quarry fleets will support lower declared embodied carbon in its cement and concrete products rather than being a stand‑alone ESG gesture.

LiuGong’s selection for both high-duty sandstone operations in New South Wales and now Holcim UK’s electric quarry fleet indicates the OEM is building a reference base in demanding quarry environments, which may help it counterbalance reputational headwinds from UK anti-dumping decisions on Chinese-built excavators.

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Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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