First Quantum Minerals and Hitachi Construction Machinery have commissioned the world’s first ultra-large battery electric mining truck, a fully electric Hitachi EH4000, at the Kansanshi copper-gold mine in Zambia. The truck operates without a diesel engine, using a large-format battery system and electric drive to cut on-site fuel consumption and associated CO₂ emissions. Deployment at Kansanshi provides a full-scale test bed for trolley-assist integration, high-current charging infrastructure and duty-cycle optimisation on ultra-class haul routes.

McHale Komatsu has secured an agreement to supply a large Komatsu mining fleet to Tungsten West PLC for the restart of the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in Devon, one of the world’s largest tungsten resources. The deal supports redevelopment of the open-pit operation, which previously used large-scale truck–shovel mining and extensive waste stripping. For geotechnical and mine planners, the new fleet specification will influence haul road geometry, pit slope performance under renewed traffic loading, and scheduling for high-volume tungsten and tin ore movement.

Glencore Technology is expanding deployment of its Jameson Cell into rougher flotation duties, using its high-intensity downcomer design to boost throughput and recovery in both brownfield debottlenecking and greenfield concentrators. The compact cell footprint allows replacement of multiple conventional mechanical cells, freeing floor area and reducing associated structural steel and piping. For plant designers and metallurgists, this signals growing scope to retrofit rougher banks for higher volumetric efficiency without major civil works or additional flotation lines.