Sandvik to provide automated fleet for Viscaria copper mine restart

Sandvik to provide automated fleet for Viscaria copper mine restart

Thu, August 6, 2026 at 11:40 AM GMT+3 2 min read

Swedish mining company Gruvaktiebolaget Viscaria has appointed Sandvik to provide an underground automated fleet and services for the restart of its copper mine in Kiruna, Sweden.

The agreement entails Sandvik providing four DL432i longhole drills along with four Toro LH621i loaders, which will operate from the AutoMine Multi-Lite platform with integrated fleet management.

Also included are rock tools and a comprehensive service contract, for which Sandvik will establish a dedicated on-site service organisation to support fleet operations.

The Viscaria copper mine, acquired by Gruvaktiebolaget Viscaria in 2019, was previously operational from 1982 until 1997, at which point it was closed due to falling global copper prices.

After a substantial hiatus, production is scheduled to resume in 2028, aiming for full output in 2029. When fully operational, the mine is expected to produce 26,000t annually.

Sandvik Mining president Patrick Murphy said: "Successful mining projects are built on strong partnerships long before the first tonne of ore is produced, and we have been working alongside the Viscaria team since 2020.

"Viscaria represents exactly the kind of forward-looking project where early collaboration creates long-term value. We look forward to delivering our leading equipment, rock tools and automation solutions, backed by life cycle services, to help Viscaria unlock the untapped potential of this historic mine."

The order, confirmed in the third quarter of 2026, will see deliveries commence in January 2027, continuing through to August 2027.

In July 2026, Sandvik secured an order worth approximately Skr340m ($35.2m) from Mexican mining contractor Constructora Minera Villagómez (CoMinVi) for the supply of underground mining equipment.

CoMinVi, which was founded in 1997, plans to use the equipment at several of its contract sites in the country.

"Sandvik to provide automated fleet for Viscaria copper mine restart" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.