IN LISBON: Boliden (FRA:BWJ) is set to showcase its electric solutions, ready and implemented at scale, at its newly opened Rävliden Mine in Sweden at this year’s Electric Mine Conference held on 5–7 May 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Rävliden is a new underground deposit, part of the broader Kristineberg Mine area in Sweden. The deposit features an advanced electrification and fossil-free technology to reduce diesel consumption by 80%.
Production ramp-up began in 2024 to extend the life of the Kristineberg Mine until at least 2033.
Speaking to Mining.com.au, Head of Electrification and Automation Rikard Mäki says he is “excited” to share the progress and learnings from the company’s underground electric trolley system together with its suppliers at the Electric Mine conference.
“And to give a sneak peek into the next step we are taking to bring it to the next level of efficiency,” Mäki tells this news service.
Boliden has been using ABB’s (OTCQB:ABBNY) trolley infrastructure for electric mine trucks, which reduces carbon emissions and boosts productivity at the Aitik Mine in Sweden.
At Aitik, Boliden aims to improve the operator’s health, increase productivity, and reduce fleet gas emissions and costs through the project. It replaces parts of the mine’s existing transport system with electric trucks and uses ABB’s power infrastructure, with the goal of carrying 70 million tonnes of rock every year at the mine.
Electric Mine 2026
Now in its sixth year, the Electric Mine Conference is dedicated entirely to the electrification of mining. The event brings together more than 750 global delegates across 35 countries. It brings together first movers, innovators, and industry executives to shape the future of mining, as this news service reported.
It is an essential platform for all companies involved in the mine electrification transition to showcase future-proofed solutions that will enable mining companies to achieve their interim and final emissions targets by 2050.
Mäki adds that there are many unknowns for mine operators stepping into electrification right now.
“The great thing is that within the mining industry the most unknown are actually known by someone,” he explains.
“That is where the Electric Mine conference plays a critical role to bring the collective knowledge to one place and learn from each other.”
In 2024, more than half of mining giants expect to transform over the next five years, and 68% are planning to electrify at least 25% of their haulage fleet by 2030, according to ABB.
Moving away from diesel
Mäki says for the surface community, he wants to continue pushing the need of vehicles, infrastructure, and systems for the company’s open pits.
“[I want to] highlight actions we need to take as an industry to move away from diesel,” he notes.
At Boliden, Mäki says the company’s climate targets are at the heart of its strategy and electrification is key to deliver on its commitments.
“In the next two to five years, we will have a focus on electrical and charging infrastructure to enable large-scale fleet transition,” he says.
“One application ramping up quickly is our public road transports of ore and concentrate where electric trucks are starting to outperform the diesel counterparts on cost per tonne.”
As previously reported, while the number of mines in Sweden has decreased from around 240 in 1990 to 13 in 2024, production has gone in the opposite direction.
In 2021, ore production in Sweden recorded the highest ever with 88.6 million tonnes. Sweden is the largest iron ore producer in the EU — totalling 80 million tonnes per year, valued at more than €8 billion ($13 billion).
Sweden also ranks fourth in the EU for copper production, largely due to Boliden’s Aitik Mine. Aitik produces around 18 million tonnes of ore per year.
Boliden is focused on exploring, extracting, and processing base metals and precious metals.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Boliden
