Epiroc Secures P840 Million Order for Khoemacau Underground Mining Expansion
Epiroc to Supply US$64M Mining Equipment for MMG’s Khoemacau Expansion in Botswana
Epiroc has secured an order worth approximately P840 million from MMG Limited to supply underground mining equipment for the expansion of the Khoemacau Copper Mine in northwestern Botswana.
The order, valued at approximately SEK 610 million (US$64 million), was booked in the third quarter of 2026 and includes a fleet of underground mining equipment to support the expansion of operations at the Kalahari Copper Belt mine.
The equipment package includes face drilling rigs, production drilling rigs, cable bolting rigs, loaders and underground mine trucks.
Epiroc will also provide a remote-control solution for the loaders, together with spare parts, tools and on-site services.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 and are expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2028.
MMG, together with mining contractors China Huaye and 23MCC, both subsidiaries of China Minmetals Corporation, placed the order as part of the expansion programme.
The Khoemacau expansion is expected to more than double the mine’s production capacity to approximately 130,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate per year, with associated silver production exceeding four million ounces annually.
The project includes the construction of a new 4.5 million-tonne-per-annum processing plant and the development of three underground mines at the Zone 5 North, Mango and Zeta North-East deposits.
Once completed, the expansion is expected to increase Khoemacau’s total milling capacity to more than 8 million tonnes per year. Capital expenditure for the project is estimated at approximately US$900 million, including expenditure incurred before 2026.
First copper concentrate from the expansion is expected in the first half of 2028.
China Huaye, through its subsidiary Huaye Botswana Mining, was awarded the mining services contract for the Khoemacau expansion in May 2026. The contract is expected to run for more than five years through 2031.
The expansion is expected to significantly increase copper production from Botswana’s Kalahari Copper Belt and strengthen the country’s position as an emerging copper-producing jurisdiction.
