Sandvik Automated Fleet Powers Viscaria Copper Mine Revival
The Viscaria copper mine in northern Sweden has been idle since 1997 due to sustained low copper prices, but its revival is now underway. The mine's owner, Gruvaktiebolaget Viscaria, has partnered with Sandvik to deploy an automated fleet of equipment for the mine restart.
The technical challenges facing the restart are significant, including structural integrity assessment, geotechnical re-mapping, and dewatering. These tasks require rebuilding operational certainty in a mine that has spent years evolving without human intervention.
The Sandvik fleet will comprise four DL432i longhole drills, four Toro LH621i loaders, the AutoMine Multi-Lite platform, rock tools, and a comprehensive lifecycle service contract. The equipment is designed for sublevel stoping blast hole drilling and underground ore tramming and loading.
The mine's production target is 26,000 tonnes of copper concentrate annually, which will be a meaningful contribution to European domestic output. The project is expected to resume in 2028 after fleet deliveries are completed in August 2027.