The world's most efficient open-pit copper mine
Aitik, just south of Gällivare in northern Sweden, is Sweden's largest open-pit coppermine. Ore is mined here around the clock from chalcopyrite that contains copper, gold and silver. The work in Aitik is done by some of the biggest machines in the world. They include rock dumpers weighing 570 tonnes when loaded, whose wheels alone are 4 metres across and excavators whose buckets can hold 45 cubic metres of rock. These machines are operated by nearly as many women as men, which makes Aitik one of the most gender-neutral mines in the world.
With around 900 employees, the Aitik mine is the largest private employer in Gällivare
Municipality.
During 2018 and 2019 a project for electrification of rock trucks was conducted in Aitik. Four CAT 795-trucks were adapted with current collectors, similar to those on railway carts, and a 700 m long test lane was built. The results were so promising that a decision was made in late 2019 to expand the project with a total of 3 km electrical lanes, including the existing one, and equipping ten more trucks with current collectors.
See the film about the project