Mining

Wärtsilä to power Senegal’s Diamba Sud gold mine With 14MW Plant. (Image source: Wärtsilä)

Technology group Wärtsilä will provide five Wärtsilä 32 engines for a 14 MW captive power plant being developed for the Diamba Sud Gold Project in Senegal

The dedicated power plant will provide the reliable electricity supply required for the mine’s operations. Located in a remote area, the Diamba Sud project will rely entirely on the captive facility for its power requirements.

The order was placed by Africa Power Services (APS), the France-based engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor responsible for the power plant, on behalf of Fortuna Mining. Wärtsilä recorded the order as order intake during the second quarter of 2026.

Wärtsilä 32 engines to power remote Senegal mine

The Wärtsilä 32 generating set has been in successful operation for 30 years and has supplied more than 8,000 MW of energy to customers globally. Its fast-starting capability also allows engine-based power systems to incorporate variable renewable sources, including solar and wind, by providing flexibility for balancing power supply and demand.

Fortuna Mining has plans to introduce renewable energy into the mine’s microgrid in the future, with the Wärtsilä engines providing the flexibility required to complement intermittent renewable generation.

“Operating a remote, off-grid mine requires reliable power, as any unscheduled downtime carries financial and operational risks. Wärtsilä’s engines deliver the continuous performance required for such demanding conditions. Selecting them for Diamba Sud ensures we mitigate operational risks from day one, while building a power foundation that can seamlessly integrate renewable energy assets as the mine evolves,” says Cedric Fernandez, Managing Director at APS.

Wärtsilä’s contract extends beyond the supply of the engine generating sets. Its scope includes basic engineering, engine-specific auxiliary equipment and the engine control and monitoring system. The company will also provide advisory services during installation and commissioning.

The use of multiple engine-generating sets is intended to provide the power plant with greater flexibility to respond to changing mine loads while maintaining efficient operation. The configuration will also provide the operational flexibility needed to accommodate renewable generation as the microgrid develops.

“This repeat order from APS reinforces Wärtsilä’s position as a trusted and reliable solution provider for the mining industry’s power needs,” commented Marc Thiriet, energy business director, Africa at Wärtsilä Energy.

“Mining operations are under dual pressure to maintain maximum uptime while actively charting a path toward decarbonisation. By deploying multiple smaller engine-generating sets instead of a single large unit, we enable the plant to match fluctuating load demands with high precision, maximizing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. Critically, these engines feature the starting flexibility required to balance the intermittent nature of solar or wind power, thereby complimenting Fortuna Mining’s future plans to introduce renewables to this microgrid strengthening the mines operational stability.”

Diamba Sud power plant targets 2027 operation

Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for March 2027, while the captive power plant is expected to begin operations by the end of 2027.

The project is being developed for Fortuna Mining, a Canadian mining company advancing the Diamba Sud Gold Project in Senegal. Fortuna acquired the project in September 2023.

Diamba Sud is situated within the Kenieba–Koudougou Inlier, a geologically important region extending across eastern Senegal and western Mali. The area hosts several major gold deposits.

The dedicated 14 MW power plant will form a critical part of the mine’s infrastructure, providing the electricity required for operations at the remote site while establishing a foundation for the future integration of renewable energy into the project’s microgrid.

Factory work on a girder for one of the 50-ton, 20m-span cranes (Image source: Condra)

The growth of Africa’s mining industry is driving demand for robust solutions and heavy equipment built for the rigours of the continent, especially where it can be produced locally

Teams at South Africa’s Condra are working flat out to finish a series of crane orders for mines in Zambia, Namibia and South Africa.

The company has introduced additional shifts to complete a glut of what it calls “unusually large” overhead cranes now under manufacture at its Johannesburg factory — among them are three with boxgirders more than 30 metres long.

“These are very big, very long, very heavy fabrications to manage,” a Condra spokesman said.

On the floor currently are two 50-ton cranes with spans of 34 metres, and a third, high-lift, 5-ton crane with a 35-metre span.Condra is simultaneously completing manufacture of a further four 50-ton cranes with spans of around 20 metres.

All six 50-tonners are for a mine in Zambia, while the 5-tonner is for a Namibian mine.

Manufacturing challenges

Spans of 34 and 35 metres present unusual manufacturing challenges because of girder dimensions — besides length, box girders for these spans stand two metres high and just under one metre wide.

“Manufacture involves intricate welding and very careful jigging to incorporate the correct camber to counter girders’ natural tendency to sag under load,” the spokesman said.

“Girders this long are also quite delicate to manoeuvre on the shop floor. They require resource and workflow planning, and tie up use of our factory cranes.”

The spokesman added that end-carriage design has been important to ensure crane longevity, because the wheels must accommodate continuously changing stresses imposed by the girders as they flex under different loads.

“Our design team paid attention to both camber and end-carriage design to ensure durability,” he said. “Condra cranes are known for their low overall lifetime cost.”

Also under manufacture for Namibian mines are three single-girder overhead cranes, two portal cranes and a jib crane.The company behind these orders is an undisclosed engineering and project management consultancy with representation worldwide.

It has additionally ordered 18 electric hoists of between 2 and 25-ton capacity, and four chain blocks.

South Africa commissioning

In South Africa’s Northern Cape province, Condra is now commissioning two cranes at Gamsberg Phase Two, where the same consultancy contributed to metallurgy and process plant design.

These, too, are big machines: one a 40/5 ton crane with 22-metre span, the other an 80/20 ton machine with 18-metre span.

Gamsberg Phase Two is an expansion of the open-cast zinc mine near the town of Aggeneys, to double annual ore output from 4 million to 8 million tonnes.

Besides the cranes undergoing commissioning, Condra has completed delivery of two other cranes to Gamsberg Phase Two, for installation as the structural steelwork progresses.

The company reported that it anticipates further orders from southern and east Africa, notably Tanzania and Mozambique, where a marketing drive is currently under way.

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Byrnecut expands underground mining fleet with Sandvik equipment

Actom puts energy resilience centre stage at Electra Mining Africa

Byrnecut orders Sandvik drills, loaders and trucks globally. (Image source: Sandvik)

Byrnecut has expanded its underground mining equipment fleet through a major investment in Sandvik machinery, strengthening its capabilities across mining operations in Australia, Canada, West Africa and Southern Africa

The latest investment comprises four Sandvik DD422i development drills, four Toro LH621i loaders equipped with AutoMine, four Toro TH663i underground trucks, two Sandvik DL432i longhole drills and one Sandvik DL422i longhole drill. The equipment order also includes four Rhino 100 mobile raise boring machines and one Rhino uphole module.

The orders were booked in June 2026, with equipment deliveries already underway and scheduled to continue through June 2028. Byrnecut will deploy the new underground mining equipment across multiple operations, supporting both new and established underground mining projects in key regions.

The investment will expand Byrnecut’s access to advanced underground drilling, loading, hauling and raise boring equipment while strengthening its ability to support safe, productive and technology-driven mining operations across its international project portfolio.

Sandvik and Byrnecut have developed a long-standing global partnership, collaborating over many years to deliver underground mining equipment and solutions focused on safety, productivity and innovation across multiple markets.

“Our relationship with Sandvik has been built over many years on trust, collaboration and consistent performance,” said Pat Boniwell, managing director, Byrnecut Australia.

“As our business continues to grow globally, we need equipment that delivers the productivity, reliability and technology our customers expect. This investment strengthens our fleet with proven underground equipment, automation capabilities and the global support we need to deliver for our customers.”

Patrick Murphy, president of Mining at Sandvik, said Byrnecut remains one of Sandvik’s key global partners in underground mining.

“Byrnecut has been a trusted partner for many years, and we are proud to continue supporting its global growth through this significant fleet investment,” Murphy said. “This investment demonstrates Byrnecut’s confidence in Sandvik’s underground equipment portfolio and our ability to support customers consistently across multiple continents. Together we are focused on delivering safer, more productive and increasingly automated underground mining operations.”

As part of the investment, Byrnecut will also draw on Sandvik’s global service and support network to help maximise equipment availability, reliability and productivity throughout the operational life of the fleet.

Raising the bar on energy resilience (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Energy storage, and its potential to reduce its exposure to grid instability, a key development constraint facing Africa, will be the primary focus for ACTOM when it exhibits at Electra Mining Africa in September

Africa’s largest manufacturer, repairer and distributor of electro-mechanical equipment will use the platform to showcase its fast-growing energy storage capability with lithium-ion batteries.

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) will form the core focus of its stand at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec, from 7 to 11 September, alongside its latest medium-voltage switchgear.

“Energy storage is the fastest growing area and the biggest opportunity for South African industry to reduce its exposure to grid instability,” said managing director of ACTOM Static Energy, Louis Heyns.

For ACTOM, the opportunity goes beyond supplying another generation of energy technology, however.

Energy storage is becoming an key part of building a more resilient African power system — one that can manage an increasingly unpredictable grid while giving mines and industry greater control over how and when they use electricity.

By developing this capability locally, ACTOM is also positioning energy storage as an industrial opportunity: keeping engineering expertise, manufacturing capability and value creation within South Africa while helping customers become less dependent on an unstable grid and imported solutions.

Local expertise

The September event follows a period of significant growth for ACTOM Static Energy, the business unit formed after ACTOM acquired JUEL Batteries earlier this year and integrated it into a complete energy-storage manufacturing ecosystem at ACTOM’s Pretoria West campus.

ACTOM now produces batteries, inverters, transformers and medium voltage integration systems on a single industrial site, enabling it to test complete, integrated systems in-factory before they reach the market.

“What we provide is unique in that these solutions are not generic, imported offerings,”said Heyns.

“They are locally designed and assembled, tested as complete systems and supported by a company with over a century of engineering credibility in South Africa. That’s the kind of assurance our customers, our energy partners, need when they’re making long-term infrastructure decisions.”

ACTOM’s GELPAG MSS H solid-dielectric insulated switchgear (SIS) family, which ACTOM offers through its MV Switchgear subsidiary, is another new medium-voltage (MV) switchgear product that visitors will be able to view.

The GELPAG SIS provides compact, low-maintenance MV solutions appropriate for containerised substations, PV collector substations, and mining installations with limited space by using epoxy resin-insulated pole modules with embedded vacuum interrupters and earth-screening to remove exposed live conductors and do away with the need for gas-based primary insulation.

The series has undergone type testing in accordance with IEC standards, giving it a proven choice for applications requiring compact, high-integrity MV distribution.

Industry showcase

At its Electra Mining Africa stand, visitors will see how ACTOM’s locally manufactured, end‑to‑end capabilities, from design and assembly to testing and commissioning, deliver durable, bankable solutions and measurable value for mines and industry.

According to Heyns, the exhibition is a place to demonstrate how local engineering and integrated delivery shorten project timelines, reduce risk and keep economic benefit in South Africa.

“Electra Mining Africa brings together precisely the customer base that needs bankable, locally manufactured energy-storage solutions at this time,” he said.

“Mines and industrial operations are under real pressure to secure reliable power, manage rising grid costs and reduce diesel dependency and our lithium-ion batteries and BESS are engineered to meet that demand at scale.”

Mervyn Naidoo, CEO of The ACTOM Group, echoed the sentiment to support African-made products and solutions.

“ACTOM's guiding principle — in Africa, for Africa, by Africa — shapes everything we build. It's why we design, manufacture and test our batteries, inverters and switchgear locally, keeping skills, jobs and know-how here. This is how we deliver bankable solutions for mines and industry, while reducing South Africa's reliance on imports.”

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