Liebherr delivers 300-tonne electric excavator to Bulgaria's largest copper mine

Liebherr has officially handed over an R 9350 E electric face shovel excavator to Assarel-Medet, Bulgaria's first copper mining company and its largest currently operating copper mine.

Zero-emission 300-tonne excavator built for high-output mining

The Liebherr R 9350 E is a 300-tonne electric mining excavator that produces zero greenhouse gas emissions during operation.

Assarel-Medet, a local dealer, selected the machine for its combination of environmental performance, productivity, durability, and low maintenance requirements — priorities that align with the mine's operational and sustainability goals.

The R 9350 E is powered by a 1,200 kW electric motor engineered to deliver maximum efficiency across extreme temperature ranges. Key performance advantages over diesel equivalents include:

• Reduced vibration and noise during operation
• Extended service life for working units and components
• An electric motor designed to last the full service life of the machine, significantly reducing long-term operating and maintenance costs.

The unit delivered to Assarel-Medet is also fitted with a custom 17-cubic-metre bucket, optimized for the specific material handling requirements at the Assarel mine site.

A 30-year partnership between Liebherr and Assarel-Medet

The relationship between Assarel-Medet, Alki-L, and Liebherr-Export dates to 1993, when Assarel-Medet took delivery of its first Liebherr machine — an L 506 wheel loader — at the Assarel mine in the Sredna Gora mountain range.

Over the three decades since, Assarel-Medet's Liebherr fleet has grown to 28 machines, encompassing wheel loaders, dozers, wheeled excavators, a specialized tracked machine for welding operations, and large diesel and electric mining excavators.

Supported by Alki-L's on-site service specialists and its mine and central repair base teams, several machines in the fleet have surpassed 130,000 operating hours and remain in active production.

"This 300-tonne machine is a symbol of not only technical excellence thanks to Liebherr's dedication to continuous improvement, but also of the long-standing cooperation between Liebherr and Assarel-Medet," says Raphael Goeppel, Liebherr-Export's general manager for earthmoving and mining equipment. "In recent years, the world has faced numerous challenges, and the fact that we can all come together like this shows how important a good partnership between companies is."

"Delivering this R 9350 E is not just a business achievement; it is a reflection of the exceptional relationship we have built with Alki-L and Assarel-Medet over time. When partners genuinely work together with a common goal, great things happen. We are incredibly proud of this moment and truly excited about everything the future holds for our collaboration," says Goeppel.