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

Liebherr officially handed over a face shovel R 9350 E to Assarel-Medet, Bulgaria's first copper mining company and largest copper mine currently operating, where community representatives and executives from Alki-L and Liebherr-Export attended the ceremony. 

Liebherr's 300-tonne excavator offers zero emissions mining power 

Emitting zero greenhouse gases during operation, Assarel-Madel chose the R 9350 E for its environmental benefits while maintaining productivity, durability, and ease of maintenance. 

The R 9350 E is equipped with a 1,200 kW electric motor that creates fewer vibrations and less noise during operation, longer service life for working units and components, and maximum overall efficiency at extreme temperatures. As well, the electric motor is designed to last for the entire service life of the machine, reducing operating and maintenance costs.

As well, the face shovel excavator is equipped with a custom 17-cubic-metre bucket to ensure optimal productivity while moving material at Assarel mine.

"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."

A long-term partnership fuelled by successful operations 

The partnership between Assarel-Medet, Alki-L and Liebherr-Export began in 1993, when Assarel-Medet received its first Liebherr machine, an L 506 wheel loader, at Assarel mine in the Sredgna Gora mountain range. In the intervening decades, Assarel-Medet's Liebherr fleet has grown to a current total of 28 machines and includes more wheel loaders as well as dozers, wheeled excavators, a specialised tracked machine for welding work, and large diesel and electric mining excavators. Thanks to the dedicated support of Alki-L's service specialists and the team from its mine repair and central repair base, a number of these machines have reached more than 130,000 operating hours and are still productive members of Assarel-Medet's fleet.

"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.