Barrick Mining and Komatsu have finalised an agreement for the delivery of primary mining equipment to Barrick’s Reko Diq copper/gold project in Pakistan, starting in 2026. The $440-million deal marks Komatsu’s first major mining equipment placement in the Middle East.

Linked to the deal, Komatsu intends to establish Komatsu Pakistan Mining, a new entity dedicated to providing service and technical expertise at Reko Diq.

Additional investments will also be made to Komatsu Middle East, the regional headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to support an expanded equipment footprint in the region. These investments will help ensure that Barrick will have the resources needed to efficiently operate at Reko Diq.

“The Reko Diq project represents a long-term investment in our future and that of mining in Pakistan, and our partnership with Komatsu is an important part of that vision. Komatsu equipment has proven its performance and reliability at our operations worldwide, and we are confident in their ability to support our goals at Reko Diq,” Barrick president and CEO Mark Bristow said on June 26.

The equipment package for Reko Diq includes 980E-5 ultra-class haul trucks, which are manufactured and exported from Peoria, Illinois, in the US.

Komatsu will also supply P&H 4100XPC AC electric rope shovels, which are manufactured and exported from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the US.

Additionally, Barrick will receive PC7000-11 mining excavators, which are manufactured and exported from Dusseldorf, Germany.

Finally, Komatsu will deliver WE2350-2 electric wheel loaders. These are manufactured and exported from Longview, Texas, in the US. These are the largest wheel loaders globally.

Barrick and Komatsu have expanded their collaboration in recent years across multiple projects, following successful fleet acquisitions at Barrick’s Lumwana copper mine in Zambia and the Nevada gold mines complex in the US. In October 2023, the two companies formalised a global framework agreement, laying the foundation for deeper cooperation across multiple projects.  

“Barrick is an important global partner for Komatsu, and we [will] expand our relationship to support the development of Reko Diq. The scale and complexity of this project demands proven, high-performance equipment, and we are confident our ultra-class haul trucks, electric rope shovels, and other mining machines will meet the challenge,” Komatsu mining business division president Peter Salditt said.