Uzbekistan’s Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Company (NMMC) is one of the top four gold producers globally, centred on its flagship Muruntau operation. A significant part of its production momentum is driven by the Automotive Transport Division of NMMC’s Central Mining Administration which includes more than 2,500 professionals and drivers, ensuring the uninterrupted transportation of mined rock.
NMMC says that in 2024, the division transported 118 million cubic metres of rock from the Muruntau mine. This year, the aim is even higher — targeting 138 million cubic metres.
The division operates over 350 pieces of heavy equipment, including haul trucks with payload capacities ranging from 90 to 260 t. The fleet includes BELAZ, Komatsu and Caterpillar trucks, and in 2025, over 30 new Hitachi trucks are also scheduled to join the operations.
Looking in more detail at the larger class models, the BELAZ trucks include 130 t 75131 and 7530 Series 220 t capacity types; the Caterpillar trucks include the 181 t 789C and 194 t 789D models, and the Komatsu models include the 227 t 830E and 254 t 860E. On the latter, in April 2024, the company successfully put into operation four brand new Komatsu 860E-1K electric drive mining trucks and in total, ten Komatsu 860E trucks were delivered last year. It was one of the first mining companies in Central Asia to use this heavy-duty type of Komatsu dump truck in its operations.
“Fleet renewal is not just about replacing machinery — it is an investment in safety, efficiency, and the long-term sustainability of mining operations,” says Shukhrat Mavlonov, Head of the Automotive Transport Division.
Looking at the wider mining plans at Muruntau, the mine currently extends 5.5 km in length, 3.4 km in width, and over 675 m in depth. As part of the Muruntau Stage V – Phase 1 investment project, work is underway to deepen the pit to 1,000 m by applying modern mining and engineering solutions.
To improve efficiency in transporting larger volumes of rock mass, construction is ongoing on the southern slope of the pit. This includes new crushing and loading stations, as well as main and waste conveyors with a combined length of 2.4 km. All conveyor systems are being manufactured locally at NMMC’s machine-building plant in Navoi and the repair plant in Zarafshan. Preparations are also underway for the next phase – Muruntau. Stage V – Phase 2 – which will bring annual ore delivery from the Muruntau mine to Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 2 to an expected 60 Mt. This work forms part of NMMC’s broader commitment to increasing productivity, advancing localisation, and maintaining its position as a key player in the global gold mining industry.
