Press-centre

7 october 2025

The Russian Mining and Metallurgical company Udokan Copper in the Trans-Baikal Territory commissioned a 240-ton BELAZ mining dump truck, which became the first vehicle of such a large class of payload capacity for the enterprise.

The interesting point is that the first 240-ton dump truck of series BELAZ-7531 at Udokan was also the first named dump truck at the enterprise. It is named after the Soviet geologist Elizaveta Burova, who discovered the Udokan Copper Deposit in 1949, which is the largest in Russia.

It is symbolic that the dump truck with a special design coloring of the body canopy, which depicts the symbol of Transbaikalia – the rosemary flower, was decided to entrust to the female driver's crew.

– We decided to dedicate our first 240-ton BELAZ to a brave woman, the discoverer of the deposit, who found copper in a harsh climate, in an area equated to the Far North," said Alexey Yaschuk, CEO of Udokan Copper.

BELAZ dump trucks of ultra heavy-duty payload capacity are characterized by increased power, reliability, fuel efficiency and maneuverability on mining roads. These vehicles are designed for efficient operation in difficult mining, geological and climatic conditions and will work in tandem with 20 m3 mining excavators used at the Udokan Mining and Metallurgical Plant.

By the end of this year, 7 more of these 240-ton BELAZ-7531 dump trucks will start working at the Zapadny-1 and Zapadny-2 sections of the Udokan mines. The new equipment will increase the volume of ore transportation and raise the efficiency of mining. The company's fleet today consists primarily of 130-ton BELAZ dump trucks.