Nornickel and Belarusian manufacturer BELAZ signed an agreement in Zhodino on September 7 to establish a joint venture for underground mining equipment. In the text released by Nornickel, the cooperation includes developing new machines and a full-cycle facility for production, repair and maintenance. The companies have worked together on underground equipment since 2022.

Nornickel said six MoAZ-75851 mine trucks and one MoAZ-4076 load-haul-dump machine are undergoing trials in Norilsk; BELAZ is factory-testing a 45-tonne BELAZ-75855 truck and a BELAZ-79550 loader with a 17.2-tonne capacity. The companies also aim to develop machines powered by alternatives such as electricity and hydrogen, and plan pilot-industrial tests of battery-powered mine trucks in 2027. These are announced plans and tests, not completed serial-production results.