Russia to Deploy Autonomous Mining Fleet in the Arctic

A massive copper and gold mining project in Chukotka will pioneer the use of self-driving trucks and excavators, reshaping how heavy industry operates in the Russian Arctic.

The Baimsky Mining and Processing Plant (GOK) in Chukotka, set to launch operations in 2029, will feature a fully autonomous fleet of haul trucks, excavators, and drilling rigs. The move is expected to cut operating costs by tens of millions of rubles annually and allow workers to manage equipment remotely—reducing physical risk and increasing efficiency, according to Russian tech publication 'Pervy Tekhnichesky.'

At the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Georgy Fotin, CEO of Baimskaya Mining Company, announced that the plant will utilize 300-ton autonomous haul trucks—the largest commercially available. Combined with driverless excavators and drilling systems, these machines will significantly reduce expenses related to personnel, logistics, and fuel.

Fotin emphasized that the shift to automation is not a one-off experiment but a major trend expected to reshape the entire Arctic industrial sector over the next five years.

“These innovations won’t just cut the cost of extracting copper, gold, and other metals,” Fotin said. “They’ll also make mining safer and give us tighter control over every stage of the process.”

The Baimsky plant will be one of Russia’s first large-scale mining operations to adopt autonomous technology at this level—potentially setting a precedent for similar efforts across the country and globally.