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Harmony Gold, South Africa's largest gold miner, backed by Patrice Motsepe, Africa's first Black billionaire, has taken a major step in advancing its wholly-owned Eva Copper Mine Project in Queensland, Australia, with the purchase of €55 million ($64.1 million) worth of equipment from Finnish industrial giant Metso.
The order, one of the largest greenfield copper concentrator packages awarded in Australia in over a decade, positions Harmony to accelerate construction on a project expected to anchor its long-term shift into future-facing metals such as copper.
A strategic investment in next-generation copper supply
Metso will supply the project’s critical processing equipment, including a 24MW gearless Premier SAG mill, an 18MW twin-pinion ball mill, MP800 cone crushers, 15 TankCell flotation units, a Vertimill VTM3000, and advanced slurry and particle-size analyzers.
The package includes thickeners built with Metso’s water-efficient Reactorwell technology and a fully automated Larox PF filter to ensure consistent, high-grade concentrate output.
For Metso, a Finland-based frontrunner in sustainable technologies, the contract cements its footprint in Australia’s minerals-processing sector, and this is set to help Harmony reduce early-stage operational risk and lock in technologies essential for efficient, low-cost production.
The Eva Copper project, once operational, is expected to materially diversify Harmony’s portfolio, reducing its reliance on gold and increasing exposure to high-demand metals central to electric vehicles, grid upgrades and low-carbon infrastructure.
A partnership built for long-term performance
Alongside the equipment supply, Harmony Gold, the Johannesburg-based miner and Metso have agreed to a multi-year goods support arrangement to ensure smooth commissioning, early-life reliability and lower total cost of ownership.
Metso will provide on-site specialists as well as support from its Australian service centers, a model intended to shorten ramp-up times and reduce downtime. “We’re extremely proud to be working with Harmony,” said Kai Rönnberg, Metso’s Vice President for Minerals in Asia Pacific. “This partnership helps ensure long-term operational continuity.”
Motsepe’s long-standing link to Harmony
Patrice Motsepe, through African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), remains one of Harmony’s most influential shareholders. ARM, where he serves as executive chairman, holds an 11.8 percent stake in Harmony. This position dates back to the landmark 2003 merger between ARM and Avmin that strengthened Harmony’s growth trajectory.
With production guidance for FY2025 set between 1.4 million and 1.5 million ounces, and cost and grade targets intact, Harmony is positioning itself for a stronger multi-metal future. If executed on schedule, the Eva Copper Mine will give Harmony a foothold in one of the mining world’s most strategic commodities.
Copper demand is expected to outpace supply as global electrification accelerates. Harmony’s move signals a clear intent: to compete not only as a gold producer, but as a diversified miner positioned for the minerals economy of the next decade.
