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https://thedriven.io/2026/07/31/fortescue-says-excavator-fleet-at-iron-ore-mine-now-fully-electric-as-commissions-first-in-house-heavy-haul-truck-fast-chargers/>
"The first of Andrew Forrest’s giant iron ore mines in the Pilbara is now
operating with an entirely electric fleet of huge excavators, as testing
continues nearby on the first of its in-house 6 MW fast chargers, likely the
biggest in the world.
Fortescue announced on Friday, in the release of its quarterly production
report, that it now has 18 electric excavators operating across its mine sites
in the Pilbara. The 7-strong excavator fleet at the Flying Fish iron ore mine
is now fully electric.
The company is aiming to reach “real zero” by 2030, which means it won’t be
burning gas or diesel for its power and mining needs. It uses about 700 million
litres of diesel a year. Each excavator consumes around one million litres of
diesel a year.
“Ongoing volatility in global diesel prices only reinforces the commercial case
for eliminating fossil fuels from our operations,” CEO Dino Otranto said in a
statement. “Rather than simply absorbing higher fuel costs, we’re investing to
remove that exposure altogether and strengthen our long-term cost position.”
The company has also been trialling other electric mining equipment, including
150-tonne water carriers – critical for keeping down dust – along with electric
bulldozers, graders, and loaders. These are being built by Chinese equipment
supplier XCMG and will soon be trialled at the mine sites.
The biggest saving will come in the form of the near 300 or so giant electric
haul trucks, each weighing around 240 tonnes and equipped with massive
batteries.
These are being supplied by XCMG and Liebherr, and will take longer to arrive
in numbers, probably around 2028 or 2029 and will likely be one of the final
pieces in the real zero puzzle."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
