Fortescue adds another electric excavator, says it is saving a million litres of diesel per unit

Andrew Forrest’s iron ore mining giant Fortescue says it has added a 15th electric excavator to its fleet, claiming it is already saving a million litres of diesel per unit as it ramps up its efforts to reach “real zero” by the end of the decade.

The arrival of the 15th giant excavator at its mines in the Pilbara was announced on LinkedIn on Tuesday, with the company saying that it had now moved 100 million tonnes of ore with its new electric equipment.

“100 million tonnes moved. Powered by electric,” it said, adding that the electric excavators are saving around one million litres of diesel per unit, per year. ​

“Our electric excavators are already delivering at scale across operations.​ And we’re not slowing down. We’ve just added our 15th electric excavator to the fleet.​”

The excavators are tethered by an electric cord to Fortescue’s power supply, which is being rapidly phased down from diesel to a mix of solar, wind and battery storage. A total of 70 electric excavators will eventually be installed.

The solar facilities have already reduced the company’s diesel use, and Fortescue is ramping up its solar projects with the expected completion of its 190 MW Cloudbreak solar farm in a few months, and the construction of the larger 600 MW Turner River hub.

It also expects to install the first of its unique “self lifting” wind turbines at Nullagine later this year, a precursor to a large project that could total up to two gigawatts of wind capacity and around 3 GW of renewables in total

The big test will be the introduction of up to 400 fully electric giant haul trucks – each weighing around 240 tonnes – with the first Liebherr trucks to arrive mid year, and those from China’s XCMG to follow.

All up Fortescue uses around 700 million litres of diesel a year at its mines, and argues that the switch to renewables and fully electric equipment is not just feasible because the technology exists, but also cost effective.

Forrest has laid down a target of “real zero” by 2030, meaning burning no fossil fuels for power or transport or mining equipment by that time, although it has hinted that some parts of the equation may be delivered even earlier.

That’s in contrast to the plans for BHP and Rio Tinto, who argue that the technology for a rapid decarbonisation of their giant mines does not yet exist, despite investing heavily in renewable energy power supplies at some of their projects.

“The technology is proven. The economics are shifting. The industry is watching,” Fortescue wrote on its LinkedIn account last week. And it quoted Barrenjoey analyst Glyn Lawcock: “Where Fortescue is going, ultimately everyone is going to follow.”

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