Fortescue deploys Australia’s “first fully electric” excavator on way to zero emissions in Pilbara

Iron ore mining giant and growing green investor Fortescue has announced the first operational electric excavator in Australia, located at the Cloudbreak mine site in the Pilbara.

The excavator is powered by a 6.6kB substation, and requires more than two kilometres of high voltage trailing cable. Trailing cables like this have been used in the past, but require extra testing and requirements to ensure the cable can’t be damaged and become a danger to workers.

The Cloudbreak site is partially powered by a 60MW solar farm nearby.

“The commissioning of this fully electric excavator is a massive achievement by the team and is the first of its kind in Australia for the mining industry,” said Fortescue Metals CEO Dino Otranto.

“Already, our Chichester operations which include Cloudbreak run partially off solar enabling this first excavator to be powered using renewable electricity. Once we decarbonise our electricity grid, all these excavators will be operating on renewable electricity in the future.”

Fortescue says it plans to build more than one gigawatt of solar, another gigawatt of wind energy, and around four gigawatt hours of battery storage as it seeks to reach ‘real zero’ emissions for its iron ore mining operations, which currently emits more than 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year.

As part of this process, many of the fossil fuel and diesel powered mining equipment need to be electrified. This will include 80 excavators, 350 haul trucks, and 70 drills.

The excavator currently in operation is a R 9400 E made by Liebherr and is one of three being commissioned over the next 12 months.

The R 9400 E is the first piece of ‘cabled’ mining equipment for Fortescue, which has been trialling a hydrogen fuel cell haul truck at another site, and a fully electric one using technology developed by its Williams Engineering business.

“The debut of Australia’s first operational electric excavator is a big achievement for our local team who will provide ongoing service and support for these machines,” said Liebherr-Australia’s Managing Director, Mining, Trent Wehr.

“Our local teams are actively enhancing their skills to keep pace with the changes that accompany our expanding lineup of zero emission mining equipment, and we’re excited to see what the future holds.”