Fortescue Ltd (ASX:FMG), the world’s fourth largest iron ore miner, has agreed to buy US$2.8 billion worth of battery-electric trucks and diggers to replace over half its fleet.
It signed a partnership with German-Swiss equipment manufacturer Liebherr to jointly develop technology that "paves the way for carbon-free mining".
As well as providing 360 autonomous battery-electric trucks, 55 electric diggers and 60 battery-powered bulldozers for Fortescue's own fleet, the pair also said the Liebherr-Fortescue vehicles will be available to "the rest of the mining industry in the near future".
A battery power system used in the trucks has been developed by Fortescue’s technology arm, and be integrated into an electric version of Liebherr’s PR 776 mining dozer.
The 475 emissions-free Liebherr machines being bought by the miner as part of the deal represents about two thirds of the current mining fleet at Fortescue’s operations in Western Australia.
"We are proud to have facilitated the single largest equipment deal in the entire 75-year history of the Liebherr Group," said Liebherr's executive vice president, sales and marketing, Jörg Lukowski.
"The technology developed as part of this record-breaking deal will not only support our customers along their decarbonisation journeys but also help us honour our commitment to offer completely fossil fuel free hauling, loading and dozing solutions by the end of the decade."