Fortescue signs multi-million-dollar agreement with Epiroc for electric drills
Fortescue has signed a major contract with Epiroc for more than 50 electric drill rigs as part of the Company’s efforts to eliminate emissions.
Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer Dino Otranto and Epiroc Chief Executive Officer Helena Hedblom sign the contract.
Fortescue has signed a major contract with Epiroc for more than 50 electric drill rigs as part of the Company’s efforts to eliminate emissions.
Under the new deal, worth up to A$350 million, Fortescue will purchase both autonomous electric platform drills and autonomous electric contour drills. The delivery of these new assets will align with the phased replacement of ageing diesel-powered equipment and will be completed by 2030.
Once operational, the autonomous electric fleet, which will be operated from Fortescue’s Integrated Operations Centre in Perth, will eliminate around 35 million litres of diesel consumption annually.
It follows the arrival of the first Epiroc Pit Viper 271 E electric drill at Fortescue’s Solomon mine earlier this month, which is expected to drill its first hole in the coming days. This will be Australia’s first Pit Viper 271 E drill in operation.
Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer, Dino Otranto said: “We’re thrilled to be joining forces with Epiroc to bring cutting-edge electric mining equipment into our operations. The deployment of this new fleet of electric drills will immediately start reducing our carbon footprint, cutting over 90,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually once the fleet is operational.
“To decarbonise, we’re aiming to swap out around 800 pieces of heavy mining equipment with zero emissions alternatives by the end of the decade, as well as deploy 2-3GW of renewable energy and battery storage across the Pilbara.” Epiroc President and Chief Executive Officer Helena Hedblom said: “Fortescue is at the forefront of the mining industry in reducing emissions from operations and in using automation to strengthen safety and productivity, and we are proud to support them on this important effort.
“Not only is this the largest contract we have ever received, but it is also a major step forward for our electric-powered surface equipment. We look forward to contributing to Fortescue’s continued success now and in the future.”
Construction is now also underway on a 190MW solar farm at Fortescue’s Cloudbreak site, capable of generating enough solar energy to supply more than 70,000 households on average.Once fully operational, this will reduce Fortescue’s annual diesel consumption by around 125 million litres. It follows the commissioning of a 100MW solar farm at North Star Junction near Iron Bridge last year.
“Zero emission”, when used in relation to vehicles or power systems means that: (a) a vehicle's exhaust, or the power system, only emits water vapour when in operation; or (b) if the vehicle or power system is 100% battery powered then the vehicle, or power system, does not emit any exhaust emissions.