Australian mining company Fortescue has secured 10 million Australian dollars in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to develop a six-megawatt fast charger aimed at powering heavy battery electric vehicles (EVs). The total project cost is estimated at $35.3 million, and it includes the construction, testing, and validation of several chargers, with the goal of having the first 6 MW charger ready for production by the end of 2025.
The charging station is being designed with global standardization in mind, ensuring compatibility with any equipment that meets connector standards across various industries, including mining, rail, and other heavy sectors. The initiative is part of ARENA’s broader efforts to reduce emissions from Australia’s heavy industry, particularly targeting the mining sector, where heavy haulage for remote sites contributes around a quarter of the industry’s emissions.
“ARENA is working to reduce emissions from Australia’s heavy industry, with heavy haulage high on the priority list for the mining sector,” said ARENA CEO Darren Miller. “Heavy haulage for remote mine sites contributes around a quarter of the mining industry’s emissions and is considered a hard-to-abate sector, so we’re investing in the technologies that will be part of the solution.”
The funding comes from the Australian Government’s ‘Industrial Transformation Stream,’ part of the ‘Powering the Regions Fund,’ a $400 million program aimed at supporting emissions reductions at industrial facilities in regional Australia. Fortescue Zero CEO Ellie Coates highlighted the innovation behind the project, saying, “These innovative chargers are designed to be a safe, rugged, high-power and scalable fast charging solution for multiple different vehicle applications.” The chargers will be developed to withstand the challenging conditions of the Pilbara region and are expected to power Fortescue’s future 240-tonne Liebherr T 264 battery electric trucks in just 30 minutes.
ARENA’s support for electric truck electrification extends beyond Fortescue’s project. Last month, the agency allocated $100 million AUD for truck electrification, and earlier this year, it invested 21.8 million Australian dollars in three electric mobility projects. The funding initiatives aim to accelerate the installation of fast-charging infrastructure across Australia.