A Liebherr electric excavator at Fortescue’s Christmas Creek mine in Western Australia recently achieved a significant operational milestone by moving its one millionth tonne of dirt. This success has prompted Fortescue to plan the purchase of two additional electric excavators.
Since its introduction earlier this year, the converted mining excavator has been steadily working. Following a 90-day break-in period operating at partial capacity while the site team familiarized themselves with the new technology, the excavator is now operating at full speed.
Fortescue Metals CEO, Dino Otranto, expressed excitement about the milestone, stating, “This is such an exciting milestone for Fortescue and our decarbonisation journey. Importantly, we’ve been able to achieve this while maintaining our high safety standards. We will have two additional electric excavators commissioned by the end of April.”
The implementation of electric excavators is part of Fortescue’s broader decarbonization strategy. Otranto highlighted that once the entire fleet is decarbonized, approximately 95 million liters of diesel will be removed from operations every year, equating to more than a quarter of a million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
To sustainably power the excavator, it currently operates using a blend of renewable solar power and a 6.6 kV substation, with electrons supplied through more than two kilometers of high-voltage trailing cable. Fortescue aims to eventually power all electrified mining equipment with 100% renewable electricity as part of its commitment to eliminate emissions across its mining operations.