News | 30/09/2024
Liebherr and Fortescue at MINExpo 2024: together for zero emission mining
On 24 September, during this year’s MINExpo exhibition in Las Vegas, USA, Liebherr and Fortescue announced a historic expansion of their partnership. This expansion includes the supply of 475 zero emission Liebherr mining machines, 360 of which will be the autonomous battery-electric T 264 truck unveiled during MINExpo. This truck contains a battery electric power system developed by Fortescue Zero – Fortescue’s technology arm. Together, Liebherr and Fortescue will develop and validate a range of further zero emission mining solutions that will result in a large-scale zero emission mining ecosystem operational by 2030. This multi-billion-dollar deal is the single largest in the Liebherr Group’s 75-year history.
The historic deal between Liebherr and Fortescue paves the way to zero emission mining and will help deliver the decarbonisation targets of both partnering companies.
Trusting partnership since 2022 – expanded common goals since 2024
In 2022, Liebherr and Fortescue first announced a partnership for the development and supply of 120 zero emission mining haul trucks. At MINExpo 2024 the two companies announced that this number has tripled to 360 and that these machines would not only be battery-electric but also autonomous T 264 mining trucks.
All of the trucks in this fleet will ultimately be equipped with a zero emission battery power system developed by Fortescue Zero and the jointly developed Autonomous Haulage Solution – both of which were built to be scalable so they can be retrofitted onto existing Liebherr haul trucks. Four of these autonomous trucks are currently in validation at Fortescue’s testing site in Australia. Validation of the full autonomous battery-electric solution is expected to be complete in early 2026.
Additionally, the enlarged contract includes the development and validation of a zero emission dozer. Fortescue’s battery power system will be integrated into an electric version of the Liebherr’s flagship mining dozer, the PR 776. Once developed, Liebherr will supply Fortescue with 60 units of this dozing solution.
Beyond this, there are also 55 R 9400 E electric excavators completing the mega deal. Three of these excavators are already operational across Fortescue’s sites.
The future of mining: a proven, large scale zero emission mining ecosystem
The range of zero emission mining solutions developed and validated by the two companies will result in a large-scale, zero emission mining ecosystem operational by 2030. This deal is expected to create one of the world’s largest zero emission mining fleets and represents a major breakthrough in the pursuit of a mining industry no longer reliant on fossil fuels.
Once the pioneering zero emission technologies developed within the partnership enter series production, they will become available for mining companies all over the world.
The deal, with all of the equipment and technological innovations, amounts to the single largest deal made in the Liebherr Group’s 75-year history and will generate further significant positive output beyond 2030: the large volume of machinery presents a unique growth opportunity for Liebherr-Australia, as all 475 machines of this deal will become part of Fortescue’s iron ore hub in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. As such, Liebherr-Australia is currently preparing its branches and remanufacturing facilities to ensure it has the capacity to safely and efficiently maintain all of this equipment.
