Rivalries will be put aside as BHP and Rio Tinto join forces in testing large battery-electric haul truck technology to decarbonise their money-spinning Pilbara iron ore operations.
The duo are also roping in their competing truck manufacturers — Komatsu and Caterpillar — to help conduct the trials.
The move is an industry first in terms of collaboration between competing miners and equipment manufacturers for a decarbonisation initiative.
Two CAT 793 haul trucks will be trialled from the second half of 2024 and then two Komatsu 930 trucks tested from 2026. BHP will take the lead and trial the Caterpillar trucks first.
The iron ore giants said the outcomes of all the testing will be shared with each other.
Since 2021 BHP and Rio Tinto have worked with both Caterpillar and Komatsu to support the development of prototype battery-electric haul trucks. The trucks included in these trials are based on these prototypes.
BHP Australia president Geraldine Slattery said operational decarbonisation relied on breakthroughs in technology and such partnerships would drive the industry forward.
“Replacing diesel as a fuel source requires us to develop a whole new operational ecosystem to surround the fleet,” she said.
“We need to address the way we plan our mines, operate our haulage networks, and consider the additional safety and operational considerations that these changes will bring.
“This is why trials are so critical to our success as we test and learn how these new technologies could work and integrate into our mines.”
Rio Tinto iron ore chief Simon Trott said there was no clear path to net zero without zero-emissions haulage.
“This collaboration brings together two leading global miners with two of the world’s biggest manufacturers of haul trucks to work on solving the critical challenge of zero-emissions haulage,” he said.
“Testing two types of battery-electric haul trucks in Pilbara conditions will provide better data, and by combining our efforts with BHP we will accelerate learning.
“As we work to repower our Pilbara operations with renewable energy, collaborations like this move us closer to solving the shared challenge of decarbonising our operations and meeting our net zero commitments.”
The Pilbara electrified haul truck testing comes just over three months after BHP and Rio joined hands to link up with Bluescope Steel and create “green” iron ore.
The trio launched a feasibility study in New South Wales to create an electric smelting furnace that would create a lower carbon product and pave the way for a net zero steelmaking industry in Australia.