BHP and Rio Tinto have launched a joint venture to test massive battery-electric haul truck technologies in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, a first for the sector. By accelerating the usage of battery-electric haul trucks, this effort seeks to further the mutual objective of reaching net zero operating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
In collaboration with prominent producers Caterpillar and Komatsu, the experiments will entail impartial evaluation of their battery-powered haul trucks, encompassing evaluations of battery efficiency and both static and dynamic charging mechanisms in the Pilbara environment. In the Pilbara region of Western Australia, two Komatsu 930 haul trucks and two CAT 793 haul trucks are scheduled for testing beginning in 2026 and 2024, respectively, at mine locations.
BHP and Rio Tinto will each receive one truck from Caterpillar and Komatsu for these trials. Rio Tinto will test the Komatsu trucks, while BHP will test the Caterpillar trucks. Both Rio Tinto and BHP will receive a portion of the study results.
The collaboration highlights the companies’ dedication to technological innovation and environmental sustainability. The outcomes of the trials will be shared between BHP and Rio Tinto, aiding both in optimising their future deployment strategies for battery-electric haul truck fleets. Ongoing testing, development, and refinement of truck and battery design are anticipated with each manufacturer. This will inform the approach for testing a larger number of haul trucks and the potential deployment of battery-electric haul truck fleets into each company’s operations.
Geraldine Slattery, BHP President Australia, stated “Operational decarbonisation relies on breakthroughs in technology and partnerships like this will help drive our industry forward. We are thrilled to work with Rio Tinto, Caterpillar, and Komatsu on these trials. Replacing diesel as a fuel source requires us to develop a whole new operational ecosystem to surround the fleet. 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. We’ve already seen a step-change reduction in Scope 1 and 2 operational greenhouse gas emissions by switching some of our supply to renewable electricity, and we are looking to build on that progress through the development of battery-electric technology to reduce diesel usage across our operations.”
Simon Trott, Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive, remarked “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. There is no clear path to net zero without zero-emissions haulage, so it’s important that we work together to get there as quickly and efficiently as we can. 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.”
This initiative underscores BHP’s and Rio Tinto’s commitment to sustainability and sets a precedent for industry-wide collaboration in addressing climate change. The trials are a pivotal step towards the broader adoption of battery-electric technology in mining operations, aiming to significantly reduce diesel usage and greenhouse gas emissions.