The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has awarded a $10 million grant to Fortescue for the development of groundbreaking fast chargers for heavy mine site vehicles.
This initiative is part of Fortescue’s $35.3 million ‘Fast Charger for Heavy Battery Electric Vehicles’ project, which aims to create 6 MW fast chargers capable of powering 240-tonne battery electric trucks in less than 30 minutes.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller highlighted the project’s significance in reducing emissions in Australia’s mining sector, stating: “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, provided through the Australian government’s Industrial Transformation Stream of the $400 million Powering the Regions Fund, supports emissions reduction in regional industrial facilities.
This project builds upon Fortescue’s existing 3 MW prototype and will be tested at the company’s Hazelmere and Christmas Creek mine sites.
Fortescue Zero CEO Ellie Coates highlighted the chargers’ innovative design, stating: “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 incorporate robotic connection options and are developed to withstand the challenging conditions of the Pilbara region.
The project aims for global charging system standardisation, ensuring compatibility across mining, rail, and other heavy industry applications.
With Australian iron ore mining producing approximately five million tonnes of CO2 annually from fleet diesel consumption, this initiative addresses a critical need in the industry’s decarbonisation efforts.
Preliminary testing is already underway, with the project scheduled for completion in late 2025.
If successful, ARENA hopes to see this technology widely adopted across Australia’s resources industry, marking a significant step towards reducing emissions in one of the country’s most carbon-intensive sectors.
