BHP is making progress toward eliminating diesel from its operations, launching battery-electric haul truck and locomotive trials in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
The mining giant has deployed two massive 240-tonne Caterpillar battery-electric haul trucks at its Jimblebar iron ore mine.
Additionally, BHP has received its first purpose-built battery-electric locomotives in Port Hedland, with more scheduled to arrive for upcoming rail trials.
Combined, the megawatt-scale batteries powering these heavy-duty machines hold over 29 megawatt hours of energy, enough electricity to power an average Australian home for more than five years.
The trials are designed to test how large-scale electric technology handles the harsh, high-demanding mining and rail environments of the Pilbara.
While BHP remains on track to meet its medium-term target of reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 per cent by fiscal 2030, the company admitted that electrifying heavy haulage is taking longer than expected due to the pace of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) development.
Moving away from diesel represents a massive industrial shift. Scaling up from the kilowatt batteries used in electric cars to megawatt-scale mining systems introduces complex infrastructure hurdles, such as managing high-voltage safety risks and establishing rapid-charging networks that do not disrupt round-the-clock operations.
To overcome these limitations, BHP also plans to trial dynamic charging on the move technology.
Despite the heavy haulage challenges, BHP has made rapid progress in cleaning up its stationary power.
The miner has shifted more than 70 per cent of its global electricity use to renewables, with its central Queensland operations set to transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity from July 2026.
BHP stated that the transition from diesel will be a complex, hard-won process, but emphasised that a disciplined, scalable approach turning trials into production will ultimately help future-proof the industry.
