In its recent FY2020 report, Fortescue Metals Group outlined its ongoing focus on innovation and technology. Notably FMG said that autonomous haul fleet conversion was completed at Christmas Creek and continued at Cloudbreak during FY2020 with a total of 170 trucks operating autonomously across all operations at 30 June 2020.

FMG’s AHS deployment has increased productivity, while reducing overall mining operating costs and diesel consumption. Over 49 million km have been safely travelled with a 30% increase in productivity. “Fortescue was the first company in the world to deploy Caterpillar (CAT) autonomous haulage on a commercial scale when trucks fitted with autonomous haulage system (AHS) technology began operating at the Solomon Hub in 2012. Today, our AHS deployment represents the largest fleet conversion to autonomous haulage in the industry and demonstrates our unique capability to manage and operate a multi-class truck size autonomous haulage site.”

The company is also building on its bulk materials handling innovations as phase two of the Cloudbreak relocatable conveyors project commenced construction during the year and was completed in early July 2020. The conveyors now cover 10 km, extended from the initial 5 km length. IM understands that FMG built these conveyors in-house but based on the same NRW-owned (ASX:NWH) RCR Mining Technologies (RCR MT) patented innovative design that was manufactured and installed for the first 5 km of relocatables.

RCR MT has also delivered a fifth crushing plant for FMG in 2019 which is an updated truck dump relocatable 3,500 t/h sizing station inclusive of all electricals and relocated one of its previously delivered FEL 2500 crushing stations.

By connecting the western pits to the OPF, FMG says it has realised the benefits of reduced haul truck requirements, operating costs and diesel consumption, increasing overall productivity and mitigating cost increases due to natural mine expansion aligned with the life of mine plan.