Tag Archives: Christmas Creek

Fortescue, Scania to develop fully integrated autonomous road train solution

Automation, Environmental, Mine operation news, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Fortescue and Scania have agreed to jointly develop and validate a fully integrated autonomous road train solution, leveraging Scania’s technology in truck automation and Fortescue’s own Fleet Management System (FMS).

The autonomous solution would be developed, tested and validated in partnership at Fortescue’s iron ore operations at Christmas Creek.

“By utilising Scania’s extensive knowledge in supplying trucks to the mining industry and our expertise in autonomous driving, the Road Train solution will reduce the overall mining footprint,” Manfred Streit, Managing Director at Scania Australia, said.

With Scania’s technology in truck automation, the autonomous solution would be integrated with Fortescue’s FMS designed to optimise fleet utilisation and maximise productivity, while ensuring efficient fuel and energy consumption to reduce carbon emissions. The solution would also integrate Scania’s on-board autonomation hardware and technology for the Scania R770 prime mover platform, coupled with three trailers weighing 120 t with a payload of 240 t.

“This is a great opportunity for Scania to learn more about autonomy in demanding conditions with an innovative partner,” Peter Hafmar, Head of Autonomous Solutions, Scania, says.

Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer, Dino Otranto, says: “Our deep expertise in autonomous haulage has enabled us to jointly develop a unique autonomous solution that unlocks high grade, satellite deposits for us to mine economically. This project would help us maximise productivity with unique low-cost solutions in our mining value chain.”

Scania Australia has been working closely with Fortescue for many years, and is pleased to see this joint development project become a reality.

Robert Taylor, Head of Mining at Scania Australia, said: “Their heavy haul trucks operate in an incredibly harsh environment. The local and global mining specialists have devised a solution that will bring both efficiency and safety.”

Fabrum, Fortescue commission Australia’s largest liquid hydrogen plant at Christmas Creek

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

Australia’s largest liquid hydrogen plant at a mine site is now operational at Fortescue’s Green Energy Hub at Christmas Creek in Western Australia, according to Fabrum, a company that played a significant role in delivering an end-to-end liquid hydrogen ecosystem for the plant.

New Zealand-based Fabrum collaborated on the design, build and commissioning of the liquid hydrogen plant at Christmas Creek, which comprises a hydrogen liquefaction facility, liquid hydrogen storage and a liquid hydrogen refuelling station. Liquid hydrogen from the plant will be used to power Fortescue’s zero-emissions mining equipment prototypes including its offboard power unit and its hydrogen-powered haul truck prototype (the hydrogen-powered T 264 haul truck prototype that arrived this month). The liquid hydrogen plant can produce circa-350 kg of liquid hydrogen per day and has circa-600 kg of storage.

Christopher Boyle, Fabrum’s Executive Chair, said: “We’re delighted to be developing world-leading hydrogen technologies for our partner, Fortescue, to help the company achieve its decarbonisation goals. While others in the industry might see the decarbonisation challenge as too big, Fortescue is leading the way in adopting new technologies to enable a zero-emissions economy. Together, we’re demonstrating the future is here now – and that our liquid hydrogen production and refuelling technologies can enable industry to power operations and transport today.”

Fabrum’s liquid hydrogen production system

Dino Otranto, Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer, said: “Fortescue is moving at rapid speed to decarbonise and the completion of our hydrogen facility, which is the largest gaseous and liquid hydrogen plant on any mine site in Australia, is testament to our commitment to leading heavy industry in decarbonising. Hydrogen and fuels made using renewable energy will have a role to play in decarbonising mining, whether it’s in buses, heavy mining equipment such as haul trucks and excavators, or producing green iron.

“This renewable hydrogen plant is versatile, enabling us to produce gaseous and liquid hydrogen to be used to power our mining equipment prototypes, while also providing the added benefit of refuelling our fleet of coaches at Christmas Creek.”

Dr Ojas Mahapatra, Chief Executive Officer of Fabrum, added: “This is the first project we’ve collaborated on with Fortescue, an investor in Fabrum, and it highlights the great opportunities we see to help each other be successful in the future. This project also represents our entry into the mining and minerals industry to add to our work in heavy transport, aviation and other industries. It’s an exciting time for Fabrum as we continue to grow rapidly to meet increasing global demand for hydrogen production systems and other technologies.”

Fortescue-ChristmasCreek

Fortescue Board approves ‘green pit to product’ hydrogen-based iron ore project

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Fortescue Metals Group has approved an investment of up $50 million to construct a Green Iron Trial Commercial Plant at Christmas Creek, with annual production of more than 1,500 t.

The plant, in Western Australia, will use the existing green hydrogen infrastructure at Christmas Creek to lower the overall capital requirement and demonstrate a green pit to product supply chain, the company said. Construction will commence following a work program and is subject to receiving the relevant approvals. First production of green iron is targeted in 2025.

The pilot’s technology options will support both magnetite and hematite ores, with Fortescue recognising the importance of taking steps to support the reduction of its Scope 3 emissions.

Fortescue said: “The project represents a significant milestone in Fortescue’s green iron journey, where the company has been examining various hydrogen-based pathways to produce green iron, while also developing a low-temperature, electrochemical process at its Perth R&D facility.”

The term “green iron”, in this instance, refers to the end product resulting from processing iron ore into iron, without the use of fossil fuels, and instead using renewable energy.

Alongside this investment, the company also confirmed two other green energy projects – namely an 80 MW electrolyser and liquefaction facility in Arizona able to produce up to 11,000 t/y of liquid green hydrogen (the Phoenix Hydrogen Hub) and a 50MW green hydrogen project using Fortescue’s own electrolyser technology (the Gladstone PEM50 project).

Dyno Nobel, Fortescue sign tech alliance focused on drill and blast decarbonisation

Environmental, Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Incitec Pivot Limited’s Dyno Nobel is to extend its supply relationship with Fortescue, with the two parties agreeing to a long-term extension that will see Dyno Nobel continue providing explosives technology and collaborating on key decarbonisation projects to assist Fortescue in reaching its ‘Real Zero’ goal.

A key focus of the new agreement is an innovative technology alliance. As part of this, Dyno Nobel will invest A$5 million ($3.2 million) in new technologies to support Fortescue’s decarbonisation efforts within its drill and blast process. The new agreement will apply across Fortescue’s Pilbara operations: Cloudbreak, Christmas Creek, Solomon and Eliwana. The Iron Bridge project, which Fortescue has a majority stake in, is supplied by Dyno Nobel under a separate contract the two companies announced last year.

Dyno Nobel Asia Pacific President, Greg Hayne, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our relationship with Fortescue who are at the forefront of efforts to decarbonise the mining industry. The agreement will see us ramp up our decarbonisation efforts which will include conversion of our MPU (mobile processing unit) fleet to renewable energy sources and investigating the use of lower carbon footprint, bio-fuel based explosives.

“This is about providing our customers with technology solutions that lower our carbon footprint and, in turn, theirs.”

Fortescue Metals CEO, Dino Otranto, said: “We’re looking forward to continuing our successful partnership with Dyno Nobel, which will deliver blasting services as well as provide new technologies to help us achieve our industry leading target of Real Zero emissions across our Australian iron ore operations.”

The agreement will provide Fortescue with the opportunity to benefit from Dyno Nobel’s commercialisation of a reduced GHG emissions DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY® solution, an explosives method that tailors the energy delivered to different rock layers within a blast hole and across a blast. The efficiencies generated through the use of DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY reduce both overall mining costs and emission volumes for customers, according to Dyno Nobel, with the reduced emissions solution able to reduce Scope 1 emissions by up to 25% in normal blasting circumstances.

Hayne said that since Dyno Nobel’s DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY technology was introduced to the Australian market in 2018 it has provided customers with production and environmental benefits.

“Fortescue has already seen the technology deliver value at their Iron Bridge operations, one of the first sites in Australia to fully benefit from DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY and the results have been very positive. We are now pleased to be increasing these advantages via a reduced emissions offering. It is just another example of our technology innovation happening on the ground.”

He said Dyno Nobel’s technology development aligned with Fortescue’s vision.

“We are looking forward to continuing our successful partnership with Fortescue which has evolved into finding innovative and sustainable solutions for the future by working together,” he said.

Fortescue kicks off battery-electric truck testing in the Pilbara

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fortescue Metals Group has started testing a battery-electric truck at its operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia as part of its latest decarbonisation efforts.

Having floated the idea of a battery-electric haul truck some three years ago – and started a physical build process 12 months ago – the company is now testing a battery-electric converted MT4400 AC truck at its Christmas Creek iron ore operations, Fortescue confirmed last week.

WAE and Fortescue Future Industries, part of Fortescue’s newly branded Fortescue Energy division, have been spearheading developments on this truck, referred to as the “Roadrunner” (pictured). The 221-t payload vehicle is fitted with a 1.4 MWh battery from WAE. It has already been run through more than 20 hours of dynamic testing that has included, among other things, downhill recharging scenarios, Fortescue said last week.

The vehicle is thought to be the largest battery-electric haul truck running in Pilbara operating conditions.

The converted MT4400 AC is expected to be joined by a 3 MW charger prototype – developed by WAE and a third party – by the end of the year. “This will help us to understand and develop haul truck duty and charging cycles,” Mark Hutchinson, CEO of Fortescue Future Industries, said in a conference call last week.

In June, Fortescue, through WAE, announced the expansion of its battery and electric powertrain production operations in the UK with an additional state-of-the-art facility in Oxfordshire. The facility, which will open in 2024, will focus on the production of a wide range of zero emission products for the off-road sector, including trucks and trains.

Alongside these battery-electric developments, Fortescue said it will have its first “green hydrogen fuel cell haul truck” on site for similar testing next year. This truck is being delivered through the company’s partnership with Liebherr and will be based off a 240-t-payload T 264 haul truck.

In June 2022, Fortescue announced a partnership with Liebherr for the development and supply of green mining haul trucks for integration with the “zero emissions power system” technologies being developed by FFI and WAE. Under the partnership, Fortescue agreed to purchase a fleet of 120 haul trucks from Liebherr; a commitment that represents approximately 45% of the current haul truck fleet at Fortescue’s operations.

In answer to an analyst question last week, Christiaan Heyning, FFI’s Head of Decarbonisation, said: “We are…putting both battery-electric trucks as well as a fuel cell electric trucks on-site this calendar year to do extended testing to figure out the ramp-up efficiency of both battery-electric and fuel cell. We will use those insights to make the final decisions about what our fleet will be.

“As you appreciate, it’s really dependent on whole routes and, therefore, we need to do more testing before we can make up our mind.”

A 100-day “sprint” FFI project focused on converting a legacy 221-t class Terex Unit Rig MT4400 AC electric drive, diesel-powered haul truck to run on a ‘green’ hydrogen 180 kW fuel cell system and a 300 kW/h battery was previously completed and run at Fortescue’s Hazelmere facility in Western Australia.

Monadelphous rewarded with A$200M contract at Albemarle’s Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant

Energy minerals, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Engineering company Monadelphous Group has secured a major construction contract with Albemarle valued at approximately A$200 million ($135 million) associated with the expansion of the Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant in the south west region of Western Australia.

The contract includes front-end pyromet structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation works associated with two new lithium processing trains (trains 3 and 4).

The award follows the successful delivery of construction packages on trains 1 and 2, and the recently awarded long-term maintenance and sustaining capital projects contracts at Albemarle’s Kemerton operations.

Work will commence onsite later this year and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025.

Monadelphous Managing Director, Zoran Bebic, said this award, in addition to the award announced last week with Fortescue Metals Group for work at the Christmas Creek mine site, represent the first in a new wave of major construction projects to come to market.

The company’s work at Christmas Creek involves the supply and construction of an overland conveyor and transfer station, with the scope including civil, structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation works.

“We are extremely pleased to have secured these key construction opportunities, and look forward to continuing to deliver high quality solutions for customers, as well as supporting local communities through the provision of employment and supply opportunities,” he said.

Albemarle says expansion of Kemerton represents the biggest investment by any company in downstream processing of lithium in Australia.

The Kemerton plant initially consisted of three production trains, each producing 20,000 t/y of lithium hydroxide, with a potential expansion to five trains that will see production increase to 100,000 t/y by around 2025. The plant will be supplied with lithium concentrate produced at the nearby Greenbushes mine.

Monadelphous wins A$150 million worth of work with Fortescue, BHP and Rio Tinto

Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

Engineering company Monadelphous Group Limited says it has secured new contracts and contract extensions across the mining and metals space in Australia totalling approximately A$150 million ($102 million).

The company has been awarded a contract with Fortescue Metals Group for the supply and construction of an overland conveyor and transfer station at the Christmas Creek mine site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The scope of work, which includes civil, structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation works, commences immediately and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024.

In addition, Monadelphous has secured a two-year extension to its existing maintenance services contract at BHP’s Olympic Dam operations in South Australia. The scope of work includes mechanical and electrical maintenance, shutdown and project services.

Finally, the company has been awarded a two-year extension to its existing contract with Rio Tinto to continue providing mechanical, electrical and access maintenance services for fixed plant shutdowns at its Gove operations in the Northern Territory.

Fortescue’s Chichester Hub iron ore operations hit solar power milestone

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Fortescue Metals Group’s Chichester Hub operations are now being powered by solar energy following the completion of the 60 MW Alinta Energy Chichester Solar Gas Hybrid Project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, the miner confirmed.

Completion of the project with Alinta Energy marks a major milestone in the delivery of Fortescue’s decarbonisation strategy, as the company works towards its ambitious target of being carbon neutral by 2030 for Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

The solar farm will power up to 100% of daytime operations at Fortescue’s Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak iron ore sites, displacing around 100 million litres of diesel every year. The remaining power requirements will be met through battery storage and gas generation at Alinta Energy’s Newman Power Station, FMG said.

Fortescue Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Gaines said: “The completion of this project is a practical example of Fortescue delivering on its ambitious carbon neutrality target and demonstrates that renewables can power the energy needs of Australia’s mining and resources sector.

“As Fortescue transitions from a pure-play iron ore producer to a green energy and resources company, this milestone is a critical part of our Pilbara Energy Connect project which, together with the Chichester solar farm, will see 25% of Fortescue’s stationary energy powered by solar.”

Alinta Energy’s MD & CEO, Jeff Dimery, said: “Together, we’ve built a benchmark renewable project with an ambitious partner and, given the abundance of high quality renewables resources in the Pilbara, we look forward to supporting others to do the same.

“I’m very proud of the team and thank Fortescue, our partners, contractors and suppliers, NAIF, ARENA, and, in particular the Nyiyaparli People, on whose country the solar farm sits.”

The project also includes the construction of approximately 60 km of new transmission lines, linking Fortescue’s Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak mines to the solar farm and Alinta Energy’s existing energy generation infrastructure in Newman.

Fortescue hits new automation milestone in the Pilbara

Automation, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , ,

Fortescue Metals Group’s autonomous haulage (AHS) fleet has marked a significant milestone, moving two billion tonnes of material, doubling the amount hauled since reaching the one billion tonne milestone in September 2019.

In 2012, Fortescue was the first in the world to deploy Caterpillar’s AHS technology on a commercial scale at its Solomon Hub operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia and the multi-class fleet has since expanded across the company’s operations with a total of 193 autonomous trucks now in operation.

Fortescue Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Gaines, said: “Fortescue is a leader in the implementation of autonomous haulage across our iron ore operations. Our fleet represents one of the largest in the world, with 79 trucks currently in operation at Solomon, 74 at Christmas Creek and 40 at Cloudbreak. Moving over two billion tonnes of material without a driver at the wheel is a significant milestone and a reflection of Fortescue’s ongoing commitment to increasing operational efficiency through technology and innovation.

“Most importantly, the introduction of AHS technology has led to significant safety improvements for our team members, with our fleet safely travelling over 70 million kilometres to date – the equivalent of 91 return trips to the moon.”

The continued expansion of autonomous capability across the business has demonstrated that autonomy doesn’t need to be at the expense of jobs, with the transition to autonomous haulage providing significant new opportunities for Fortescue’s workforce through the provision of training and redeployment to new roles, Fortescue said.

Gaines added: “Significantly, the adoption of autonomous haulage has allowed us to relocate many traditional site-based roles to our integrated operations centre in Perth, providing opportunities for parents and women in particular to remain engaged in our workforce. Today, almost 50% of our workforce in the Fortescue Hive are women.”

Fortescue employs SRG Global for maintenance and shutdown services

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SRG Global has been awarded a five-year term contract from Fortescue Metals Group to initially provide rope access and electrical maintenance requirements across the company’s mine, rail and port locations throughout Western Australia.

The A$150 million ($117 million) term contract, which has already commenced, is a Master Agreement for Maintenance and Shutdown Services, the company said.

Locations for SRG’s work include the Christmas Creek (pictured), Cloudbreak, Firetail, Kings Valley and Eliwana mine sites, along with its supporting rail and port infrastructure.

SRG Global Managing Director, David Macgeorge, said: “We are delighted to be selected as a key partner to FMG and to provide critical maintenance and shutdown services across their Pilbara operations for the next five years. This is another significant step forward in our strategy to build a portfolio of annuity earnings, with quality clients, to deliver long-term sustainable growth.”