Tag Archives: Greg Lilleyman

Fortescue’s Forrest opens up about iron ore miner’s ‘green steel’ ambitions

Fortescue Metals Group Chairman and founder, Dr Andrew Forrest (pictured), has revealed the iron ore miner has plans to build Australia’s first “green steel” pilot plant this year.

A commercial plant, powered entirely by wind and solar, could be constructed in the next few years he said in the first Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Boyer Lecture for 2021, entitled: ‘Oil vs Water: Confessions of a Carbon Emitter’.

In a wide-ranging talk, he acknowledge that Fortescue was trialling both known methods of making “zero-carbon-steel” without the use of coal in Australia: replacing coal in the furnace with ‘green hydrogen’ and adding carbon separately to strengthen the steel, and “zap[ping] the ore with renewable electricity”.

On the development of such an industry, Forrest said: “We could look at losing our coal industry as a national disaster – yet, I’ve always believed, out of every setback, is the seed of equal or greater opportunity.

“We produce over 40% of the world’s iron ore. And our potential green energy and hydrogen resources are immeasurable.

“If Australia were to capture just 10% of the world’s steel market, we could generate well over 40,000 jobs – more than what’s required to replace every job in the coal industry.”

Fortescue, through its Fortescue Future Industries company, has been signing agreements to leverage hydro-electric power and geothermal energy to become one of the “world’s largest green energy and product businesses”, Forrest said.

“We’re now undertaking feasibility studies that could lead to some 300 GW of power – more than four times what Australia can produce,” he explained.

Forrest also mentioned some of the decarbonisation work Fortescue is currently working on.

Back in December, Fortescue Chief Operating Officer, Greg Lilleyman, announced the company was working on developing an in-house, non-diesel 240 t haul truck prototype that will test both battery-electric and fuel-cell electric drivetrain technology in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

Seemingly referencing this project, Forrest said: “By the end of the decade, our trucks will run on renewable energy. Imagine that: a fleet of vehicles that produces nothing more than steam as exhaust.”

He also said the company was aiming to develop “green iron ore trains” powered by either renewable electricity or “green ammonia”.

Looking at the company’s shipping operations, he said 2021 would see the company “begin to settle designs” that allow its ships to run on “zero-pollution, green ammonia”.

He added: “And we’re willing to share that knowledge, to help our competitors go green too – including Vale, one of the largest mining companies in the world.”

Fortescue to test battery-electric, fuel cell tech in prototype 240 t haul truck

Fortescue Metals Group has confirmed it is in the process of developing an in-house, non-diesel 240 t haul truck prototype that will test both battery-electric and fuel-cell electric drivetrain technology in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

Speaking at its Investor and Media Day on Wednesday, Fortescue Chief Operating Officer, Greg Lilleyman, said the two-phase project would “offer a step-change opportunity to reduce our emissions”.

He explained: “With around a quarter of Fortescue’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions attributable to our mobile haul fleet, this is a significant opportunity to drive our pathway to net-zero operational emissions.”

The drivetrain of the 240 t prototype truck will be powered by the company’s integrated renewable energy network, he added.

Phase one of the project will see a battery-electric powertrain on-board the prototype truck tested and trialled, from an operational perspective, in the Pilbara. Phase two of the project will consider hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, Lilleyman added. The drivetrains will have the capacity to regenerate power on downhill haulage.

While no specific timeline was provided for the project, the company did say the program schedule was targeted to align with the replacement cycle of the company’s existing haul trucks.

Fortescue completes autonomous haul truck fleet conversion in Western Australia

Fortescue Metals Group says it has completed its Chichester Hub autonomous haulage project, with 183 trucks now operating in AHS mode across its Solomon and Chichester Hubs, in Western Australia.

The project represents one of the largest fleet conversions to autonomous haulage systems (AHS) in the industry. It was aided by the involvement of Thiess.

The multi-class fleet includes Cat 793F, 789D and Komatsu 930E haul trucks and has safely travelled more than 52 million km and moved 1,500 Mt of material since 2013, according to FMG. An additional 900 assets, such as excavators, wheel loaders and light vehicles, are integrated with the autonomous fleet using Cat MineStar Command for hauling technology, which is operated from the Fortescue Hive, the company’s integrated operations centre in Perth, Western Australia.

Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Gaines said, “Mining is one of the most innovative industries in the world, and Fortescue continues to build on our leading autonomy capability to deliver productivity and efficiency benefits.

“Most importantly, the introduction of AHS technology has improved safety outcomes across our operations and we’re very pleased that the team achieved this important milestone in the truck conversion program to the highest safety standards.

“Our approach to autonomy has been to be open and transparent with our plans and to work closely with our team members to offer opportunities for re-training and re-deployment. Around 3,000 Fortescue team members have been trained to work with autonomous haulage, including over 200 people trained as Mine Controllers and AHS system professionals.”

Group President, Resource Industries, Caterpillar Inc, Denise Johnson, said: “Fortescue is a leader in the implementation of autonomous solutions. This important milestone further reinforces the transformation Fortescue has made with autonomy to improve safety, site productivity and machine utilisation. We congratulate Fortescue on this significant achievement.”

Fortescue Chief Operating Officer, Greg Lilleyman, said: “Fortescue’s autonomous haulage fleet has delivered a 30% increase in productivity. Looking ahead, the flexibility of our efficient, multi-class autonomous fleet offers considerable potential for further productivity and efficiency gains.

“Our operations are more connected than ever before and, by using data from our autonomous haulage fleet, we can paint an accurate picture of our operations and focus on the optimal opportunities for improvement, such as haul road design and maintenance scheduling.

“Our autonomous haulage system is a foundational tool which allows us to streamline processes and improve outcomes, ultimately delivering increased value for our shareholders.”

Fortescue integrates WA iron ore supply chain into the Hive

Fortescue Metals Group has officially opened the Fortescue Hive, the company’s newly expanded Integrated Operations Centre (IOC) which, FMG says, uses the latest technology and brings together the company’s fully owned and integrated supply chain.

Fortescue Founder and Chairman, Dr Andrew Forrest, and Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Gaines, celebrated the official opening in Perth with various politicians and members of the iron ore miner’s Board of Directors and core leadership team.

The purpose-built facility includes Fortescue’s planning, operations and mine control teams, together with port, rail, shipping and marketing teams. It allows 330 team members across Fortescue’s complete supply chain to work together, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to deliver improved safety, reliability, efficiency and commercial outcomes, the company said.

Dr Forrest said: “Mining is one of the most innovative industries in the world. Fortescue has long been a technology leader in the industry and was the first mining operation in Western Australia to control a railway from a remote location when we unveiled our Train Control Centre in Perth in 2009.

“Since then, Fortescue has continued to lead the pack and today we officially launch the Fortescue Hive, our reimagined IOC, which sits at the heart of our integrated supply chain to deliver critical ores to develop the great cities of our region and beyond.”

Earlier this month, Fortescue celebrated an important milestone in the rollout of autonomous haulage technology at its Chichester Hub operations, in the Pilbara of Western Australia, with the conversion of its 100th autonomous truck.

Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Gaines, said: “Fortescue has developed the world’s most advanced vertically integrated bulk operations infrastructure. We are very proud to open our enhanced IOC, the Fortescue Hive, which enables us to operate our globally significant mines from the centre of Perth.

“The Fortescue Hive seamlessly links our core exploration, metallurgical, mining and marketing expertise to deliver value to our customers, shareholders and the broader community. Importantly, the Fortescue Hive will underpin our future use of technology, including artificial intelligence and robotics, and will expand to include the generation and integrated distribution network for the Pilbara Energy Connect, our hybrid solar-gas power solution.”

Chief Operating Officer, Greg Lilleyman, said Fortescue’s integrated management of the mine to market supply chain was “unique” in the industry and co-locating its planning, operations, shipping and marketing business functions would further leverage its “exclusive advantage”.

He added: “By ensuring our teams are truly integrated, we can capitalise on market dynamics and respond to the needs of our customers.”

The Fortescue Hive covers an area of 2,500 sq.m and, over 15 weeks, 6.5 t of concrete was removed from the building, while 2.1 tonnes of steel was installed. The fit-out of the facility included 162 workstations and 996 computer monitors, connected by 64 km of underfloor cables.

FMG extends waste management services contract with PTK Environmental Services

Fortescue Metals Group has announced the extension of its waste management services contract to PTK Environmental Services (PTK), an Aboriginal business owned and operated by Palyku member Tammy O’Connor, for a further five years.

The extension of the contract with PTK brings the total value of contracts and subcontracts awarded to Aboriginal businesses and joint ventures under Fortescue’s Billion Opportunities procurement initiative to over A$2.5 billion ($1.7 billion) since the program began in 2011, FMG said.

Fortescue’s Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Gaines, said: “Our Billion Opportunities program is a critical element of our commitment to provide economic and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.

“We are incredibly proud to partner with over 120 Aboriginal businesses and joint venture partners and to support the growth and development of driven business leaders like Tammy O’Connor, to build capability and capacity and contribute to the ongoing sustainability of Aboriginal companies.

“We have worked with Tammy and PTK for a number of years and building on the initial services contract awarded in 2017. We are delighted to extend the contract for these significant waste management services for a further five years.”

PTK Director and Shareholder, Tammy O’Connor (pictured, middle), said: “We pride ourselves on the safe, high quality services we provide and it is great to have this recognised by Fortescue with the extension of our contract. The flow-on effect of our work with Fortescue has huge benefits for the community by providing real opportunities for people to get jobs and support their families.”

Fortescue’s Chief Operating Officer, Greg Lilleyman (pictured left), said reducing waste through the prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse of materials produced during operations is a priority for Fortescue.

“Last financial year, Fortescue recycled 91% of non-mineral waste, such as food, packaging and office consumables, from across our sites,” he said. “We look forward to working with Tammy and the PTK team as we continue to reduce and manage our waste.”

During the half year, Fortescue’s Billion Opportunities program supported Aboriginal companies with over A$258 million in new contracts awarded to 16 Aboriginal businesses, FMG said.