- Fortescue-XCMG deal for 150-200 electric trucks, 2028-2030.
- Supports Fortescue’s zero-carbon Pilbara operations by 2030.
- Enhances global green mining with China’s tech expertise.
Fortescue, a leader in Australian iron ore, has reached a milestone agreement with Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer XCMG to provide up to 200 battery-powered electric haul trucks. Consequently, this is the biggest export order from China for environmentally friendly mining machines.
During the UN General Assembly in New York, the deal is going to allow XCMG to deliver from 150 to 200 units of 240-tonne electric trucks between 2028 and 2030, thus, helping Fortescue to achieve its goal of zero-carbon emissions in land-based Pilbara operations by 2030.
The signing was held in Beijing with XCMG Chairman Yang Dongsheng and Fortescue Executive Chairman Dr. Andrew Forrest. It is a follow-up to their meeting at Bauma China 2024, which at that time was the largest Chinese electric mining equipment export deal. The trucks will be made almost half of Fortescue’s planned Pilbara fleet, thereby, the company’s ‘Real Zero’ plan to ban the use of fossil fuels in mining operations gets strengthened.
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XCMG stressed that the collaboration is the “high-quality, sustainable development” in the global mining sector. Fortescue views it as one element of a wider strategy to speed up the decarbonization and the use of clean technologies in the heavy industry. The company has made a partnership with BYD for batteries, LONGi for solar, Envision Energy for renewables, and it has acquired Nabrawind, a Spanish wind technology firm, to strengthen its green portfolio.
Dr. Forrest outlined the impact on the global scale: “China’s unparalleled rapidity in scaling green technologies allows Fortescue to avail itself of the most advanced capabilities. With Nabrawind in Spain, Liebherr in Germany and the US, Fortescue Zero in the UK, and our Pilbara operations, we are creating a global R&D and production network to supply low-cost energy and fight climate change.”
Such an agreement not only bolsters sustainable supply chains but also places China at the center of the global transition to environmentally friendly industries. This is in line with Fortescue’s global strategy where the company uses the knowledge of various countries to promote technological breakthroughs and to be able to endure global warming.