Fortescue commissions two battery-electric locomotives
The mining company believes this represents a major milestone in decarbonising its Pilbara iron-ore operations.
The locomotives are reportedly the largest land-mobile batteries (14.5MWh capacity) and will run on the Australian rail network.
The locomotives were delivered by Progress Rail and will eliminate around one million litres of diesel each year. The trains are said to recover 40-60% of their energy through regenerative braking and will operate on renewable power.
Fortescue Metals and Operations Chief Executive Officer, Dino Otranto, says, 'Through Pilbara Energy Connect, we’ve already constructed more than 480km of high-voltage transmission lines, physically linking our energy assets to our operations and rail network. This infrastructure enables renewable power to replace diesel and gas, in real time, across the Pilbara.'
The company reports construction to be progressing at the 190MW Cloudbreak Solar Farm, which is around two-thirds complete. It has also received all primary approvals for the Turner River Solar Farm, which will be up to 644MW, with construction anticipated to commence later this year, while a 440MW solar farm at Solomon remains in the near-term pipeline.
