Epiroc to supply Fortescue with $223 million in autonomous mining equipment

Epiroc AB won the largest contract in its history to deliver a major fleet of fully autonomous and electric surface mining equipment to Fortescue in Australia. 

The equipment order contract is valued at AUD 350 million (USD 223 million) over five years. The first portion of the contract is expected to be booked in the second quarter of 2025. 

Fortescue's mining operations

Fortescue is an Australia-based technology, energy, and metals group that is focused on accelerating the commercial decarbonization of industry, rapidly, profitably, and globally. These goals are best exemplified by its plans to end the use of fossul fuels by 2030. The company, which is also one of the world's largest iron ore producers, has ordered a fleet of Epiroc blast hole drill rigs: the cable-electric Pit Viper 271 E and the battery-electric SmartROC D65 BE. 

The equipment will be used at the company's iron ore mines in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. The driverless machines will eventually be operated fully autonomously, overseen from Fortescue's Integrated Operations Centre in Perth more than 1,500 kilometres away. The machines will eliminate around 35 million litres of diesel consumption annually, according to Fortescue. 

Epiroc says that the tethered electric Pit Viper 271 E rotary blast hole drill rig offers the same performance as the rest of the Pit Viper line. The company adds that zero emissions and the patented cable feed system, which prolongs component longevity and reduces operational costs, are standout features. The SmartROC D65 BE is the new battery-electric version of the SmartROC D65 drill rig. The new machine combines the experience gained from the development of Epiroc underground battery rigs with the intelligent features of the original version.

The partnership focuses on reducing emissions in the mining sector 

Epiroc's President and CEO Helena Hedblom and Fortescue Metals' CEO Dino Otranto held a contract signing ceremony at Fortescue's headquarters in Perth.    

"Fortescue is at the forefront of the mining industry in reducing emissions from operations, and in using automation to strengthen safety and productivity, and we are proud to support them on this important effort," says Helena Hedblom. "Not only is this the largest contract we have ever received, but it is also a major step forward for our electric-powered surface equipment. We look forward to contributing to Fortescue's continued success now and in the future."

Fortescue Metals' chief executive officer Dino Otranto says: "We're thrilled to be joining forces with Epiroc to bring cutting-edge electric mining equipment into our operations. The deployment of this new fleet of electric drills will immediately start reducing our carbon footprint, cutting over 90,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually once the fleet is operational."

"To decarbonize, we're aiming to swap out around 800 pieces of heavy mining equipment with zero emissions alternatives by the end of the decade, as well as deploy 2-3GW of renewable energy and battery storage across the Pilbara," Otranto adds.