Fortescue and Maclean partner to help decarbonize mining industry

Fortescue, a leading technology, energy, and metals company, and MacLean, a global leader in battery electric mining vehicles (BEVs), have entered into a new partnership to electrify and decarbonize the surface mining industry.

During MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas, Dino Otranto, CEO of Fortescue Metals, was joined by Kevin MacLean, CEO of MacLean, and Stella Holloway, president of MacLean, to announce that MacLean will deliver a fleet of 30 GR8 EV graders to Fortescue's mining operations in Western Australia.

The EV graders will be powered by a Fortescue Zero battery power system, making them one of the first battery electric graders for surface mining. The first EV grader is expected to be delivered in 2026, with the full battery electric fleet aiming to be operational in 2029.

"We've been in the underground mining vehicle business for over 50 years and as a manufacturer we have almost a decade under our belts with our full-fleet electrification program," remarks MacLean. "Our track record to date is 25 vehicle models battery electrified, 100 EV units sold from bolters to boom trucks to shotcrete sprayers to graders, and half a million operating hours logged. Now we're turning our sights to surface mining operations."

"Surface mining vehicle electrification represents the dawn of a new era at MacLean, but it's one with a deep foundation in our past as a manufacturer of fit-for-purpose solutions for the mining industry," adds David Jacques, vice president of surface mining vehicles at MacLean.