MANAGEMENT

FMG's green fuels milestones

FORTESCUE Metals Group says its Fortescue Future Industries has reached its June 30 targets for the initial decarbonisation projects it announced in March.

Getting successful combustion of ammonia in locomotive fuel was one of the goals FFI achieved.

Getting successful combustion of ammonia in locomotive fuel was one of the goals FFI achieved.

 Those include:

  • Successful combustion of ammonia in a locomotive fuel, with a pathway to achieve completely renewable green fuel;
  • Completion of design and construction of a combustion testing device for ship engines with pilot test work underway to achieve completely renewable green shipping fuel;
  • Finalising the design of an ore carrier that will consume renewable green ammonia, with the Classification Society giving in principle design approval;
  • Testing of battery cells to be used on FMG haul trucks;
  • Completion of design and construction of a hydrogen powered haul truck for technology demonstration. Systems testing is underway;
  • Completion of the design and construction of a hydrogen powered drill rig for technology demonstration. Systems testing of that rig is underway.
  • The successful production of 97% pure "green" iron from FMG ores at low temperature in a continuous flow process; and
  • Successful trials using waste from the "green" iron process with other easily sourced materials to make "green" cement.

FFI CEO Julie Shuttleworth said FMG had been mulling over hydrogen for more than a decade and had become confident hydrogen could be stored and transported as a zero-carbon fuel several years ago.

"We set out to test the hypothesis that there was sufficient 100% renewable green energy, hydrogen, ammonia and industrial manufacturing potential for products such as green cement, green fertilizer, green iron and steel to fully satisfy the world's needs," she said.

"To do so Fortescue chairman Dr Andrew Forrest led two significant overseas expeditions alongside 50 area experts, spending more time on the road than at home in the past 12 months.

"As a result the company has confirmed the hypothesis.

"To demonstrate this within Fortescue we set ambitious decarbonisation targets for our own heavy industry.

"They were driven by FFI's Green Team, who are aiming to eliminate carbon emissions from our own operations.

"This work started in earnest only several months ago and the results have been immense.

"FFI's Green Team has established a major facility at Hazelmere in Perth, where we have been managing and trialling technology on hydrogen, ammonia and battery power for trains, ship engines, haul trucks and drill rigs for technology demonstration."

A lot of FFI's focus is on hydrogen as a fuel of the future, which is a view that is being shared by others in the mining industry.

Major engine and generator maker Cummins certainly agrees with it looking not only at producing engines but also at the electrolysers used to produce hydrogen.

Battery electric technology is another area the industry has been looking at.

In May Austmine launched its Charge on Innovation Challenge to try and get battery electric cells capable of powering a 220t haul truck. BHP, Vale and Rio Tinto are founding patrons of that effort.

FMG has been working with Williams Advanced Engineering on a zero emissions battery electric haul truck.

FMG CEO Elizabeth Gaines said FMG aimed to become a major renewable energy and industry product exporter.

"As part of this plan we are aiming to meet or beat our internal global industry-leading target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030," she said.

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