Delivery of MacLean Engineering’s electric graders to Fortescue starts in 2026, with the entire fleet to be operational by 2029

MacLean Engineering, a mining equipment manufacturer based in Collingwood, Ont., has announced it is selling 30 electric graders to an Australian mining company in a deal that will eliminate “tens of millions of litres” of fossil fuel consumption over the graders’ lifecycle.

Fortescue, a global metal miner, will use the vehicles in its operations in Western Australia.

MacLean’s GR8 EV graders are designed for surface operations. Fortescue’s Zero battery system will power the electric graders.

“With MacLean and Fortescue, you have two ambitious companies that share the same vision and depth of commitment to innovation that delivers results when it comes to transforming the industry through decarbonization,” says David Jacques, vice president for surface mining vehicles at MacLean, in a press statement.

“This is going to be a powerful collaboration for positive change.”

The first EV grader is slated for delivery in 2026. The expectation is the full electric fleet will be operational by 2029.

Fleet electrification experience

MacLean brings over 50 years of expertise in underground mining vehicles.

“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,” says MacLean CEO Kevin MacLean.

“Now we’re turning our sights to surface mining operations.”

The new machines, according to MacLean and Fortescue, are some of the first battery electric graders for surface mining.

“Surface mining vehicle electrification represents the dawn of a new era at MacLean,” adds Jacques.

“We’re taking all the learnings from our GR5 Underground Grader commercialization and our years of experience in underground BEV design, manufacturing, and site support, and putting it to good use in the context of surface mining electrification.”

Zero-emission initiative

Fortescue has set an ambitious climate transition plan to eliminate 90 per cent of fossil fuel use across its operations by 2030.

The company is also exploring solutions to tackle the remaining 10 percent of emissions. The goal is to achieve “real zero” by 2030; which means completely eliminating emissions without relying on offsets.

“This is a different approach to Net Zero, where carbon credits or offsets are being used to reduce emissions on paper — not in practice,” explains Fortescue on its website. “No offsets, no sneaky carbon accounting and no excuses. We are going to replace all of our fossil fuels with green energy.”

To decarbonize its operations, Fortescue is investing in zero-emission mobility, shipping, renewable energy, and battery storage. This includes powering its operations with wind and solar energy, while converting haul trucks and heavy equipment to zero-emission alternatives.

MacLean has also pledged to align with Fortescue’s commitment to achieving “real zero” emissions by 2040.

Earlier this week, Fortescue announced a $2.8-billion investment to replace two-thirds of its haulage trucks and equipment with electric options in Western Australia.

This includes the purchase of 360 autonomous battery-electric trucks, 55 electric excavators and 60 battery-powered bulldozers from Germany’s Liebherr Group.

Fortescue also announced this week that it has developed a stationary fast-charging solution. The charger can deliver up to high speeds of 6 MW of power.

Fortescue says the charger can fully charge a Liebherr T 264 electric truck in 30 minutes.