The multinational Rio Tinto has closed the purchase of four battery-electric trains to be used in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. A move is part of the company’s strategy to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.
Specifically, Wabtec Corporation’s 7MWh FLXdrive battery electric locomotives are used to transport ore from the company’s mines to its ports. In addition, they will be recharged at specially designed charging stations at the port or mine. They will also be able to generate additional power during transit through a regenerative braking system that takes energy from the train and uses it to recharge the onboard batteries.
Rio Tinto’s managing director of Port, Rail and Main Services, Richard Cohen, says the delivery of the prototype locomotives will be an important first step for the company on the road to a decarbonized Pilbara. “Our partnership with Wabtec is an investment in innovation and a recognition of the need to accelerate the pace of our decarbonization efforts. Battery electric locomotives offer significant potential for near-term emissions reductions as we look to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions in the Pilbara by 50 percent by 2030.”
For his part, Rogerio Mendonca, president of Freight Equipment at Wabtec, reiterates that FLXdrive is ideally suited to support Rio Tinto’s decarbonization goals. “This locomotive provides the power, fuel savings and emissions reductions to operate rail networks cost-effectively in the mining industry. The rapid adoption of the FLXdrive by Rio Tinto and other mining operators demonstrates the industry’s commitment to decarbonizing its operations,” he adds.
Once delivered, the locomotives will be tested in controlled environments at Pilbara and tested against a variety of functional and safety criteria, including integration with AutoHaul. Production will begin in the United States in 2023 before initial testing in the Pilbara in early 2024. With the new fleet of rail locomotives the company expects to reduce Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s diesel-related carbon emissions in the Pilbara by 30 percent per year.
