Fortescue to lease electric haul trucks as part of land deal with traditional owners

Iron ore mining giant Fortescue says it has struck a deal with local traditional owners on the ownership and leasing of electric haul trucks as it negotiates a new land access agreement and plots its path to real zero emissions by the end of the decade.

Fortescue and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation (PKKP Aboriginal Corporation) have signed a land access agreement that includes an innovative mining fleet hire arrangement.

It will enable PKKP to own new mining equipment including haul trucks and electric excavators, which will in turn be leased to Fortescue, creating a new long-term revenue stream and supporting the growth of PKKP’s commercial activities.

“We have updated our original Land Access Agreement that we signed with Fortescue in 2010, and we’ve replaced it with a new Native Title Agreement and Co-Management Agreement,” said Sandra Hayes, a Puutu Kunti Kurrama Elder and Chairperson of the PKKP Aboriginal Corporation.

“The Co-Management Agreement we’ve signed with Fortescue builds on the agreement we made with Rio Tinto last year and has a number of protections for our Country and our heritage.