XCMG’s Electric Mining Initiative Highlighted in The Australian Financial Review
On August 3, 2026, The Australian Financial Review published an in‑depth feature on XCMG’s push to introduce battery‑electric mining equipment into Australia’s Pilbara region. The article includes an interview with Yang Dongsheng, chairman of XCMG Group and XCMG Machinery, and commentary from Fortescue executives.
Under a strategic agreement signed in September 2025, XCMG will supply Fortescue with between 150 and 200 units of 240‑tonne battery‑electric haul trucks. This order represents China’s largest ever export of green mining equipment and is intended to help Fortescue achieve its target of eliminating fossil‑fuel use from its terrestrial iron‑ore operations in the Pilbara by 2030.
Yang Dongsheng described Australia as “one of the most high‑end markets around the world for our industry” and positioned the Pilbara as a proving ground where customers will select suppliers based on technology, cost and efficiency—areas where XCMG has concentrated its investment.
Fortescue Executive Chairman Dr. Andrew Forrest, interviewed alongside Yang in Perth, said Fortescue deliberately chose partners like XCMG for their flexibility and willingness to recognise the shift toward low‑carbon operations. Fortescue CEO Dino Otranto also visited XCMG’s test facility in Xuzhou, where he test‑drove the battery‑electric equipment slated for deployment.
XCMG’s partnership with Fortescue builds on its broader electric‑mining track record, which includes deploying the world’s first fully autonomous, all‑electric mining trucks at the Yimin open‑pit mine in China and receiving recognition at the 2025 Decarbonising Mining Awards.
The company, ranked among the world’s largest manufacturers of open‑pit mining equipment with a global footprint across Africa, Europe and the Americas, emphasizes that its battery‑electric models are a growing segment of its product lineup. XCMG asserts that as the mining sector moves away from diesel, it will continue to develop equipment that reduces emissions without compromising productivity, aiming to make zero‑emission mining a commercial reality.
The full feature is available in The Australian Financial Review.