Earth AI, Legacy Minerals make first greenfield palladium discovery using artificial intelligence
The companies announced the verified discovery of one of the largest palladium mineral systems in Australia.
Australia’s largest liquid hydrogen plant at a mine site is now operational at Fortescue’s green energy hub at Christmas Creek in Western Australia.
The liquid hydrogen plant at Christmas Creek, which comprises a hydrogen liquefaction facility, liquid hydrogen storage and a liquid hydrogen refuelling station, was unveiled on Friday.
New Zealand-based engineering company Fabrum played a significant role in delivering the end-to-end liquid hydrogen ecosystem to help decarbonize Fortescue’s mining operations.
Liquid hydrogen from the plant will be used to power Fortescue’s zero-emissions mining equipment prototypes including its offboard power unit and its hydrogen-powered haul truck prototype.
The plant can produce approximately 350 kg of liquid hydrogen per day and has about 600 kg of storage.
“Fortescue is moving at rapid speed to decarbonize and the completion of our hydrogen facility, which is the largest gaseous and liquid hydrogen plant on any mine site in Australia, is testament to our commitment to leading heavy industry in decarbonizing,” Fortescue Metals CEO Dino Otranto said in a news release.
“Hydrogen and fuels made using renewable energy will have a role to play in decarbonizing mining, whether it’s in buses, heavy mining equipment such as haul trucks and excavators, or producing green iron,” he said.
“This renewable hydrogen plant is versatile, enabling us to produce gaseous and liquid hydrogen to be used to power our mining equipment prototypes, while also providing the added benefit of refuelling our fleet of coaches at Christmas Creek.”
“This is the first project we’ve collaborated on with Fortescue, an investor in Fabrum, and it highlights the great opportunities we see to help each other be successful in the future,” Fabrum CEO Dr. Ojas Mahapatra said.
“This project also represents our entry into the mining and minerals industry to add to our work in heavy transport, aviation and other industries. It’s an exciting time for Fabrum as we continue to grow rapidly to meet increasing global demand for hydrogen production systems and other technologies.”
