MinRes launches autonomous road train fleet

MINERAL RESOURCES (MinRes) will be the first in the world to operate a fleet of fully autonomous road trains designed specifically for the requirements of the company’s Onslow Iron project in remote Western Australia.

The vehicles combine technical expertise from Hexagon Autonomous Solutions with MinRes’ operation and knowledge and are said to provide benefits including reduced driver fatigue, increased fleet availability, lower operating cost, and reduced fuel consumption and emissions.

Each of the 120 vehicles will be operated remotely from a central operating facility in Onslow. MisRes is reported to be developing an AI-powered monitoring system to handle that role in the future.

“We are excited to cement our partnership with Hexagon to deliver the world’s first fleet of autonomous road trains, which will be an essential part of Onslow Iron’s safe, efficient and dust-free solution for hauling ore,” said MinRes chief executive of mining services, Mike Grey.

“Automation will remove the risk of driver fatigue, lower operating costs and reduce fuel use and emissions. There is enormous potential for these vehicles to transform mining across the world.”

Mr Grey said autonomous road trains will form an essential part of the cost-effective and dust-free supply chain that will unlock iron ore deposits in the West Pilbara that would otherwise have remained undeveloped – largely due to the economies of paying road train drivers to fly-in and out of the remote area.

Each of the 120 triple-trailer vehicles will carry 330 tonnes of iron ore a distance of approximately 150km on a dedicated private haul road from the Ken’s Bore mine site to the Port of Ashburton.

The road will be separated from the public road “to ensure there is no interaction between autonomous road trains and vehicles using public roads”.

Ore will be transported to a 220,000-tonne enclosed, negative pressure storage facility at the port. From there, 20,000-tonne capacity transhippers will move the order to cape-size carriers 40km off the coast.

According to Mr Grey, MinRes has introduced a number of new technologies over recent years to ensure the safety and operational efficiency of its long-distance road train haulage fleet and says that the company is well-known for providing innovative and low-cost pit-to-ship solutions.

“It has been an exciting journey … and it is an extremely proud moment to see our autonomous project grow from desktop concept to iron ore reality so quickly,” he said.

Hexagon Autonomous Solutions president and CEO, Paolo Guglielmini, said the trial is the culmination of almost three year’s testing at MinRes’ Yilgarn iron ore operations facility 400km east of Perth.

Once fully operational, MinRes’ fleet of autonomous vehicles will transport some 35 million tonnes of iron ore per year from mid-2024.

“At Hexagon, we see autonomy as a way to vastly improve our world,” he said.

“Today’s agreement with MinRes will ensure transport activities will be safer, more sustainable, and more productive. I am excited to see how similar solutions can be applied in other markets, such as agriculture and heavy industry.”