The world’s largest battery-electric locomotive has arrived in Western Australia, advancing heavy-haul rail decarbonisation in the mining sector.
Progress Rail’s EMD® SD70J-BB battery-electric locomotive has landed in Port Hedland and will be deployed on Fortescue’s Pilbara iron ore network.
Weighing 265 tonnes and equipped with a 14.5 megawatt-hour battery system, the SD70J-BB is designed to operate on 100 per cent battery power, supporting Fortescue’s efforts to cut diesel use and reduce emissions across its rail operations.
The locomotive’s arrival follows a long international journey, embarking from Sete Lagoas in Brazil, travelling around South Africa, and completing its final leg to Western Australia. Its delivery exemplifies the global nature of advanced rail manufacturing and the growing demand for low-emissions solutions in resource logistics.
Built for heavy-haul conditions, the SD70J-BB is engineered to meet the demanding requirements of Pilbara rail operations; including high axle loads, long distances and sustained gradients. A key feature is its ability to use regenerative braking on downhill runs, capturing and storing energy that would otherwise be lost, and improving overall system efficiency.
For mine planners and rail operators, the deployment will provide valuable insights into how large-scale battery-electric locomotives perform on existing heavy-haul infrastructure, including track wear, maintenance regimes and charging strategies aligned with mine-to-port cycles.
