“We do not have specific renewable energy targets, but our aim is to pursue maximum renewable electricity penetration at all grid-connected operated sites, with an aim of 100 per cent purchased renewable electricity by financial year 2030, where available and commercially viable,” said Dan Heal, vice president of operational decarbonisation.

BHP’s lucrative Pilbara iron ore operations are more difficult to electrify because they are not connected to an existing power grid. To counter that, the company was planning 500 megawatts of wind, solar and battery storage by the end of the decade, underpinned by the Yarnima gas-fired power station, Heal said.

He said the miner’s rapid adoption of renewable energy meant most of its direct emissions now came from the fossil fuels it burnt in the house-size trucks and other mining equipment used to haul ore across its global operations.

They chew through 1850 million litres of diesel a year.

“We currently have the first Caterpillar battery electric haul truck en route to our [West Australian] Jimblebar mine, which we are incredibly excited about,” Heal said. “Replacing diesel will require us to develop a whole new operational ecosystem to surround the fleet, and every part of a mine will be touched by this change.”

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The company expects to have its first electric mine truck fleet operational by 2028 and start to roll out electric locomotives by 2030.

BHP’s scope 3 emissions – the carbon put into the atmosphere from using its products – are much greater than its direct emissions. Steelmaking accounts for about 85 per cent of BHP’s scope 3 while shipping forms the bulk of the remainder.

Producing the world’s steel spews out about 8 per cent of the globe’s harmful greenhouse gases, a key target of efforts to reduce overheating on the planet.

The company said it was developing electric arc furnace and “direct reduce iron” electric smelting furnace technologies to help produce green steel and will move ahead with deploying ammonia as a fuel for bulk ore ships on its China route.

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