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Investing in transitional technologies

The Group continues to invest and trial a range of transitional lower carbon technologies in our journey towards net zero.

In 2023, Thiess successfully converted and trialled a dual-fuel Caterpillar 793F at a mine site in the Bowen Basin. Across the eight-week trial, the truck performance was measured as the machine integrated with the rest of the diesel-powered fleet.

The dual-fuel truck safely demonstrated equivalent performance characteristics to a standard 793F. The substitution of natural gas across the trial period resulted in a saving of approximately 19,000 litres of diesel and 51 tCO2-e emissions.

In early 2024, the trial will be further expanded to include additional 793Fs with the plan to use natural gas produced from the mine site in 2024. The use of natural gas from the mine site will reduce the overall carbon footprint, capturing and utilising fugitive methane prior to surface mining activities.

Thiess also completed a hydrogen trickle feed trial on 40% of their haul fleet at the Prominent Hill operation in South Australia in 2023. Findings have been leveraged with the aim to initiate a second trial at a New South Wales project in 2024.

Investing in transitional technologies