Mining Research Bulletin – February 2026
TL;DR:1 Electrification is a key Net Zero and productivity level for the mining industry; it can deliver safety, cost, and emissions benefits. However, there are barriers around infrastructure, mine design, charging, and grid stability. Electrification requires composite solutions consisting of Net Zero applications, micro-grids, and other renewable applications, to ensure the transition is reducing emissions rather than moving them up/down-stream. This move will require coordinated efforts and planning to ensure the skills ecosystem moves in tandem and serves as an enabler rather than a bottleneck.
This month, the Research Bulletin covers:
Electrification continues to act as a Net Zero enabler in the mining industry, driven by environmental concerns, economic benefits and technological advancements. If done properly, electrification can also unlock productivity outcomes by lowering operating costs, increasing asset utilisation and supporting more efficient mining operations.
A transition towards green technologies in the mining industry, essentially means moving from diesel to cleaner, more efficient and, in cases, technologically advanced mining practices. This includes the increasing use of hybrid systems such as solar PV, wind turbines and lithium-ion batteries, which power 15-40% of remote mining operations, reducing diesel reliance by up to 80%.1
This shift has benefits for the mining industry, such as:
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Health and safety benefits: Fewer exhaust fumes are emitted, improving air quality. Electric and hybrid models also produce less dust, noise and heat.2
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Site maintenance costs: ventilation costs are reduced due to lower diesel particulate levels. However, the electrification shift faces barriers in the form of haul road gradients, range limitations, high torque, grid stability, and the need for appropriate charging infrastructure.3 Diesel machines produce 5.2 times more heat.4
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Operating costs: Although having a large upfront cost, electric vehicles have lower energy and maintenance costs compared to diesel vehicles. They also integrate with autonomous and digitally controlled mining systems.5
However, there is a trade-off with using BEVs in a mine site; depending on the equipment, BEV applications may have lower haulage, causing longer lead times. There are also concerns about the use of BEVs, as lower noise levels from BEVs reduce audibility and thus increase the risk of accidents for workers in close proximity.
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Mine planning: Mine planning for electric vehicles is dependent on the amount of infrastructure required to power and service them. Core infrastructure needed to accommodate a fully electrified mine site includes power generation, transmission, and storage, which in turn depend on the BEVs' operating range and charging time requirements.6
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Charging infrastructure: Charging stations for underground infrastructure must incorporate automated connection systems to minimise operator exposure. Challenges associated with mine design and underground trolley systems include the need for fixed infrastructure and level surfaces, well-maintained roads and the risk of electrical cables that can pose hazards to mine employees. The ability to install and operate this equipment depends on the site and the commodity being mined, which needs to be accounted for in the mine planning stage. These factors make it harder for operational mines to adopt BEVs on a large scale.
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Skills: The upkeep and maintenance of an electrified mine site creates significant demand for electrical engineers, mining engineers and technicians. Skills can change from primarily focusing on vehicle mechanics to power system-focused, intensifying the need for on-board electronic architects, data management and diagnostics. This also gives rise to conversations around new/carved out licensing frameworks to allow mechanics to safely perform electrical tasks without a full electrician's licence, reflecting that over 80% of tasks on new machines remain mechanical.7
Figure 1: Infrastructure needed for an electrified mine site
Source: GMG, “Recommended Practices For Battery Electric Vehicles in Underground Mining”, 2023.
Table 1: Training needs for personnel associated with BEVs and EVs
Source: GMG, “Recommended Practices For Battery Electric Vehicles in Underground Mining”, 2023.
A 100% electrified mine site is unlikely in the immediate future. Mines will most likely start to integrate these technologies into operations by using a mix of technologies (diesel, hybrid, BEV) based on site-specific factors such as geology and ease of access. Industry believes a hybrid future will persist for decades due to the rate at which workforce capability, energy storage, and infrastructure investment for fully electric operations are advancing.8 This requires a flexible workforce with modular skills, not a simple replacement of one trade with another.
At the same time, whether mine sites should go ‘on’ or ‘off’ grid is not an ‘either or’ situation. ‘microgrids’ can provide a mix of on-site renewable and grid-sourced energy (Figure 2) – with many planned and already in use internationally and in parts of Australia.9 As local energy systems, which operate off- and on-grid to varying degrees, they utilise renewables (e.g., solar, wind and hydro), energy storage systems (e.g., batteries), and traditional power sources (e.g., diesel or gas) that may be needed for baseload energy or as determined by intelligent/autonomous control systems.10 In doing so, microgrids offer ample scope to reduce mining's total and increased indirect emissions, as well as projected energy use falls in the electricity industry (where higher demand from other industries will also be a factor).
Figure 2: Basic components of mine site electric vehicles and their relationship to a broader mining microgrid
Source (re-printed from): University of Adelaide, Mine Electrification: Towards an electric and renewables mining future, 2020.
There is a strong case for electrification – especially given that coal, metal ore, and non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying accounted for 53% of mining's total direct emissions in 2020.11 This can raise questions about how best to electrify mine sites, vehicles, and other key equipment without simply displacing emissions to other industries, as the mining industry projects larger falls in energy use than the electricity industry.12 Conversations surrounding both direct and indirect emissions from the mining industry continue as part of electrification. If BEVs are powered by electricity generated from fossil fuels, the net impact on the economy may be smaller.
Electrification represents a critical pathway for the mining industry to progress towards Net Zero while improving productivity, safety and long-term cost efficiency. Effective electrification will depend on coordinated investment in infrastructure, skills and clean energy supply to support a practical and sustainable electrification transition. Further research is needed to assess life-cycle emissions outcomes, charging and energy system optimisation across different mineral mining and how the workforce will, in turn, adapt.
People, skills, and partnerships
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Support upskilling for the existing workforce to enable transitions to Net Zero-relevant occupations and skills.
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Integrate electrification and maintenance of charging infrastructure into training and qualifications.
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Targeted transition pathways from fossil fuel-based occupations to Net Zero-relevant occupations.
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Explore partnerships between research centres and industry to align research outcomes to direct industry applications.
Industry
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Integrate increased capacity for electrification into mine planning, including on-site power generation, local transmission, and battery storage infrastructure (as above).
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Build buy-in from stakeholders in the planning process.
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Explore solutions to operational challenges during mine planning and on-site changes like gradients, range limitations, and grid stability to enable effective electrification.
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Transition to renewable and/or lower emissions energy sources (e.g. as an interim measure), including on-site micro-grids to diversify and provide baseload energy, where possible.
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Focus on reducing both direct and indirect emissions, with a key focus on fugitive emissions that provide little-to-no energy or other benefits to mines.
Research
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Assess site-specific electrification pathways (different mineral mining etc.).
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Map the transferable skills within the industry to meet targets.
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Case studies on the productivity impact of electrified/hybrid mines.
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Compare hybrid to fully electric deployment models.
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Furter research to explore viability and feasibility of microgrids.
Appendix: Different types of greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas (or CO2 equivalent) emissions can be categorised into:13
Scope 1 emissions: These are direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by an emitter, like those from fuel combustion in mining equipment, haulage trucks, and other machinery. Fugitive emissions, which result from methane released during coal mining and oil and gas extraction, are also Scope 1, as are those arising from non-renewable on-site or off-grid electricity generation (e.g., electricity generated by coal, diesel or natural gas).
Scope 2 emissions: These are indirect emissions that typically result from the consumption of electricity, heat or other energy resources that are not part of or co-located at mines. As such, Scope 2 emissions largely arise from non-renewable electricity from a local or national grid, which powers mining machinery and facilities, such as processing and buildings.
Scope 3 emissions: These encompass all other, broader emissions typically from lower, but also sometimes from higher up, in mines' entire production chain. Upstream emissions include those from the production and transportation of materials and equipment used in mines. In contrast, downstream emissions arise from the use of mined materials, like coal and natural gas combustion. Note: Scope 3 emissions are not in-scope of this publication.
1 Discovery Alert, “Transforming Australia's Mining Industry with Renewable Energy Adoption”, 2025.
2 Jenni Hooli and Adrianus Halim, “Battery Electric Vehicles in Underground Mines: Insights from Industry,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 208 (October 30, 2024).
3 Mine, “Considerations for the transition towards EVs in Mining”, 2025.
4 Jenni Hooli and Adrianus Halim, “Battery Electric Vehicles in Underground Mines: Insights from Industry,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 208 (October 30, 2024).
5 Hubner Australia, “Electrification of Mining Trucks”, 2025.
6 GMG, “Recommended Practices For Battery Electric Vehicles in Underground Mining”, 2023.
7 GMG, “Recommended Practices For Battery Electric Vehicles in Underground Mining”, 2023.
8 Australian Mining, “AusIMM prepares miners for the electric future”, 2025.
9 University of Adelaide, Mine Electrification: Towards an electric and renewables mining future, 2020.
10 University of Adelaide, Mine Electrification: Towards an electric and renewables mining future, 2020.
11 DCCEEW, Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: December 2024, 2025.
12 DCCEEW, Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: December 2024, 2025.
13 Clean Energy Regulator, Emissions and energy types, 2025.
About the author
Annelies MacDuff
Annelies MacDuff is the Research Assistant in the Workforce Planning and Policy team. Annelies specialises in qualitative and lived experience research, and backs it up with a strong intuition for data.
About the author
Sam Hughes
Sam Hughes is the Senior Research and Policy Adviser in the Workforce Planning and Policy team. Sam specialises in all things policy with a strong motivation for working out the unknown and determining policy impacts.
About the author
Dr Aneeq Sarwar
Dr Aneeq Sarwar is Senior Manager, Workforce Planning and Policy at AUSMASA, overseeing our research, workforce planning, and policy functions. Dr Sarwar is an experienced research leader who has managed quantitative and qualitative research projects across industry, academia, and for government.