Mining giant Fortescue has begun building a 690 MW solar farm and a 74 MW/650 MWh battery energy storage system in Western Australia’s Pilabara region as it races towards its “real zero” decarbonization goal.
Fortescue said construction has commenced on the 690 MW Turner River solar farm about 120 km south of Port Hedland. It has also started installation of a 74 MW/650 MWh battery energy storage system at its Cloudbreak mine site where construction of a 190 MW solar farm is nearing completion.
Fortescue said Turner River will be the final solar installation required to deliver the company’s real zero decarbonisation plan, taking its total PV capacity to more than 1.4 GW.
“While others are still debating whether decarbonisation is possible, Fortescue is getting on with building what’s needed to do it,” Fortescue Metals and Operations Chief Executive Office Dino Otranto said. “The technology is here. The economics are improving every year. And anyone watching global fuel markets can see exactly why electrification and renewable power matter more than ever. Our solar farms, transmission lines, wind generation and batteries are being built right now across the Pilbara. We are moving first because the economics, the technology and the national interest are all pointing in the same direction.”
The Turner River project adds to the Cloudbreak facility, the 440 MW Solomon Airport solar farm that is also under construction, and the 100 MW at North Star Junction solar farm. Fortescue also sources solar power from the 60 MW Chichester Solar Farm built by Alinta and now owned by APA.
The solar generation portfolio forms a key part of a large-scale off-grid renewable energy network that Fortescue is aiming to complete by as early as next year as it races to eliminate fossil fuels from its iron ore mining and processing operations in the Western Australia. The Pilbara Green Grid will also include more than 600 MW of wind generation and up to 5 GWh of battery energy storage.
Fortescue said it has already constructed more than 480 km of high-voltage transmission infrastructure across the Pilbara. Once complete, the network is expected to extend beyond 620 km, physically connecting Fortescue’s renewable energy assets to its mines, rail and port operations.
The miner is aiming to reach “real zero” at its Pilbara mines by 2030, which means burning no gas or diesel for its electricity supply, or for the land transport and drilling and hauling operations at the facilities.
Construction of Turner River is expected to be completed in 2028 while construction of the Cloudbreak battery is expected to be completed in fiscal 2027.
While the build out of its renewable energy generation and storage portfolio continues, Fortescue is also electrifying its mobile mining fleet. The miner said it already has 16 electric excavators and an electric drill already operating across its iron ore operations and expects about half of the company’s excavator fleet will be electric by the end of 2026.
It also expects its first battery electric haul truck will be operational before the end of the year and has commenced commissioning of its first in-house developed 6 MW fast charger that is capable of fully charging a haul truck in about 30 minutes.
It also said facility testing of XCMG’s prototype battery electric wheel loader, dozer, grader and water cart is now in the final stages, with the equipment preparing to make the journey from China to the Pilbara for site testing.
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