Fortescue Axes $Multi-Billion Renewables Hub in Australia

• Fortescue Metals Group has abandoned its Uaroo Renewable Energy Hub plans. Read on to find out why, and the implications for the company's decarbonisation strategy. Discover what the EPA's role was in the cancellation of the project.

Fortescue Metals Group has abandoned plans for the Uaroo Renewable Energy Hub, a 5.4-GW renewable energy complex in Western Australia. The project included plans for 340 wind turbines, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and a battery energy storage system, as well as associated infrastructure facilities. Fortescue CEO Dino Otranto recently revealed that Uaroo aimed to support the company’s ammonia export ambitions rather than its decarbonisation strategy. The EPA has scrapped the assessment of the application and no specific reasons were given for the cancellation.

Why Has Fortescue Metals Group Cancelled Uaroo Renewable Energy Hub?

• Uaroo Renewable Energy Hub was a 5.4-GW renewable energy complex in Western Australia, consisting of 340 wind turbines, PV panels and a battery energy storage system.
• The project was meant to support Fortescue Metals Group's ammonia export ambitions.
• The project would have contributed to Fortescue Metals Group’s decarbonisation strategy.
• Fortescue CEO Dino Otranto announced the decision to scrap the project due to “uncertainty around the future of the renewable energy industry”
• The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) scrapped the assessment of the application, not giving any specific reasons for the decision.
• The project cancellation puts the company's decarbonisation goals on hold, as Uaroo was meant to be a key contributor to the company's emissions reduction target.
• Uaroo would have helped Fortescue Metals Group reduce its reliance on diesel and replace it with renewable energy sources.