Rio Tinto Locks 30-Year Renewable Power for Pilbara

• Rio Tinto locks a landmark 30-year renewables PPA for Western Australia—solar, wind and battery storage powering Pilbara iron ore and cutting Scope 1/2 emissions.

Rio Tinto has signed a landmark 30-year renewable power purchase agreement to cut emissions from its iron ore operations in Western Australia. The electricity will be supplied by large-scale solar and wind projects paired with battery storage designed for the Pilbara region.

The PPA supports Rio Tinto’s broader plan to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions across its energy-intensive mining activities. The company intends to replace gas-fired power with renewables-backed microgrids and storage systems over coming years. The deal is widely viewed as one of the largest long-term renewable supply agreements in Australia’s mining sector.

How does Rio Tinto’s 30-year solar-wind-storage PPA cut emissions in Pilbara?

• Replaces emissions-heavy electricity used in Pilbara mining with renewables: the PPA brings in power from utility-scale solar and wind combined with batteries, reducing reliance on fossil generation that would otherwise produce electricity on-site or via fuel-based grid supply.
  
• Cuts Scope 2 emissions directly: because the purchased power is lower-carbon than the electricity it displaces, Rio Tinto reduces the emissions associated with energy it buys for mining operations (crushing, processing, and other high-load sites).
  
• Reduces Scope 1 where backup generation is curtailed: pairing renewables with storage and power-management systems can lower the need for diesel or gas used for reliability, so on-site fuel use can fall as the system ramps up.
  
• Improves reliability while maintaining low-carbon supply: battery storage helps smooth solar and wind variability, reducing how often operators must switch to higher-emitting backup generation—an important factor in remote, power-constrained regions like the Pilbara.
  
• Enables “dispatchable” renewable power through microgrid operation: when renewables are integrated into site or regional microgrids, Rio Tinto can balance demand and generation more efficiently than with intermittent renewables alone, limiting carbon-intensive contingencies.
• Locks in a long-term emissions trajectory: a 30-year contract supports stable planning for infrastructure upgrades, so Rio Tinto can progressively phase out fossil power sources instead of making short-term, stop-start changes.
  
• Lowers emissions intensity over time as the power mix improves: renewable-linked supply can reduce the carbon intensity of operations even as national and state grids evolve, helping Rio Tinto maintain stronger reductions than “business as usual.”
• Supports additional decarbonization measures that rely on clean electricity: cleaner grid power can make it more feasible to electrify more equipment and processes, further reducing overall emissions from mining energy use.