Rio Tinto to Build Solar Plant in Western Australia to Power Iron Ore Mine

• Rio Tinto has actually authorized a financial investment in a solar plant at the Koodaideri mine in Western Australia, in addition to a lithium-ion BESS to power mining procedures

Rio Tinto has actually accepted a $98 million (100 percent basis) financial investment in a brand-new solar plant at the Koodaideri mine in the Pilbara, Australia, along with a lithium-ion battery power storage space system (BESS) to assist power its whole Pilbara power network. The 34-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic plant is anticipated to provide every one of Koodaideri's electrical energy need throughout height solar energy generation times and also around 65 percent of the mine's typical electrical energy need.

The plant, Rio Tinto's initial company-owned solar center, will certainly include an approximated 100,000 panels, covering a location of 105 hectares. Building is anticipated to start later on this year, based on federal government authorizations, as well as is because of be finished in 2021. Matching it will certainly be a brand-new 12 MWh battery power storage space system in Tom Price that will certainly offer spinning get producing capability to sustain a trustworthy as well as steady network.

The solar plant and also battery are approximated to reduced yearly co2 exhausts by concerning 90,000 tonnes contrasted to traditional gas-powered generation. This is the matching of taking around 28,000 cars and trucks off the roadway.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore president Chris Salisbury claimed "The building and construction of our very first solar plant in the Pilbara is a considerable landmark for business as well as a vital action in decreasing our carbon impact in the area. We are exploring added renewable resource alternatives in the Pilbara, along with various other chances to decrease exhausts throughout our whole international profile, structure on the 43 percent decrease in outright greenhouse gas exhausts considering that 2008."

The company is functioning to specify brand-new discharges decrease targets from 2020 as part of our change to a lower-carbon globe.

In October 2019, we had actually reported that Western Australia's Pilbara area was readied to be house to the very first significant iron ore mining procedure in Australia to be run completely off renewable resource throughout the day. In behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has actually revealed an AUD 24.2 million in moneying to Alinta Energy Pilbara Finance to establish its Solar-Gas Hybrid project to power the Fortescue Metals Group's Chichester mining center.