Rio Tinto To Invest $600 Million In Pilbara For Renewables

200 MW Solar Power Along With 200 MWh On-Grid Battery Storage For Australia’s ‘Largest Privately-Owned Grid’

Rio Tinto To Invest $600 Million In Pilbara For Renewables

Pictured are piles of iron ore at Rio Tinto’s Pilbara operations at Cape Lambert in Australia where it plans to bring online 200 MW solar with storage by 2026. (Photo Credit: Rio Tinto)

  • Rio Tinto has announced an additional $600 million investment to decarbonize its Pilbara operations
  • It plans to install 2 solar power plants with 100 MW capcity each, accompanied by 200 MWh on-grid battery storage
  • The company hopes to save $55 million annually by replacing gas at current prices, with solar power here

Anglo-American mining giant Rio Tinto says it will invest an additional $600 million to fund the construction of 2×100 MW solar power facilities in Australia’s Pilbara where it mines iron ore, with 200 MWh of on-grid battery storage, by 2026, as it makes efforts to decarbonize operations.

The company has secured initial funding for a 100 MW solar PV system with associated transmission infrastructure as its 1st major standalone solar farm on the Pilbara coast.  It is estimated to be equipped with some 225,000 solar panels. Construction is scheduled for 2023 and commercial operations in 2025.

Rio Tinto is counting on these investments to bring down its gas costs by close to $55 million annually at current prices by displacing around 30% of its current gas consumption in the Pilbara which it says is the largest privately-owned grid in Australia.

“We expect to invest around $3 billion to install renewable energy assets as well as transmission and storage upgrades in the Pilbara as part of our commitment to halve our emissions from the Pilbara by the end of this decade,” said Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Simon Trott.

It forms part of the company’s previously announced plans to deploy 1 GW wind and solar power for Pilbara and undertake full electrification of transport, mobile and rails, under its overarching ambition to develop around 6 GW wind and solar for its operations within Australia (see Rio Tinto’s $7.5 Billion Decarbonization Plans).

About The Author

Anu Bhambhani

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Anu is our solar news whirlwind. At TaiyangNews, she covers everything that is of importance in the world of solar power. In the past 9 years that she has been associated with TaiyangNews, she has covered over thousands of stories, and analysis pieces on markets, technology, financials, and more on a daily basis. She also hosts TaiyangNews Conferences and Webinars. Prior to joining TaiyangNews, Anu reported on sustainability, management, and education for leading print dailies in India. [email protected]

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