Construction has commenced on Fortescue’s 690 MW Turner River solar farm in the Pilbara – the final solar installation required to deliver the company’s Real Zero decarbonisation plan – and a 650 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at Cloudbreak utilising battery technology from BYD.
These projects form part of Fortescue’s rapidly expanding integrated renewable energy ecosystem – the Pilbara Green Grid – which is being built to power the company’s Pilbara operations with renewable energy.
Once complete and combined with Fortescue’s Solomon Airport solar farm (440 MW), Cloudbreak solar farm (190 MW) and North Star Junction solar farm (100 MW), Fortescue will have delivered all solar generation required to achieve Real Zero across its terrestrial iron ore operations. Together, the projects will generate more than 1.4 GW of renewable energy capacity – enough to power around half a million Australian homes.
Construction of Turner River is expected to be completed in 2028, with over one million solar panels to be installed during the build. Construction of the Cloudbreak BESS is expected to be completed in FY27, delivering 74 MW of power for a period of approximately eight hours.
The Cloudbreak BESS will comprise 124 battery units integrated directly into Fortescue’s Cloudbreak solar farm. Fortescue has also completed commissioning of two battery energy storage systems at Eliwana and North Star Junction, strengthening the delivery of firm renewable power across its Pilbara operations.
At the same time, Fortescue is rapidly electrifying its mobile mining fleet, with 16 electric excavators and an electric drill already operating across its iron ore operations. Around half of the company’s excavator fleet will be electric by the end of 2026.
Fortescue’s first battery electric haul truck is expected to be operational before the end of the year. Its first in-house developed 6 MW fast charger has commenced commissioning and will support the rollout of battery electric haul trucks across the Pilbara. The charger will be capable of fully charging a haul truck in approximately 30 minutes.
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.
Fortescue Metals and Operations CEO Dino Otranto said: “While others are still debating whether decarbonisation is possible, Fortescue is getting on with building what’s needed to do it. 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.”
He adds: “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.”
Construction continues on the 133 MW Nullagine Wind Farm, which will further diversify Fortescue’s renewable energy mix. Fortescue 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.
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