Fortescue proposes 5.4-GW renewable energy hub to power Western Australian mines

Fortescue Future Industries Pty Ltd. plans to construct a renewable energy hub on the Uaroo and Emu Creek pastoral stations in Western Australia to power the Pilbara iron ore operations of its parent company, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.

The proposed hub will generate up to 5.4 GW of electricity from up to 340 wind turbine generators and a solar farm, as well as a battery energy storage system, according to a Feb. 9 news release by the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority.

Fortescue Metals expects the project to help reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 2030 in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change, according to a same-day report by The Australian, which cited environmental documents from the Fortescue Metals unit.

Construction on the project is slated to begin upon receipt of necessary approvals and would run for about seven years, the company said, according to the report.