Rio Tinto, Ngarluma to progress renewable energy project

Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation, or NAC, and Rio Tinto have agreed to pursue the development of an 80MW solar farm on Ngarluma Country, near Karratha, to supply renewable energy to the company’s iron ore operations in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The solar farm is the first proposed project the Ngarluma people and Rio Tinto will pursue after a memorandum of understanding was signed to explore opportunities for renewable energy projects on Ngarluma Country. The project is expected to be located next to Rio Tinto’s existing Yurralyi Maya Power Station near Karratha. This project has the potential to displace up to 11% of natural gas currently used for generation across Rio Tinto’s integrated mining operations in the Pilbara, reducing Rio Tinto’s emissions by up to 120kT CO2e per year once complete. A feasibility study is expected to be completed in early 2025, with commissioning in 2027, subject to relevant approvals and final investment decision. It is estimated that 600MW to 700MW of renewable energy will be required by 2030 to displace the majority of gas use across Rio Tinto’s Pilbara power network, while additional renewable energy will be required to support widespread fleet electrification, which is expected after 2030.