Construction has commenced on Fortescue’s 690MW Turner River solar farm in the Pilbara—the final solar installation required to deliver the Company’s Real Zero decarbonisation plan—and a 650MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at Cloudbreak.
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 440MW Solomon Airport solar farm, 190MW Cloudbreak solar farm, and 100MW North Star Junction solar farm, the company will have delivered all solar generation required to achieve Real Zero across its iron ore operations.
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Together, the projects will generate more than 1.4GW 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 2027 financial year, delivering 74MW 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.
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.
“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.”
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Construction continues on the 133MW Nullagine Wind Farm, which will further diversify Fortescue’s renewable energy mix.
Fortescue has already constructed more than 480km of high-voltage transmission infrastructure across the Pilbara. Once complete, the network is expected to extend beyond 620km, physically connecting Fortescue’s renewable energy assets to its mines, rail, and port operations.
