Fortescue begins construction of first Pilbara wind farm

wind turbines against golden sky with wild grass in the foreground (aula energy)
Image: Shutterstock

Fortescue has commenced construction of its Nullagine Wind Project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

The project is Fortescue’s first operational wind development and establishes the foundation for a broader portfolio of wind capacity to be rolled out this decade.

The 133MW Nullagine Wind Project will see 17 wind turbines installed, incorporating Nabrawind’s self-erecting tower technology following Fortescue’s recent acquisition of the company.

Related article: Fortescue’s battery platform Elysia acquires Zitara

Supplied by Envision Energy, a global green technology leader and Fortescue partner, the turbines are designed for low-wind environments and engineered to withstand extreme weather, including cyclones.

Envision will subcontract Nabrawind to integrate its Nabralift self-erecting tower system, delivering a hub height of 188m—setting a new global benchmark for onshore wind and unlocking significantly higher energy yield.

Fortescue metals and operations CEO Dino Otranto said, “Delivering Real Zero requires replacing diesel and gas with reliable, industrial-scale renewable energy.

“Wind—alongside solar and batteries—provides the dependable, low-cost power we need to electrify our haul trucks, drills, processing plants and rail across the Pilbara.

Related article: Vestas to install latest wind turbine tech at Palmer Wind Farm

“The Nullagine Wind Project will feed directly into Pilbara Energy Connect, strengthening supply by balancing daytime solar with strong night-time and seasonal wind generation.

“With Cloudbreak solar well advanced and large-scale batteries already delivered at North Star Junction, this is a baseload renewable energy system that’s being built, tested and delivered in real operating conditions.”

By 2030, Fortescue plans to deploy 2-3GW of renewable energy generation and battery storage, including a portfolio of wind and solar projects across the Pilbara, subject to land access and regulatory approvals.

Previous articleQueensland’s Callide C suffers yet another outage
Next articleAlinta submits plans for 550MW Marri Wind Farm in WA