Fortescue Metals scraps plan for renewable energy hub

A plan to build up to 5.4 gigawatts of wind and solar generation capacity – including 340 wind turbines and a solar farm – has been shelved in WA.

Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group has shelved a plan to build up to 5.4 gigawatts of wind and solar generation capacity. Picture: SoCo Studios

Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group has scrapped a plan to build a giant renewable energy hub 100km south of the mining magnate’s family cattle station to power its Pilbara iron ore operations.

The iron ore giant has planned to build up to 5.4 gigawatts of wind and solar generation capacity – including 340 wind turbines and a solar farm – on the Uaroo and Emu Creek pastoral leases, south of Dr Forrest’s Minderoo station.

However, a notice to terminate the proposal was lodged with the West Australian environment watchdog on October 18 after it had initially applied for approvals in February last year.

Uaroo station was owned by Harvest Road – part of the corporate empire of Dr Forrest’s private investment arm, Tattarang.

Fortescue said last year it had begun consulting the owners of the neighbouring Emu Creek ­station – pastoralists Kurt and Nikki Elezovich, who bought Emu Creek in 2017 – over the ­development.

Fortescue had proposed to link the renewable energy plant to its Eliwana mining hub through a 220kV power line, and said at the time the giant wind and solar farm was a vital step in meeting its plans to be net carbon neutral by 2030.

The WA-headquartered miner said feasibility studies were underway for proposed wind and solar generation sites in the state, stating it may still use the Uaroo site as a location for green developments.

“We anticipate that we will need 2-3 gigawatts of renewable energy and battery storage as part of our plan to eliminate fossil fuels from our Australian iron ore operations. The precise mix of wind and solar is still open and will ­depend on commercial and approval developments,” a For­tescue spokesman said.

Construction of a 100 megawatt solar farm at North Star Junction, near Iron Bridge, was well progressed and is expected to be operational by early in the 2025 financial year, according to the company.

Fortescue had not put a cost on the energy hub, but Rio Tinto has previously put the development cost of a 1GW solar and wind hub to partly power its own operations at $US1.5bn ($2.3bn).