9: Rio Tinto plc

9

Rio Tinto plc

Rio Tinto in September approved the construction of a new 4 MW solar plant and 4 MWh of battery storage at its Weipa bauxite mines in Queensland.

Due to be completed in late 2022, the new solar farm and battery storage will complement the existing 1.6 MW solar farm at Weipa.

Rio Tinto has awarded the contract to EDL to build, own, and operate the expansion facility. EDL already owns and operates the existing solar plant, built in 2015.

Rio Tinto Aluminium Pacific Bauxite Operations General Manager Michelle Elvy said “the new solar farm and battery storage at Weipa will help us lower our carbon footprint and diesel use in a reliable way.”

“The original Weipa solar farm was the largest solar facility at an off-grid Australian mine site at the time it was built, and it played an important role in showing the viability of renewable energy systems in remote locations,” she added.

The new solar plant will connect directly to the Weipa electricity network, while the 4 MWh battery system will be built next to the existing Weipa power station and will help provide a stable power network for Rio Tinto’s Weipa Operations bauxite mines and the Weipa township.

The expansion will reduce Weipa Operations’ diesel consumption by approximately 7 million litres per year and cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by about 20,000 tonnes - the equivalent of taking more than 3,750 cars off the road.