The global mining giant Rio Tinto declared its partnership with EDL Energy, an Australian sustainable energy producer, to enlarge its solar capacity by three times and add more battery storage to its Weipa operations in far North Queensland, as reported by PVTech on September 20. EDL will be responsible for the construction and operation of this brand-new PV project with a 4.4 megawatts (MW) off-grid solar farm paired with 4MW/4MWh of battery storage. This site has already featured an operational 1.6MW solar farm completed in 2015, which was also built under the collaboration between both companies. According to the plan, the whole project will start this year and plan to complete by 2022, generating around 11 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually.

Rising concern on climate change requires mining companies to convert their energy source from conventional fuel to renewable energy. Moreover, improved technology makes renewable energy more available to companies and changes the way operating modern mines. For major mining operators, solar power or wind energy are optimal choices as they can directly generate power on mining sites. Rio Tinto has committed to promote its climate change strategy in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement and become carbon-neutral by 2030. The company also plans to invest USD1bn on renewables or climate-related projects to reach the net-zero emission goal across its operation by 2050. Until 2020, 75% of its energy consumption are from renewable sources. Rio Tinto is still on its way to embracing renewables instead of traditional energy. In July 2021, it also signed a power purchase agreement for a new renewable energy plant to provide electricity on mining sites.

Sources:

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/renewable-energy-mining-industry-market.html

https://www.riotinto.com/sustainability/climate-change

https://highways.today/2021/07/26/rio-tinto-energy-madagascar/

https://www.pv-tech.org/rio-tinto-continues-solar-storage-push-with-new-hybrid-installation-at-australian-mine/

https://www.pv-tech.org/rio-tinto-pledges-to-hit-net-zero-by-2050/