Rio Tinto agrees to buy all power from Australia's largest solar farm
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: Rio Tinto has agreed to buy all electricity from European Energy Australia's Upper Calliope Solar Farm to provide renewable power to the miner's operations in Gladstone.
The numbers: Under the agreement, Rio Tinto will buy all power generated from the Upper Calliope solar farm for 25 years. It said that once approved and developed, Upper Calliope has the potential to lower the company's operating carbon emissions by 1.8 million tonnes per year. Building of the plant is expected to begin in 2025 or 2026, employing 1000 people during a two-year construction period and supporting 100 jobs once operating. Rio said it's estimated that the plant will provide enough electricity to meet around 5% of Queensland's current demand.
The context: The plant will be built and operated by European Energy at a site about 50 kilometres south-west of Gladstone, pending development and grid connection approvals.
In an ASX release, Rio Tinto said the agreement marks a step towards its climate goal of halving its global Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions this decade, potentially representing a solution to repower its three Gladstone production assets: the Boyne aluminium smelter, the Yarwun alumina refinery and the Queensland Alumina refinery.
What they said: Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm said in a statement: "This agreement is a first important step in our work to repower our Gladstone operations and illustrates our commitment to keeping sustainably powered industry in Central Queensland."
European Energy CEO Erik Anderson said: "By supplying renewable energy to one of Australia's key industrial hubs, we are setting a new standard for industrial energy consumption. This project underlines our dedication to driving the transition towards renewable energy in Australia and demonstrates the potential of solar power in transforming the energy landscape of the region."
The source: ASX announcement
