Rio Tinto continues solar-storage push with new hybrid installation at Australian mine

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The off-grid site already features an operational 1.6MW solar farm. Image: Rio Tinto.

Mining company Rio Tinto has revealed plans for a new solar project and battery energy storage system that will help to decarbonise an off-grid mine in the Australian state of Queensland.

Contractor EDL will build, own and operate a 4MW solar farm paired with 4MW/4MWh of battery storage, complementing an existing 1.6MW PV project – which was completed in 2015 and is also owned by EDL – as well as a diesel-fired power station at the Weipa site.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The expansion will more than triple the local electricity network’s solar generation capacity, with battery storage stabilising the system and thermal generation filling the gap in the evening or when there is low sunlight, EDL said.

Work on the battery installation will start this year, with construction of the whole project slated for completion by late 2022, when it will provide about 11GWh of energy annually. Combined with upgrades to the existing Weipa power generation network, it is expected the improvements will reduce diesel consumption at the bauxite mine operation by an estimated 7 million litres per year.

“The new solar farm and battery storage at Weipa will help us lower our carbon footprint and diesel use in a reliable way,” said Michelle Elvy, Rio Tinto Aluminium Pacific bauxite operations general manager. “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.”

As Rio Tinto aims to reach net zero emissions across its operations by 2050, the company is turning to renewables and storage to help power some of its mining operations. It was revealed in July that a solar-wind-energy storage hybrid project will provide 60% of annual electricity demand at one of the firm’s mines in Madagascar.

Read Next

June 10, 2025
Australia’s Queensland government has confirmed an AU$2.4 billion investment in the CopperString transmission project, aiming to extend the National Electricity Market (NEM) to the North West Minerals Province.
June 6, 2025
rPlus Energies has secured more than US$500 million for an 800MW solar-plus-storage project in Emery County, Utah, US.  
June 6, 2025
Australia’s Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has called on Australia’s climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, to “urgently intervene” on a rule change that could threaten to derail the uptake of rooftop solar PV.
June 6, 2025
ElectraNet has revealed that renewables supplied 100% of South Australia's electricity demand for 27% of 2024, roughly 99 days.
June 5, 2025
Singapore could sit at the “core” of new regional electricity grids in Southeast Asia, according to research from Rystad Energy.
June 4, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Grenergy has acquired 1GW (298 units) of inverters from Spanish manufacturer Ingeteam for its 2GW/11GWh Oasis de Atacama solar-plus-storage project in Chile. 

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece