Australian iron-ore miner Fortescue has started construction on its 690 MW Turner River solar farm, in the Pilbara, which marks the final solar installation required to deliver the company’s Real Zero decarbonisation plan.

The company also started building a 650 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Cloudbreak operation, which complements a 190 MW solar farm.

These projects form part of Fortescue’s rapidly expanding integrated renewable energy ecosystem called the Pilbara Green Grid, which is being built to power the company’s Pilbara operations with renewable energy.  

Once Turner River is complete, and combined with its 440 MW Solomon Airport solar farm, Cloudbreak solar farm and 100 MW North Star Junction solar farm, Fortescue will have delivered all of the solar generation required to achieve Real Zero across its terrestrial iron-ore operations.  

Together, the projects will generate more than 1.4 GW of renewable-energy capacity – enough to power about 500 000 Australian homes. 

Construction of Turner River is expected to be completed in 2028, with Fortescue installing one-million solar panels on site. In turn, construction of the Cloudbreak BESS is expected to be completed in the 2027 financial year, delivering 74 MW of power for a period of eight hours. 

The Cloudbreak BESS will comprise 124 battery units integrated directly into Fortescue’s Cloudbreak solar farm. Fortescue has also completed commissioning of two BESS plants at Eliwana and North Star Junction, strengthening the delivery of firm renewable power across its Pilbara operations. 

Simultaneously, Fortescue is rapidly electrifying its mobile mining fleet, with 16 electric excavators and an electric drill already operating across its iron-ore operations. Around half of the company’s excavator fleet will be electric by the end of 2026.  

Fortescue’s first battery-electric haul truck is expected to be operational before the end of the year. Additionally, the company's first in-house-developed 6 MW fast charger has started commissioning and will support the rollout of battery-electric haul trucks across the Pilbara. The charger will be capable of fully charging a haul truck in about 30 minutes.   

Moreover, Fortescue confirms that facility testing of XCMG’s prototype battery electric wheel loader, dozer, grader and water cart is now in the final stages, with the equipment preparing to make the journey from China to the Pilbara for site testing.  

Fortescue metals and operations CEO Dino Otranto says while others are still debating whether decarbonisation is possible, Fortescue is getting on with building what’s needed to do it. 

“The technology is here. The economics are improving every year. And anyone watching global fuel markets can see exactly why electrification and renewable power matter more than ever.  

“Our solar farms, transmission lines, wind generation and batteries are being built right now across the Pilbara. We are moving first because the economics, the technology and the national interest are all pointing in the same direction.” 

Meanwhile, construction continues on the 133 MW Nullagine Wind Farm, which will further diversify Fortescue’s renewable-energy mix. 

Fortescue has already constructed more than 480 km of high-voltage transmission infrastructure across the Pilbara. Once complete, the network is expected to extend beyond 620 km, physically connecting Fortescue’s renewable-energy assets to its mines, rail and port operations.