Fortescue has announced the commencement of work on its 690MW Turner River solar farm and 650MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at Cloudbreak iron ore mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

These projects represent the final solar and storage installations required for the company’s Real Zero decarbonisation plan.

The Turner River solar farm and Cloudbreak BESS are part of Fortescue’s broader Pilbara Green Grid initiative, an integrated renewable energy system intended to power the company’s operations in the region with renewable sources.

The solar facility is slated for completion in 2028, with more than one million solar panels to be installed as part of the build.

The Cloudbreak BESS is targeted for completion in FY27 and is expected to provide 74MW for roughly eight hours.

It will consist of 124 battery units connected directly to Fortescue’s solar farm.

Once operational, the projects, together with Fortescue’s Solomon Airport (440MW), Cloudbreak (190MW) and North Star Junction (100MW) solar farms, will provide the full solar generation needed to achieve Real Zero across Fortescue’s onshore iron ore operations.

In combination, these assets will complete the company’s solar supply for its terrestrial sites.

Fortescue projects that these combined assets will generate more than 1.4GW of renewable energy capacity, enough to power approximately half a million Australian households.

The company has also finished commissioning battery storage systems at Eliwana and North Star Junction, supporting more reliable renewable power supply across its Pilbara operations.

Efforts to electrify the company’s mining fleet are ongoing, with 16 electric excavators and one electric drill currently operating.

By the end of 2026, Fortescue plans to electrify about half of its excavator fleet. The company’s first battery-electric haul truck is expected to be operational before year-end.

Testing of prototype battery-powered mining vehicles, including a wheel loader, dozer, grader, and water cart from XCMG, is in its final stages before site testing in the Pilbara.

Work is also progressing on the 133MW Nullagine Wind Farm, which will add further renewable energy capacity to the company’s mix.

Fortescue has built more than 480km of high-voltage transmission infrastructure in the Pilbara to link its renewable assets with its mines, rail, and port facilities, with planned expansion to over 620km as new projects are completed.

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