Rio Tinto to drive development of Australia’s largest solar farm at Gladstone
24 January 2024 - 8:30AM
Business Wire
Rio Tinto will drive development of Australia’s largest solar
power project near Gladstone, after agreeing to buy all electricity
from the 1.1GW1 Upper Calliope Solar Farm to provide renewable
power to Rio Tinto’s Gladstone operations.
The agreement will bring more renewable power into one of
Australia’s most important industrial hubs and marks another step
towards Rio Tinto’s climate goal of halving its global Scope 1
& 2 carbon emissions this decade2. If combined with more
renewable power and suitable firming, transmission and industrial
policy, it could also provide the core of a solution to repower Rio
Tinto’s three Gladstone production assets - the Boyne aluminium
smelter, the Yarwun alumina refinery and the Queensland Alumina
refinery.
Under a new power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with European
Energy Australia, Rio Tinto will buy all power generated from the
Upper Calliope solar farm for 25 years. 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.
Once approved and developed, Upper Calliope would have the
potential to lower Rio Tinto's operating carbon emissions by 1.8
million tonnes per year.
Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said “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.
“The task remains challenging, but we have a pathway to provide
the competitive, firmed power our Gladstone plants need and we are
continuing to work hard with all stakeholders, including the
Queensland and Australian governments, on getting there.
“Competitive capacity, firming, and transmission, are critical
to developing a modern energy system that can ensure more
large-scale renewables development in Queensland and help guarantee
the future of Australian industry.”
Once approved, construction of the Upper Calliope plant is
targeted to start in 2025 or 2026 and, when complete, it will
provide enough electricity to meet about 5% of Queensland’s current
demand. The plant, which is expected to take two years to
construct, will cover 2400 hectares, employ 1000 people during
construction and support 100 direct and indirect jobs when
operating.
European Energy CEO Erik Andersen said “European Energy is proud
to be a strategic partner in this project with Rio Tinto. Our
commitment to providing renewable and reliable energy aligns
perfectly with Rio Tinto's ambitious climate goals. The Upper
Calliope Solar Farm is not just a solar power project; it's a
testament to our shared vision for a greener future.
“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. We look forward to continuing our
collaboration with Rio Tinto and other stakeholders to create a
sustainable and energy-efficient future for Australia.”
Upper Calliope is the first successful applicant in a formal
Request for Proposals made by Rio Tinto for renewable power and
firming projects in Central and Southern Queensland.
Rio Tinto continues to assess other proposals, solutions and
partnerships to help competitively meet the energy needs of its
three production assets in the Gladstone region. These assets
require more than 1GW of reliable power to operate, which equates
to over 4GW of quality wind or solar power with firming. Potential
further electrification of plant processes could increase their
electricity demand in the future.
1 1.1GWac or 1.3GWp 2 From 2018 levels
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