{"id":598645,"date":"2026-04-10T21:01:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T21:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/598645\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T21:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T21:01:12","slug":"fortescue-fast-tracks-worlds-first-large-scale-green-grid-to-eliminate-diesel-and-other-fossil-fuels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/598645\/","title":{"rendered":"Fortescue fast-tracks “world’s first” large scale green grid to eliminate diesel and other fossil fuels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andrew Forrest\u2019s iron ore mining giant Fortescue has formally unveiled \u2013 and fast-tracked \u2013 what it describes as the \u201cworld\u2019s first\u201d replicable green grid that can eliminate diesel and other fossil fuels for large-scale industry.<\/p>\n

Fortescue has already made clear its intention to reach \u201creal zero\u201d emissions and eliminate the burning of all fossil fuels for power and transport at its giant Pilbara mines by 2030.<\/p>\n

It now expects to be able to power all its operations there for 24-hour periods with no fossil fuels by the end of 2027, and will be able to make annual savings of at least $US100 million ($A150 million) by doing so.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike other large renewable hubs, which feed intermittently into national or other power systems, Fortescue\u2019s off-grid system will be the largest of its kind dedicated to decarbonising major industry, around the clock,\u201d it said in a statement on Friday.<\/p>\n

Fortescue\u2019s plans are hugely significant, and not just because they fly in the face of everything that the fossil fuel industry and its conservative mouth-pieces have told the world about the inability of renewables and storage to power heavy industry.<\/p>\n

Fortescue\u2019s goals contrast with the skepticism of its major industrial rivals such as BHP and Rio Tinto, and the outright rejection by another major competitor, Gina Rinehart\u2019s Hancock Mining, and promise to be a lighthouse moment for the green energy transition.<\/p>\n

They also come as the mining industry, via the Minerals Council of Australia, uses the Middle East fuel crisis as an argument to push back on, rather than accelerate, the country\u2019s transition to renewables.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s completely expected \u2026. but it\u2019s absolutely ridiculous,\u201d Fortescue CEO Dino Otranto told journalists in a briefing on Friday morning when asked about the MCA push to dilute the Safeguards Mechanism. <\/p>\n

Otranto said the falling cost of wind, solar and battery storage \u2013 and the rapid development of software and AI to manage it \u2013 meant the transition from fossil fuels for big industries such as his is \u201ca complete no brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pilbara is one of Australia\u2019s biggest economic centres, but has been powered almost entirely by gas and diesel, making it one of the most emissions-intensive hubs in the country. Unlike its now stalled green hydrogen plans, Fortescue\u2019s \u201creal zero\u201d target is based around existing and competitive technologies.<\/p>\n

Fortescue expects to have 290 megawatts (MW) of installed renewable capacity by early next year, meaning it will be able to meet the the fixed energy requirements of its ore processing facilities, enabling daytime \u201cgreen processing\u201d across its Pilbara operations.<\/p>\n

By the end of 2028, it expects to complete its Pilbara green grid with 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity, more than 600 MW of wind generation, and 4-5 gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery energy storage.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs global energy supply chains become increasingly unstable and the massive risks of fossil fuel dependence are exposed, Fortescue is moving faster \u2013 proving industry can power itself with green energy, control its costs, and take back control of its largest risk \u2013 energy,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n

Fortescue expects a further reduction in mining costs of at least $US2-4 per wet metric tonne by the time it completes its decarbonisation program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis demonstrates that eliminating fossil fuels is not only achievable, but economically superior. This deployment shows that a fully integrated renewable energy system can be built at speed and scale, delivering immediate benefits in cost, certainty and energy security.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortescue is now so confident of its technology that it is touting it to other customers. It estimates that 2 GW of wind and solar and 4 GWh of battery storage can be delivered for around $2.5 billion.<\/p>\n

Otranto says the company is already in discussions with potential customers on such a deal \u2013 so would not provide a cost per megawatt-hour figure. He hinted at data centres, green ammonia and other potential users.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re starting to get into a bit of the commercial sensitivities of what our announcement will be \u2026 on some of the off-takes we are discussing,\u201d Otranto said in response to a question from Renew Economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s already been verified that \u2026 the value proposition is well in favour renewables. And the latest data I\u2019ve seen is that it\u2019s even ahead of (existing) coal, which is a fundamental breakthrough. And again, I keep pointing to the fact that it\u2019s a no-brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other smaller miners that have committed to high renewable energy systems are already reaping the benefits of their reduced exposure to diesel and other fossil fuels. <\/p>\n

Bellevue Gold this week says<\/a> it is now sourcing 90 per cent of its power needs from wind and solar (backed by a battery) and its diesel bill is now down to around 1.2 per cent of total operation costs, less than one-tenth of other miners. It says it has already reached \u201cnet zero\u201d emissions on its operations.<\/p>\n

Fortescue is more ambitious, saying its goal is to reach \u201creal zero\u201d by 2030, if not earlier. It\u2019s cost estimates have been boosted by the plunging cost of battery storage, the falling cost of solar, and new \u201cself lifting\u201d wind turbine technologies that it has developed through Nabrawind.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot argue with those economics,\u201d Otranto says. <\/p>\n

If you wish to support independent media, and accurate information, please consider making a one off donation or becoming a regular supporter of Renew Economy. Please click here. Your support is invaluable.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy<\/a>, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven<\/a>. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast<\/a>. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andrew Forrest\u2019s iron ore mining giant Fortescue has formally unveiled \u2013 and fast-tracked \u2013 what it describes as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":598646,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[64,63,75,952,73845,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-598645","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-environment","11":"tag-featured","12":"tag-fortescue","13":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}