Australia's Fortescue applies to build renewables hub

Market: Emissions, Metals
06/06/25

Australian metals producer Fortescue has applied to the Western Australia (WA) Environmental Protection Authority to build a 2.1GW wind farm and 220kV transmission line connecting it to the company's WA Iron Bridge magnetite mine, in an effort to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Fortescue's proposed East Pilbara Generation Hub would reduce the company's scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions — from its own operations and purchased electricity — by at least 1.5mn t/yr of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), it said in proposal released today, although it was unable to provide a breakdown of scope 1 and scope 2 savings. The project is still at an early stage, with the company not having made a final investment decision relating to it, a company spokesperson told Argus.

Fortescue's proposed energy hub would allow it to replace diesel and gas-fired stationary power sources with electricity from wind turbines.

Iron Bridge is covered under the Australian safeguard mechanism — a national government policy for reducing industrial emissions. The mine generated 104,560t CO2e of covered scope 1 emissions in the 2023-24 financial year (July-June), which was above its baseline of 100,000t CO2e. Fortescue had to surrender 2,414 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and 2,146 safeguard mechanism credits (SMCs) as a result.

Fortescue has seven facilities under the safeguard mechanism. It [generated 1.96mn t CO2e of scope 1 emissions in 2023-24]( https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2678950) across the seven facilities, which was above its cumulative baseline of 1.85mn t CO2e. The company surrendered 57,753 ACCUs and 49,749 SMCs over the year, with most of the units coming from its 75mn t/yr Solomon iron ore mine complex.

By Avinash Govind

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20/06/25

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20/06/25

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20/06/25

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20/06/25

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20/06/25

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20/06/25

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