Fortescue, a leading global mining giant, has officially commenced construction of its 690MW Turner River solar PV power plant in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, marking a pivotal milestone for the company’s renewable energy transition and corporate decarbonisation goals.
Serving as the final solar installation underpinning Fortescue’s “Real Zero” decarbonisation plan, the Turner River project is a core component of the fast-expanding Pilbara Green Grid, an integrated renewable energy ecosystem targeted at fully powering the company’s iron ore operations with clean energy by 2030.
Slated for completion in 2028, the Turner River facility will deploy over one million solar panels. Upon operation, it will join Fortescue’s existing and under-construction solar assets — including the 440MW Solomon Airport, 190MW Cloudbreak and 100MW North Star Junction solar PV plants — to lift the company’s total renewable energy capacity beyond 1.4GW.
Located 120 kilometres south of Port Hedland across a 1,400-hectare site, the project secured federal environmental approval in January 2026 under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. The approval is bound by strict environmental conditions, including controlled land clearing limits and a minimum AU$3.39 million (US$2.43 million) compensation fund to protect the habitats of the Greater Bilby and Northern Quoll native species. The plant will be integrated into Fortescue’s established Pilbara Energy Connect transmission network via 220kV transmission line spurs.
Fortescue has further accelerated its decarbonisation roadmap, bringing forward its landmark “Real Zero” target from the original December 2030 timeline. The company is on track to install 290MW of renewable energy capacity by early 2026, supporting full daytime green processing across its Pilbara ore processing facilities by meeting their fixed energy demands.
Set for full completion in 2028, the comprehensive Pilbara Green Grid will comprise 1.2GW of solar capacity, 600MW of wind power, 4–5GWh of battery storage and 620 kilometres of transmission lines. In parallel with the Turner River development, Fortescue has kicked off construction of a 650MWh battery storage system at Cloudbreak, scheduled for delivery in the 2027 financial year. Equipped with 124 on-site battery units, the system can consistently supply 74MW of power for around eight hours.
Fortescue’s advanced battery storage systems have proven robust grid-forming capabilities. As disclosed by Chairman Andrew Forrest at the recent Smart Energy Conference, AI-powered battery storage technology successfully stabilised the mining power grid during a recent operational disruption by adjusting electron flow within nanoseconds.
