Solar power for FMG mines
IN a landmark agreement with Alinta Energy, Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) has announced that up to 100pc of daytime stationary energy requirements at Chichester Hub iron ore operations will be powered by renewable energy. Remaining power requirements will be met through integrated battery storage and gas power station facilities. The Chichester Solar Gas Hybrid project will see the construction of a 60MW solar photovoltaic generation facility at the Chichester Hub (comprising FMG’s Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak mining operations), along with a 60km transmission line linking the mining operations with Alinta Energy’s Newman gas-fired power station plus a 35MW battery facility. Fortescue chief executive officer Elizabeth Gaines said that reliable and competitive energy generation remained an important consideration for the mining…