Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining and metals corporations, has approved a $98 million investment to build a solar plant in Western Australia. The plant will power the company’s new Koodaideri iron ore mine, which is located in the resource-rich Newman Pilbara region.
According to Rio Tinto, the plan includes building a lithium-ion battery storage system that would power the miner’s entire Pilbara power network and installing around 100,000 solar panels.
The solar photovoltaic facility and the energy storage system combined are estimated to lower annual CO2 emissions by about 90,000 tons compared to conventional gas-powered generation. The second-largest iron ore producer in the world claims that number is equivalent to eliminating nearly 28,000 cars off the road. The facility plans to begin operations by the end of 2021.
The 2.6-billion Koodaideri mine will be Rio’s first AI operation, incorporating the latest high-tech advances, robotics, and increased level of automation. The iron ore project was approved in November 2018, with construction starting earlier this year. It’s located about 110 kilometers from the town of Newman and only 35 kilometers north-west of Rio’s Yandicoogina mine. The mine is expected to have a capacity of 43 million tons of iron ore each year, but could potentially be expanded to yield up to 70 million tons or more later on.
Koodaideri will become Rio’s new production center for their iron ore business in the Pilbara. There will be a processing plant and infrastructure, including a 166-kilometer rail line that connects the mine to their existing network. Additionally, Koodaideri will have implement systems connecting all components of the mining value chain and technology already used across Rio Tinto, such as autonomous trains, trucks, and drills.
