Rio Tinto has announced plans to construct a 12.4MW solar farm and an 8.8MVa/2.1MWh battery storage system to power its Amrun bauxite mine near Weipa in Queensland.

The project, which will be built and operated by Aggreko, is expected to reduce the mine’s diesel consumption by 37 percent and its CO2 emissions by 14,000 tonnes per year.

The solar farm and battery storage will complement the existing 5.6MW solar and 4MWh battery facilities at Weipa, and are part of Rio Tinto’s global decarbonisation strategy. The new solar farm is scheduled to be operational by early 2025.

Rio Tinto boosts copper production at Kennecott mine in Utah