Fortescue has commenced construction of its Nullagine wind project in the Pilbara, its first such type of endeavour in the state, as it pushes its plan to reach its Real Zero target.
The miner, which called the project the foundation for a broader portfolio of wind capacity it will roll out this decade, will include a total of 133MW, made up of 17 wind turbines. They will incorporate Nabrawind’s self-erecting tower technology following Fortescue’s recent acquisition of the company.
Supplied by Envision Energy, a global green technology leader and Fortescue partner, the turbines are designed for low-wind environments and engineered to withstand extreme weather, including cyclones.
Envision will subcontract Nabrawind to integrate the Nabralift self-erecting tower system, delivering a hub height of 188 metres – a new global benchmark for onshore wind.
A Nabrawind-integrated turbine of the design has already been installed as a prototype at an Envision testing facility in China. It will be relocated to the Pilbara in June.
“Delivering Real Zero requires replacing diesel and gas with reliable, industrial-scale renewable energy. Wind – alongside solar and batteries – provides the dependable, low-cost power we need to electrify our haul trucks, drills, processing plants and rail across the Pilbara,” said Fortescue Metals and Operations CEO Dino Otranto.
“The Nullagine Wind Project will feed directly into Pilbara Energy Connect, strengthening supply by balancing daytime solar with strong night-time and seasonal wind generation. With Cloudbreak solar well advanced and large-scale batteries already delivered at North Star Junction, this is a baseload renewable energy system that’s being built, tested and delivered in real operating conditions.”
By 2030, Fortescue said it will deploy 2-3GW of renewable energy generation and battery storage, including a portfolio of wind and solar projects across the Pilbara.
Source: Fortescue