Ngarluma Aboriginal Corp. (NAC) and Rio Tinto have agreed to pursue the development of an 80-megawatt solar farm on Ngarluma Country, near Karratha, to supply renewable energy to the company’s iron ore operations in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
The solar farm is the first proposed project the Ngarluma people and Rio Tinto will pursue after a memorandum of understanding was signed to explore opportunities for renewable-energy projects in Ngarluma Country. The project is expected to be located next to Rio Tinto’s existing Yurralyi Maya Power Station near Karratha.
This project has the potential to displace up to 11 percent of natural gas currently used for generation across Rio Tinto’s integrated mining operations in the Pilbara, reducing Rio Tinto’s emissions by up to 120 kilotons carbon dioxide emissions equivalent per year once complete.
A feasibility study is expected to be completed in early 2025, with commissioning in 2027, subject to releva
