Tourism NTRio Tinto has announced the construction of two new 5.25MW solar farms at Gumatj and Rirratjingu country on the Gove Peninsula in Australia’s Northern Territory as it transitions to more sustainable power sources in advance of decommissioning mines towards the end of the decade.
Rio Tinto’s Gove site has been supplying the global aluminium industry with world-class bauxite for more than 40 years. Gove bauxite is shipped internationally as well as being used to supply the Queensland Alumina Limited and Yarwun refineries in Gladstone, Queensland. These refineries produce alumina as feedstock for Rio Tinto’s Australian aluminium smelting operations and for sale on the international market.
We are working in partnership with the Northern Territory Government and Traditional Owners to ensure a smooth transition of leased land and town assets and infrastructure as Rio Tinto prepares to stop mining at Gove later this decade.
The solar farms will be constructed on Rio Tinto leases under an agreement with the Gumatj and Rirratjingu Traditional Owner Groups on the location of the facilities, and will help underpin a low-carbon future for the surrounding community.
Aggreko will construct, own and operate the solar farms for Rio Tinto for up to 10 years, beginning construction in July 2024 and with completion scheduled for early 2025. The two sites will have combined capacity of 10.5MW.
Rio Tinto Gove Operations Acting General Manager Shannon Price, says “The Gove solar project is part of our shared vision with Traditional Owners to leave a positive legacy for the Gove Peninsula communities after bauxite mining ceases.
“We’re excited to work with the Gumatj and Rirratjingu clans to provide an opportunity to secure alternative electricity generation assets on their country and to discuss opportunities to commercialise energy infrastructure in the future.
“We are working in partnership with the Northern Territory Government and Traditional Owners to ensure a smooth transition of leased land and town assets and infrastructure as Rio Tinto prepares to stop mining at Gove later this decade.
“We are committed to our role in helping to plan for the region’s future, which includes providing options for reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable infrastructure.
“The solar farms are also part of our ongoing commitment to decarbonise our business. Once operational, they are expected to reduce annual CO2e emissions at our Gove operations by up to 17 per cent.
“We intend for these farms to underpin sustainable power for the region beyond mining.”
On completion, the solar farms are expected to reduce the region’s annual diesel consumption by some 20 per cent or 4.5 million litres a year, and lower annual carbon emissions by over 12,000 tonnes – or the equivalent of taking 2,800 internal combustion engine cars off the road (according to passenger car tailpipe CO2 emissions data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).
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