糖心vlog入口

糖心vlog入口to drive development of Australia鈥檚 largest solar farm at Gladstone


24 January 2024

MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 糖心vlog入口will drive development of Australia鈥檚 largest solar power project near Gladstone, after agreeing to buy all electricity from the 1.1GW1 Upper Calliope Solar Farm to provide renewable power to Rio Tinto鈥檚 Gladstone operations.

The agreement will bring more renewable power into one of Australia鈥檚 most important industrial hubs and marks another step towards Rio Tinto鈥檚 climate goal of halving its global Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions this decade2. If combined with more renewable power and suitable firming, transmission and industrial policy, it could also provide the core of a solution to repower Rio Tinto鈥檚 three Gladstone production assets - the Boyne aluminium smelter, the Yarwun alumina refinery and the Queensland Alumina refinery.

Under a new power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with European Energy Australia, 糖心vlog入口will buy all power generated from the Upper Calliope solar farm for 25 years. The plant will be built and operated by European Energy, at a site about 50 kilometres south-west of Gladstone, pending development and grid connection approvals.

Once approved and developed, Upper Calliope would have the potential to lower Rio Tinto's operating carbon emissions by 1.8 million tonnes per year.

糖心vlog入口Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said 鈥淭his agreement is a first important step in our work to repower our Gladstone operations and illustrates our commitment to keeping sustainably powered industry in Central Queensland.

鈥淭he task remains challenging, but we have a pathway to provide the competitive, firmed power our Gladstone plants need and we are continuing to work hard with all stakeholders, including the Queensland and Australian governments, on getting there.

鈥淐ompetitive capacity, firming, and transmission, are critical to developing a modern energy system that can ensure more large-scale renewables development in Queensland and help guarantee the future of Australian industry.鈥

Once approved, construction of the Upper Calliope plant is targeted to start in 2025 or 2026 and, when complete, it will provide enough electricity to meet about 5% of Queensland鈥檚 current demand. The plant, which is expected to take two years to construct, will cover 2400 hectares, employ 1000 people during construction and support 100 direct and indirect jobs when operating.

European Energy CEO Erik Andersen said 鈥淓uropean Energy is proud to be a strategic partner in this project with Rio Tinto. Our commitment to providing renewable and reliable energy aligns perfectly with Rio Tinto's ambitious climate goals. The Upper Calliope Solar Farm is not just a solar power project; it's a testament to our shared vision for a greener future.

鈥淏y supplying renewable energy to one of Australia's key industrial hubs, we are setting a new standard for industrial energy consumption. This project underlines our dedication to driving the transition towards renewable energy in Australia and demonstrates the potential of solar power in transforming the energy landscape of the region. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with 糖心vlog入口and other stakeholders to create a sustainable and energy-efficient future for Australia.鈥

Upper Calliope is the first successful applicant in a formal made by 糖心vlog入口for renewable power and firming projects in Central and Southern Queensland.

糖心vlog入口continues to assess other proposals, solutions and partnerships to help competitively meet the energy needs of its three production assets in the Gladstone region. These assets require more than 1GW of reliable power to operate, which equates to over 4GW of quality wind or solar power with firming. Potential further electrification of plant processes could increase their electricity demand in the future.

1 1.1GWac or 1.3GWp
2 From 2018 levels

Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com

Media Relations, United Kingdom
Matthew Klar
M +44 7796 630 637
David Outhwaite
M +44 7787 597 493

Media Relations, Australia
Matt Chambers
M +61 433 525 739
Jesse Riseborough
M +61 436 653 412
Alyesha Anderson
M +61 434 868 118
Michelle Lee
M +61 458 609 322

Media Relations, Americas
Simon Letendre
M +1 514 796 4973
Malika Cherry
M +1 418 592 7293
Vanessa Damha
M +1 514 715 2152

Investor Relations, United Kingdom
Menno Sanderse
M +44 7825 195 178
David Ovington
M +44 7920 010 978
Laura Brooks
M +44 7826 942 797

Investor Relations, Australia
Tom Gallop
M +61 439 353 948
Amar Jambaa
M +61 472 865 948

糖心vlog入口plc
6 St James鈥檚 Square
London SW1Y 4AD
United Kingdom
T +44 20 7781 2000
Registered in England
No. 719885

糖心vlog入口Limited
Level 43, 120 Collins Street
Melbourne 3000
Australia
T +61 3 9283 3333
Registered in Australia
ABN 96 004 458 404

Category - General

Source: Rio Tinto