Rio Tinto launches solar initiative on Gove Peninsula to ensure sustainable future

World-leading mining company Rio Tinto has announced the construction of two 5.25 MW solar farms in Gumatj and Rirratjingu, traditional land on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory, a significant step towards securing a sustainable energy supply. Gumatj and Rirratjingu, traditional ownership groups, have approved the solar farms, which will be built on Rio Tinto leases.

The initiative aims to secure a low-carbon energy future for the Gove community as mining operations in the region are expected to cease by the end of the decade. Aggreko, a world leader in mobile and modular energy solutions, will build, own and operate the solar farms.

{round}

Construction is scheduled to start in July 2024 and is scheduled to be completed in early 2025. The combined capacity of both facilities will be 10.5 MW, making a significant contribution to the region’s renewable energy infrastructure.

The project underlines Rio Tinto’s commitment to sustainability and working with Indigenous communities, paving the way for a cleaner, more resilient energy future in the Northern Territory.

Shannon Price, acting CEO of Rio Tinto Gove Operations, said: “The Gove Solar Project is part of our shared vision with traditional owners to leave a positive legacy for the Gove Peninsula communities once bauxite mining ceases.”

“We are excited to work with the Gumatj and Rirratjingu clans to ensure they can secure alternative electricity generation assets in their country and discuss opportunities to commercialize their energy infrastructure in the future.”

“We are working with the Northern Territory Government and traditional owners to ensure a smooth transition of leased lands, municipal assets and infrastructure as Rio Tinto prepares to cease mining at Gove by the end of this decade.”

“We are committed to our role in helping to plan for the region’s future, which includes providing reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable infrastructure options.”

“The solar farms are also part of our ongoing commitment to decarbonize our operations. Once operational, they are expected to reduce annual CO₂in our Gove plants by up to 17 per cent. We intend these farms to form the backbone of sustainable energy for the region beyond mining.”

Once completed, the solar farms are expected to reduce the region’s annual diesel consumption by about 20 percent, or 4.5 million liters per year. They will also reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 12,000 tons, the equivalent of taking 2,800 combustion engine cars off the road.

Rio Tinto’s Gove facility in the Northern Territory of Australia has been supplying the global aluminium industry with world-class bauxite for over 40 years. Gove bauxite is shipped worldwide and is used to supply the Queensland Alumina Limited and Yarwun refineries in Gladstone, Queensland. These refineries produce alumina as a feedstock for Rio Tinto’s Australian aluminium smelting operations and for sale internationally.

Bauxite mining on the Gove Peninsula is expected to end by the end of the decade, with work already underway to close and rehabilitate the refinery, mine and waste disposal facilities.