Contractors named for first big solar and battery hybrid to serve iron ore giants

Utility Alinta Energy has named the contractors to build a $180 million large scale solar and battery hybrid project in Port Hedland, to help power the huge port operations servicing mining giant BHP’s iron ore mines in the Pilbara.

The 45MW (ac) solar project will be built near to Alinta’s existing Port Hedland gas-fired power station, while a 35MW, one hour (35MWh) battery will be built right next to the existing generator.

Once completed, it is expected that all of the average daytime energy requirements for BHP’s port facilities at Port Hedland will be powered by solar, with its remaining power requirements to be met via the battery and Alinta Energy’s existing gas-fired power station.

It is expected to halve emissions from the generation of electricity used to power BHP’s WA iron ore port facilities in Port Hedland.

Alinta says it has appointed UGL to deliver the battery storage component, while SEDP Monford, a collaboration of the Shanghai Electric Power Design Institute and Monford Group, will deliver the solar component.  Contractors will be on site from July and delivery still late 2024.

Alinta has development approvals for the sites that could facilitate a future expansion to a 60MW two-hour (120MWh) battery storage system and 90MW (ac) solar array.

The commitment to the new project comes as Alinta Energy is seeking buyers for 80 per cent of its Pilbara assets – which includes the Port Hedland and Mt Newman power stations and associate transmission lines and other solar and battery projects.

It intends to use the money to free up funds for new projects in Western Australia’s main grid and planned “mega projects” in the east coast, such as offshore wind in Victoria and pumped hydro in NSW.

The big iron ore miners in the Pilbara – Fortescue, BHP and Rio Tinto – and their energy suppliers are moving towards solar and battery storage because of pressure on supply chains to head to zero emissions, and because they provide cheaper options that gas and diesel.

Alinta has already built a big battery next to its Mt Newman gas powered station, which supplies mines owned by Gina Rinehart and Andrew Forrest, and has built the 60MW Chichester solar farm (pictured above) that is supplying two Fortescue mines.

Fortescue plans to build more solar, plus wind and battery storage to reduce its energy emissions to zero by 2030.

Rio Tinto and BHP have also turned to both solar and battery storage facilities, with Rio recently commissioning the 34MW solar farm at Gudai-Darri and working on a nearby battery.

In relation to the Port Hedland facility, Alinta, BHP, UGL and SEPD Monford say they are committed to seeking opportunities to include local and Indigenous content, including opportunities for local, Pilbara Aboriginal and Kariyarra Traditional Owner businesses.

The state government’s Clean Energy Future Fund has made a grant of $1.5 million towards the battery storage system component of the project.

See also RenewEconomy’s Big Battery Storage Map of Australia