Engineer named for new transmission line from massive renewable hub to Pilbara iron ore mines

Australian civil engineering giant GHD has been appointed to tackle preliminary engineering for a proposed transmission line that will link the Pilbara mining region with one of the biggest renewable energy hubs in the world.

The Pilbara Green Link project aims to connect local utility Horizon Power’s current transmission infrastructure with the proposed Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH), which is now led by oil giant BP and plans up to 26 gigawatts (26 GW) of wind and solar power, and other proposed renewable energy developments.

Much of that power will be used to help decarbonise the electricity supply to the huge iron ore mines in the Pilbara, as well as support other green industries that are attracted to the supply of low cost emissions free power.

The Pilbara iron ore miners, which include Fortescue, BHP and Rio Tinto, are all aiming to slash emissions through the electrification of transport and power supplies. Fortescue wants to reach “real zero” by 2030, and the sheer scale of what is being proposed will require multiple gigawatts of new capacity.

The iron ore miners have also been wrestling with the issue of share infrastructure, given that most of their transmission lines – like their rail links – are privately owned but with little interconnection. They acknowledge that this semi feudal arrangement must change.

The Pilbara Green Link is designed to construct shared-use transmission infrastructure – high voltage 330 kV transmission lines to link AREH and the other renewable energy developments to the mining region, and provide renewable energy for both existing and new industries in the region.

GHD, which will be responsible for delivery of the preliminary design of the transmission lines and substations, with this preliminary engineering phase scheduled to be completed by March 2025, says the project will transform the energy landscape in the north-west.

“The Pilbara Green Link represents a significant opportunity for the decarbonisation of the Pilbara region and Australia’s transition towards a renewable energy future,” said Craig Palmer, regional general manager of delivery phase services for GHD.