The Anglo-Australian mining group Rio Tinto has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the renewable energy developer and operator European Energy Australia to buy all power generated from the 1.1 GW Upper Calliope solar plant for a 25-year period. European Energy’s 1.1 GW Upper Calliope solar project is located about 50 km south-west of Gladstone in central Queensland (Australia) and is expected to start operations in 2025-2026, although is still pending of development and grid connection approvals.
It was the first successful candidate of Rio Tinto’s formal Request for Proposals (RfP) for renewable power and firming projects in Central and Southern Queensland to supply with renewable power its three Gladstone production assets: the Boyne aluminium smelter, the Yarwun alumina refinery and the Queensland Alumina refinery. The solar plant is expected to lower the company’s operating carbon emissions by 1.8 Mt/year.
Rio Tinto will continue to look into other proposals since it estimates a need of 4 GW of wind or solar power with firming to meet the energy needs of its assets in Gladstone.
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