Government considers fuel standards

Rio Tinto is planning to invest a further $600 million in renewable energy assets in the Pilbara as part of the company’s efforts to decarbonise its Western Australian iron ore operations.

The investment will fund the construction of two 100MW solar power facilities as well as 200MWh of on-grid battery storage in the Pilbara by 2026. This is in addition to the 34MW of solar power installed at the recently commissioned Gudai-Darri iron ore mine.

Initial funding for Rio Tinto’s first major stand-alone solar farm on the Pilbara coast has been approved, a 100MW solar photovoltaic system and associated transmission infrastructure. Construction, which will involve the installation of approximately 225,000 solar panels built to withstand the Pilbara’s cyclonic conditions, is expected to start next year ahead of project commissioning in 2025.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Simon Trott said, “The Pilbara is extremely well-positioned to take advantage of renewable power with land, access to people, and abundant wind and solar resources. Our Pilbara electricity grid is the largest privately-owned grid in Australia, ensuring that we have the initial infrastructure required to enable a transition to renewable energy.

“We expect to invest around $3 billion to install renewable energy assets as well as transmission and storage upgrades in the Pilbara as part of our commitment to halve our emissions from the Pilbara by the end of this decade.”

The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) say the Federal Government is seeking views on improvements to Australia’s fuel quality standards. A draft regulation impact statement has been released which canvasses various options.

The primary focus is on petrol standards to pave the way for the introduction of Euro 6d emissions standards for light vehicles. Improved fuel quality might ensure better air quality, improve health outcomes, latest and cleanest technology and greater access to more efficient vehicles.

The regulation impact statement has found that a change to the diesel standard is not required.

Current standards vary significantly across the globe and Australia’s diesel quality is already very close to the European Union standard. There is no evidence of any potential operability issues with Euro 6 trucks in Australia.

“A change to the Australian diesel standard would simply be another regulatory cost we do not need,” says the ALRTA.

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