Australian miner Fortescue Metals Group has set a new goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 – 10 years earlier than its previous target.

Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortescue, will be a key enabler of this target through the development of green electricity, green hydrogen and green ammonia projects in Australia.

“We have joined the global battle to defeat climate change. We are trialling and demonstrating green hydrogen technologies in global-scale commercial environments, while also rapidly evolving into a green hydrogen and electricity producer of similar scale,” said Dr Andrew Forrest, chairman of Fortescue.

Fortescue is seeking to move from being a major consumer of fossil fuel with a current trajectory of more than 1 billion litres per year of diesel being used across operations – to a major clean and renewable energy exporter.

FFI is advancing projects across Australia including Tasmania, to build large-scale renewable energy and green hydrogen production capacity. This will expedite the substitution of green hydrogen and green ammonia for carbon-based fuels. These projects will, with the support of Australia’s governments, contribute to a significant reduction in national carbon emissions.

Through FFI and its operations team, Fortescue is undertaking to deliver several key projects by the stretch target of 30 June 2021. This will underpin its pathway to decarbonisation. These projects include:

• Developing a ship design powered by green ammonia and trialling that design in new ammonia engine technology, at scale.

• Testing large battery technology in haul trucks.

• Trialling hydrogen fuel cell power for drill rigs.

• Trialling technology on locomotives to run on green ammonia.

• Conducting trials to use renewable energy in the Pilbara to convert iron ore to green iron at low temperatures, without coal.

Independent verification will be employed to monitor Fortescue’s march to carbon neutrality.

Source: Fortescue Metals Group