Fortescue appears to have abandoned a major WA wind and solar project.

Fortescue, led by Andrew Forrest, has quietly halted its plans for a large wind and solar farm project in Western Australia, potentially marking a shift in its decarbonisation strategy. 

The Uaroo Renewable Energy Hub, featuring 340 wind turbines and a 5.4-gigawatt solar farm with battery storage, was planned for the Uaroo and Emu Creek cattle stations near Onslow. 

Although initially seen as pivotal to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, Fortescue terminated approval applications for the project last month.

The company has now revealed that Uaroo was not integral to its decarbonization efforts, and instead, Fortescue aims to acquire 2 to 3 gigawatts of renewable energy and battery storage for phasing out gas and diesel in mining operations. 

Fortescue CEO Dino Otranto explained that the company's understanding of energy requirements had evolved, and they are focusing on approved land within their mining lease for green energy projects.

While the Uaroo project is scrapped, Fortescue says it continues its journey toward decarbonisation, with a 100-megawatt solar farm near Iron Bridge and plans to explore wind and solar farms on former mine sites. 

Rio Tinto has also expressed interest in repurposing former mine sites for renewable energy in the Pilbara region.