Rio Tinto in solar farm deal with Forrest foes
The Indigenous leader embroiled in a legal dispute with mining billionaire Andrew Forrest says traditional owner groups with land rights over huge tracts of minerals-rich Western Australia are in the “right place at the right time” to become major players in renewable energy.
Rio Tinto is strengthening its ties to the Michael Woodley-led Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC), with the miner set to become either a customer or equity partner as the Yindjibarndi look to develop solar and wind farms.
Rio Tinto iron ore boss Simon Trott and Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Michael Woodley outside the former Victoria Hotel in Roebourne on Friday.
Rio will work with the Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation on developing a 75-150 megawatt capacity solar farm adjacent to Rio power transmission lines about 50 kilometres from Karratha.
“What we have here is an opportunity. Once there is commitment from industry to decarbonise we can contribute through our projects,” Mr Woodley said. “We are in the right place at the right time.”
Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation launched a renewable energy business in July soon after the Federal Court started hearing evidence in a case where the traditional owner group is seeking about $1 billion in compensation from Dr Forrest’s Fortescue Metals.
YAC said the renewables venture did not depend on a court-ordered payout. The Yindjibarndi have been battling Fortescue for about 16 years and received no royalties from the company’s mining on Pilbara land, where they are recognised as having the strongest form of native title.
Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation signed a rail access agreement with Rio last year and is now behind one of Australia’s biggest renewables projects, in
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