Stepping beyond fossil fuels
630 million litres of diesel. That’s how much we currently use each year, powering our trucks, diggers and other mining equipment. But by 2030, we’ll reduce that to zero.
Our industry leading decarbonisation plan
Fortescue emits more than 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent into the atmosphere every year from our Australian terrestrial iron ore operations – otherwise known as Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
In September 2022 we announced our $6.2b industry leading decarbonisation plan to eliminate emissions, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Driven by our people, and our shareholders, we have pledged to eliminate fossil fuels from our Australian terrestrial iron ore operations by 2030.
It is not only the right thing to do for the world, but also good business, and will save us hundreds of millions of dollars every year by eliminating diesel and gas. Our entire company is completely dedicated to this mission, and our progress has been extraordinary.
Key figures
We are planning to turn off the diesel, turn off the gas, get rid of the voluntary carbon offsets and completely shift to green energy.
We’ve estimated that we will need around two to three gigawatts of solar, wind and battery storage to decarbonise our iron ore operations.
1b litres
Fossil fuel avoided per year (diesel litres equivalent), once decarb plan implemented.
2-3GW
Of extra renewable energy generation and storage.
3Mt
of CO2 (equivalent) per year, eliminated.
Switching on more renewables
We have started this journey and will commission our first in-house 100MW solar farm near our Iron Bridge operations.
These renewables will need to be supported by extensive transmission and on-site electrical infrastructure. Through our Pilbara Energy Connect project, we’ve constructed 320 kilometres of transmission lines to connect Solomon to Iron Bridge through to Port Hedland and we’ve got plenty more to come.
Green mining
We’re proving that you can still mine the metals needed for a green transition, without the emissions burden. Project Roadrunner is our battery electric haul truck prototype which is powered by a 1.4MWh battery, developed in house by Fortescue Zero. The truck can be charged in just 30 minutes using our 3MW fast charger.
What about scope 3 emissions?
Scope 3 emissions are those emissions that fall within our value chain but are outside our operational control.
By far the largest source of our Scope 3 emissions is the steelmaking process, which accounts for 98% of Fortescue’s Scope 3 emissions.
Steelmaking generates significant emissions due to its current reliance on coking and thermal coal.
We’re taking an industry leading position, developing the technology and processes to create green iron (which is a critical input to decarbonising the steelmaking process).
Our scope 3 decarbonisation commitments
We’re aware of our large Scope 3 emissions profile at 269.3 million tonnes a year, which is why we’ve set a stretch target to achieve Net Zero Scope 3 emissions by 2040.
7.5%
Reduction in emissions intensity from steelmaking by Fortescue's customers by 2030 (compared to FY21 levels).
50%
Reduction in emissions intensity levels from the shipping of our iron ore by 2030 (compared to FY21 levels).
Net Zero
Scope 3 emissions by 2040.