Rio Tinto buys solar, wind power for mine in Madagascar

Anglo-Australian mining group Rio Tinto Plc (LON:RIO) will source both solar and wind energy for its ilmenite mine in Southern Madagascar under a newly-signed power purchase agreement (PPA).

The 20-year contract is with CrossBoundary Energy (CBE), which will build, own and operate a hybrid plant that consists of an 8-MW solar park and a 12-MW wind farm tied to a lithium-ion battery energy storage system of up to 8.25 MW.

Subscribe for Renewables Now's Corporate PPA Newsletter here for free!

Construction work on the solar project is seen to begin this year and be concluded in early 2022. The nine-turbine wind farm, in turn, will enter the building works phase early next year and become operational by the end of 2022.

The combined installation will supply 100% of the mine’s power during peak generation times and will meet up to 60% of the operations’ annual electricity needs.

The mine is owned by QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM), a joint venture in which Rio Tinto holds an 80% stake and the government of Madagascar has the remaining 20%. The site is located near Fort Dauphin in the Anosy region. The ilmenite it produces is a source of titanium dioxide, predominantly used as a white pigment in paints and paper.