Mineral Resources (MinRes) has achieved a significant milestone in its journey toward a low-carbon future, successfully transitioning its critical port operations at the Port of Ashburton to natural gas power.
The move marks a major win for the company’s flagship Onslow iron project in the Pilbara, which is now significantly greener and more cost-efficient. The site, which handles the transhipment of iron ore 150km from the Ken’s Bore mine, has been fully connected to the Wheatstone Ashburton West Gas Pipeline lateral, enabling a new 14-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power station to replace the previous diesel generators.
“The introduction of a gas-fired power station at the port represents a major step towards delivering cleaner and more sustainable mining and export infrastructure,” MinRes power station operations manager Gary Stevens said.
“Bringing something of this scale together and operational is a huge piece of work and couldn’t be done without the team’s dedication, diligence and expertise.”
MinRes general manager of operations and development Rowan Hill emphasised the strategic importance of the switch.
“We consider clean energy critical to the sustainability of our industry and the communities where we operate,” Hill said. “We’re continually exploring ways to reduce emissions across our operations, and by connecting the port to the gas lateral we’re reducing our diesel consumption and taking another positive step towards more cost-effective and cleaner operations.”
The transition is projected to displace approximately 60 million litres of diesel for power generation per year, representing a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and in the logistical complexity of fuel supply.
The project aligns with MinRes’ broader investment in greener technologies. It builds on the ahead-of-schedule ramp-up of the Onslow Iron project, which reached its nameplate capacity of 35 million tonnes per year in August.
This engineering feat solidifies MinRes’ position as a leader in deploying alternative energy solutions in the challenging, remote West Pilbara environment, according to a company statement.
