THE PORT of Port Hedland has achieved renewable energy milestones, with the first lithium battery imports recently arriving through the Eastern Harbour.
Image: Pilbara Ports / LinkedIn
Each vehicle contained 76 lithium batteries and weighed about 200 metric tonnes.
A Pilbara Ports spokesperson said the locomotives, destined for BHP, marked the first shipment to arrive in Australia, and there were more to follow.
“We expect more of these initiatives to come from the iron ore industry, creating the resilient, low emissions future for our ports and the wider supply chain,” the spokesperson said.
“We expect this kind of business to grow when the new Lumsden Point facility comes online in mid-2026.”
Pilbara Ports’ other renewable energy imports include wind turbines and green marine fuels. It also enables exports of ammonia, hydrogen, battery metals and green steel.
In a statement on social media, BHP announced upcoming trials of the locomotives between Port Hedland and its Pilbara mines.
“Purpose-built to withstand the region’s tough terrain and long distances, these heavy-haul battery-electric locomotives will be put to the test when they begin proof of concept trials across our Pilbara iron ore rail network,” the statement said.
Further, Pilbara Ports marked the first shipment of industrial scale lithium batteries aboard the MV Pacific Excellence at Port Hedland.
Image: Pilbara Ports / LinkedIn
The shipment consisted of 48 BYD Energy Storage System (BESS) units are destined for Fortescue.
Fortescue delivered its first-ever large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) to North Star Junction (NSJ).
This installation involves a planned 4-5GWh rollout of large-scale storage systems that will be required to decarbonise Fortescue’s energy supply over the coming years.
Powered by BYD’s advanced blade battery technology, the NSJ BESS is to store renewable energy generated during the day and supply green power to the Pilbara Energy Connect (PEC) network at night.
The installation comprises 48 energy storage containers, providing a total capacity of 250MWh and capable of delivering up to 50MW of power for five hours.
BYD’s batteries feature liquid cooling systems designed to operate efficiently in Pilbara temperatures and conditions.
BYD general manager of energy storage and new battery application, Yin Xueqin, said the company was proud to bring the project to life.
“Fortescue is leading one of the most ambitious mining decarbonisation programs in the world,” she said.
“The NSJ BESS is an important milestone for our partnership, and we will continue working closely with Fortescue to deliver the large-scale storage needed to power a green Pilbara.”