Fortescue installs first large-scale BYD battery system at North Star Junction
Iron-ore miner Fortescue has installed its first large-scale battery energy Sstorage system (BESS) at North Star Junction in the Pilbara, a key step in the company’s plan to decarbonise its operations.
The system is the first component of a planned 4 GWh to 5 GWh rollout of grid-scale storage that Fortescue says will be required to transition its energy supply away from fossil fuels. Powered by BYD’s Blade Battery technology, the NSJ BESS will store excess renewable energy generated during the day and feed green electricity into the Pilbara Energy Connect network at night.
The installation consists of 48 energy-storage containers with a combined capacity of 250 MWh, capable of delivering up to 50 MW of power for five hours. The system is designed to provide grid stability as Fortescue replaces diesel and gas generation with renewable electricity.
Fortescue Metals and Operations CEO Dino Otranto said the delivery marked a major turning point in the company’s energy strategy. “This is a big moment for Fortescue – we are fundamentally changing the way we power our mines. These systems let us store solar power and use it when we need it most, helping us cut diesel and gas and run our sites on renewable energy.”
The Blade Battery units include liquid-cooling technology to ensure safe operation under Pilbara conditions. BYD Energy Storage and New Battery Application general manager Yin Xueqin said the project demonstrated the scale of Fortescue’s decarbonisation ambitions. “Fortescue is leading one of the most ambitious mining decarbonisation programs in the world, and BYD is proud to support this transformation.”
A second BESS installation of 120 MWh at Eliwana is scheduled for early 2026. Fortescue is also advancing the 190 MW Cloudbreak Solar Farm, now almost halfway built, and has constructed more than 460 km of transmission lines under its PEC programme.
