![Rio Tinto to pursue development of solar farm for WA iron ore ops teaser image](https://images.kitco.com/img/height_434,width_774/icms/e5e4cd67-ca03-44dc-8ff7-662c5900d3d9.png)
Rio Tinto to pursue development of solar farm for WA iron ore ops
Australia’s Rio Tinto said on Monday it has agreed to develop an 80 megawatt (MW) solar farm to facilitate the supply of renewable energy to its operations in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.The solar farm could displace up to 11% of natural gas currently used for generation across Rio’s integrated mining operations in the Pilbara, Rio said.The project has the potential to reduce the miner’s emissions by up to 120 kiloton carbon dioxide emissions per year once complete, it added.
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Portugal’s mining strategy may favour copper over lithium
Portugal’s government is finalizing a strategic plan to explore for raw materials critical to the green transition, where copper could take on a more important role than lithium, the environment and energy minister said on Monday.Maria da Graca Carvalho said Portugal “fortunately has many critical raw materials for the green transition, such as copper, which is needed for electric cars”.