Fortescue has a focus on green energy, despite appearances

Mining and energy company Fortescue continues to try to reverse a widely held impression that it has gone soft on green energy and hydrogen in particular.

Only two months ago the company reorganised its energy business deprioritising a number of green hydrogen projects and, according to some reports, ‘pivoting downstream along the conveyor belt to electricity projects’.

Since then Fortescue has been trumpeting its green credentials as it did yet again in its just released results report to shareholders.

Fortescue Energy Chief Executive Officer Mark Hutchinson said: “We’re steadfastly committed to the green energy transition and making solid progress towards our goals, while also maintaining the financial discipline that has made Fortescue a success for the past 20 years.

“This year, Fortescue took our first Energy projects to Final Investment Decision.

“We turned the soil to launch Arizona Hydrogen, our green hydrogen project in the United States and started work on Gladstone PEM50, a 50MW green hydrogen project utilising Fortescue’s own electrolyser technology.

“Our board has also agreed to fast-track two more projects, with Holmaneset in Norway and Pecém in Brazil progressing to feasibility phase.”

Hutchinson said that company had opened itsr Gladstone Electrolyser Centre (pictured) in Queensland and started selling Fortescue electrolyser systems.

“This technology and our other Fortescue Zero products and solutions are key to everything we are doing.

“Not only are we using them to decarbonise our own mining operations by 2030, we’re also now selling them to other customers, so they too can eliminate emissions.

“These are significant achievements, and we must continue to be focused, move fast, be agile and deliver for our shareholders and our customers.”

Meanwhile Fortescue is decarbonising its mining and metals business constructing a new solar farm, deploying electric excavators and the developing battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell haul truck prototypes.

It seems it is, if not full speed ahead on green technologies, Fortescue is still proceeding apace.

Further reading:
Fortescue backpedals on green hydrogen, heads downstream

Picture: Picture: Fortescue’s Gladstone electrolyser plant