Australian miner Fortescue started construction of its Nullagine wind project, in the Pilbara, Western Australia, last month, marking a major milestone in the company’s plan to reach its “Real Zero” target.

According to Fortescue, net zero carbon emissions – with one of the widely used approaches towards decarbonisation being the purchasing of carbon credits or embarking on carbon offsetting measures to balance their emissions – often sees carbon emissions being theoretically lowered on paper but not in practice.

In contrast, Fortescue’s “Real Zero” measures aim to reach zero carbon emissions through a comprehensive plan across its direct Scope 1 and indirect Scope 2 terrestrial emissions by 2030.

“Delivering ‘Real Zero’ requires replacing diesel and gas with reliable, industrial-scale renewable energy,” says Fortescue metals and operations CEO Dino Otranto.

“Wind, alongside solar and batteries, provides the dependable, low-cost power we need to electrify our haul trucks, drills, processing plants and rail across the Pilbara.”

The Nullagine wind project is Fortescue’s first operational wind development and establishes the foundation for a broader portfolio of wind capacity to be rolled out this decade.

The project builds on momentum across Fortescue’s Pilbara renewable energy programme, with the Cloudbreak 190 MW solar farm at the miner’s flagship iron-ore mine, in the Chichester Ranges, in Australia, nearing completion with over 300 000 solar panels installed.

The Nullagine wind project will feed directly into Fortescue’s Pilbara Energy Connect programme, which aims to integrate solar, battery storage and high-voltage transmission to link its mining hubs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

In particular, Nullagine strengthens Fortescue’s operations’ power supply by balancing daytime solar with strong night-time and seasonal wind generation, says Otranto.

He adds that with Cloudbreak solar well advanced and large-scale batteries already delivered at Fortescue’s North Star Junction 100 MW solar farm, Fortescue is establishing a baseload renewable energy system that is being built, tested and delivered in real operating conditions.

Nullagine Wind Project

Following Fortescue’s acquisition of advanced wind technologies specialist Nabrawind in September, 2025, the 133 MW Nullagine wind project entails installing 17 wind turbines, incorporating self-erecting tower technology developed by Nabrawind.



Envision will subcontract Nabrawind to integrate its Nabralift self-erecting tower system, delivering a hub height of 188 m.

The company notes that a Nabrawind-integrated turbine of this design has already been installed as a prototype at an Envision testing facility in China and will be relocated to the Pilbara in June.

By 2030, Fortescue plans to deploy between 2 GW and 3 GW of renewable-energy generation and battery storage, including a portfolio of wind and solar projects across the Pilbara, subject to land access and regulatory approvals.