New solar farm to slash carbon emissions at Port Hedland International Airport

A new solar farm and battery project opened at Port Hedland International Airport (PHIA) will slash carbon emissions by almost 80 per cent.

More than 2,200 solar panels, the equivalent of 1.2 megawatts, are now feeding into a 600-kilowatt battery storage system which will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 300 homes.

The system is the largest to be connected to the North West Interconnected System operated by Horizon Power.

Hon. Cheryl Edwardes AM PHIA chair said the investment decision in the solar farm further underlined the decarbonisation commitment being undertaken at the airport.

“This environmentally sustainable initiative will result in us reducing carbon emissions by more than 1,000 tonnes each year and achieving an annual electricity consumption saving of more than 1,500,000 kW hours,” she said.

“As well as the environmental benefits, this project is a great example of a commitment to the efficient use of available land, with the solar array safely located with the lease and adjacent to the PHIA runways.”

The PHIA solar farm was project managed by sustainability advisory firm Ekistica and constructed by BT Energy, with contributions from local businesses.

“Through a combination of initiatives, we are well and truly on track to achieve our target of net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas carbon emissions by 2030,” Ms Edwardes said.