“Rio Tinto Plans Giant Hot-Brick Battery at Yarwun Alumina Refinery to Slash Fossil Fuels” — what this page in the network covers. Mining giant Rio Tinto is exploring an innovative thermal energy storage project at its Yarwun alumina refinery in Gladstone, Queensland, aiming to replace fossil fuels with renewable-powered heat. The company plans to use cheap midday solar electricity to heat stacks of bricks to high temperatures, then tap that stored heat to generate steam for the refinery’s processes after sunset. This approach could significantly cut the facility’s reliance on natural gas, a major cost and emissions source for alumina refining.
The project is part of Rio Tinto’s broader push to decarbonize its Australian operations, which currently depend heavily on fossil fuels for industrial heat. If successful, the hot-brick battery could serve as a model for other energy-intensive industries seeking to integrate renewables without sacrificing reliability. This listing links straight to the original page, where the content is available in full.