Mining giant Rio Tinto on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation (YEC) to collaborate on renewable energy projects on Yindjibarndi country in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Rio Tinto and YEC will evaluate potential wind and solar power projects, as well as battery energy storage systems, the Australian miner said in a press release. The initial focus will be on assessing the viability of a solar power generation facility to supply Rio Tinto’s iron ore operations.

The MoU comes as part of Rio Tinto’s $3bn plan to decarbonise its iron ore business, which is currently powered by four gas-fired power stations. An estimated 700MW of renewable capacity will be required to replace its gas supply. Currently, the company is in the assessment phase for approximately 300MW of solar projects.

YEC was established in June following an agreement between the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC), the representative institution for the Aboriginal Yindjibarndi people, and renewables developer ACEN, with an aim to progress the development of renewable energy projects on Yindjibarndi Ngurra (country).

YEC plans to boost its portfolio capacity by 750MW of combined wind, solar and battery storage, with construction scheduled to begin within the “next few years,” although no further specifics were disclosed. The MoU relates to some, but not all, of these projects.

Michael Woodley, YAC chief executive, said: “Yindjibarndi Ngurra is ideally suited to developing renewable energy generation and our people are encouraged by Rio Tinto’s interest in building this capacity with us.