“We really must be taking this super-seriously now,” Forrest toldThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age after a high-level meeting in the US. “So my challenge to industrial leaders all over the world is:take the first step.”
World leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly on Monday (US time) where Forrest presented his vision at a closed-door session with UN Secretary General António Guterres,urging industry rivals to stop making excuses and follow suit.
The bulk of the company’s investment will be spent between 2024 and 2028 on rolling out 2 to 3 gigawatts of renewable energy generation and battery storage to power a green mining fleet,electrifying its rail locomotive ore haulage system in the process. Studies are underway to optimise localised wind and solar resources.
‘This is an investment that I think every company in the world ought to make.’
Andrew Forrest
Once implemented,the plan would make Fortescue the world’s first heavy industry company of its scale to go green by 2030.
“This is an investment that I think every company in the world ought to make,and an investment which,now that you can see that it can be done,every heavy industry should step out and do,” Forrest said.
Stock markets were unmoved by Forrest’s efforts,with Fortescue’s shares closing marginally lower at $17.30.