We know our country is well located for renewable energy development, so we made the decision early to lead.
That's Michael Woodley talking, chief executive of Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation.
Yindjibarndi rights extend over 13,000 square kilometres of the Pilbara in Western Australia.
The Yindjibarndi people believe in the principles set out in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), including the right to own, control and develop their Ngurra (country).
Partnership
In June 2023, Yiyangu Pty Ltd - a company established by Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation and 100% owned by Yindjibarndi people through the Yindjibarndi Wealth Trust - and ACEN Renewables (the listed energy platform of Ayala Group) developed a partnership agreement and created Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation (YEC). Yiyangu owns 25% of Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation with the balance controlled by ACEN.
The agreement between Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation and ACEN has been framed to ensure Yindjibarndi approval of all proposed project sites, Yindjibarndi equity of 25% to 50% in all projects, preferred contracting for Yindjibarndi-owned businesses, and training and employment opportunities for Yindjibarndi people.
In April 2024, an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) to advance renewable energy generation and storage on Yindjibarndi ngurra was registered. Parties to the ILUA are Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC), Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation (YNAC), ACEN Corporation, and Yiyangu. The ILUA provides the necessary native title consents for the development of large-scale renewable energy projects on Yindjibarndi country.
Energy Projects
Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation plans to develop, own and operate three large-scale renewable energy projects of up to 3 gigawatts (GW) in capacity in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The first stage requires an investment of more than $1 billion to generate more than 750 megawatts (MW) of solar, wind and battery storage.
The first project under development is Jinbi, 75-150 megawatts (MW) of solar generation with the option for battery storage.
The second is Baru, 300MW of wind and 250MW of solar generation with the option for battery storage. The third proposed project is Marnda, a 350MW wind farm with an option to include a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and solar array. Together, the Baru-Marnda Renewable Energy Project proposes to combine up to 1000 megawatts (MW) of wind and 500 MW of solar generation facilities, with the option to also include a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
The projects are being developed on Yindjibarndi Ngurra (country) – an area covering approximately 13,000km2 within the Yindjibarndi Native Title Determination Areas. Yindjibarndi Ngurra includes numerous parcels of land with a variety of tenure / stakeholder interests, including the strongest form of native title, Exclusive Possession.
Baru-Marnda Renewable Energy Project
Project Baru comprises a ~300MW wind farm and a ~250MW solar array, with an option to include a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The project is under development and expected to be operational by 2030.
Project Marnda includes up to ~600MW wind farm with an option to include a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and solar array. The final mix of wind, solar & BESS will be determined as resource and market conditions are further evaluated during the feasibility investigations.
Together, the Baru-Marnda Renewable Energy Project proposes to combine up to 1000 megawatts (MW) of wind and 500 MW of solar generation facilities, with the option to also include a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
The projects are located around 50km south of Karratha within Yindjibarndi Determination Areas, incorporating a mixture of exclusive Native Title, non-exclusive Native Title, and Native Title extinguished land.
As of June 2025, the Baru-Marnda Renewable Energy Project was seeking approval from the government via the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act).
The project has been included on the National Renewable Energy Priority List.
In December 2025 Project Baru-Marnda was awarded Strategic Project Status under the Western Australian Government's Lead Agency Framework.
