There are now 14 renewable energy projects in Australia that are being developed in partnership with First Nations communities.

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.

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.

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.

Project Jinbi

In October 2023, Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Rio Tinto to explore opportunities to collaborate on renewable energy projects on Yindjibarndi country in the Pilbara. Rio Tinto has held a Participation Agreement and Indigenous Land Use Agreement with Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation since 2013.

In June 2024 the Western Australian government fast-tracked approval for Project Jinbi. The environmental approval is the first to be given under the state government’s new Green Energy Approvals Initiative.

The project then received the 'green light' in December 2024 from the City of Karratha's Joint Development Assessment Panel.

Project Jinbi is expected to commence construction in late 2025 and be operational in the second half of 2027, connecting directly to Rio Tinto transmission infrastructure for electricity supply to Rio Tinto's operations.

Project Baru

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.

Chichester Range Transmission Corridor

In December 2024, the Western Australian government awarded Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation Project Priority status for the development of new transmission infrastructure in what’s called the Chichester Range Transmission Corridor.

This means YEC can access support and funding through the federal government’s Rewiring the Nation program — a program aiming to modernise Australia's electricity grid and transmission infrastructure. The program provides finance at concessional rates to minimise the costs of these investments.