Operational Site
Fortescue’s flagship iron ore mine operating in the Chichester Ranges, located on Palyku and Nyiyaparli Country.
Location
Australia
Product
Hematite
Capacity
40Mtpa
Status
Operational
Founded in 2007, Cloudbreak forms part of our Chichester Hub - alongside our Christmas Creek site - and produces over 40 million tonnes of iron ore pre year.
The site is approximately 40km long with multiple pits and four operational hubs. Screening, crushing, scrubbing and desanding plants prepare and refine the product before It is stockpiled and transported to port.
Cloudbreak is undergoing extensive development of solar resources, accelerating our race to eliminate carbon emissions. With renewable energy structures and the introduction of electric and battery-powered tools, Cloudbreak is a significant site in our journey to Real Zero.
The first of many Liebherr R 9400 E electric excavators commenced operation at Cloudbreak’s Bigge Pit in December 2023. It safely moved 1Mt in its first four months in operation.
A 60MW solar farm powers daytime operations at the Chichester hub with green energy, displacing approximately 100 million litres of diesel every year.
Cloudbreak is home to the first airfield in Australia to operate with fully solar powered airstrip lighting.
Design and construction of a 190MW solar farm has commenced at Cloudbreak, marking a step towards our target of zero diesel emissions by 2030.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has made available $45 million in funding from the Advancing Renewables Program to fund a unique initiative with Fortescue to develop a Pilbara Solar Innovation Hub. This first-of-its-kind initiative will trial emerging technologies to reduce the cost of renewable energy generation and support Australia’s green energy transition.
1 December 2025
16 October 2025
29 August 2025
1 July 2025
27 June 2025
3 February 2025
26 September 2024
15 August 2024
12 August 2024
13 May 2024
Real Zero is our plan to eliminate our scope 1 and scope 2 emissions across our Australian iron ore operations, without voluntary carbon offsets. For the benefit of our planet, our shareholders, and future generations.
Our Metals business includes iron ore operations in the Pilbara and exploration projects across the globe, spanning sites from Australia to Latin America and Gabon.
