Lion One Metals has partnered with Switzerland-based clean energy provider the meeco Group to build and install a hybrid solar/diesel power plant at the Tuvatu gold project, in Fiji.

As part of this agreement, Lion One will be a 50% shareholder of a Special Project Vehicle (SPV) through an agreed buy-in structure.

Lion One will use meeco’s 7 MW peak “sun2live” solar power generation system, coupled with diesel generators, to generate up to 11 MW peak power production providing a continuous 24-hour source of power for the Tuvatu gold mine and processing plant. The installation will be built on 4.1 ha of unused land 3.5 km from the project and 17 km from the Nadi International Airport.

The new eco-friendly solar power system will have an estimated annual energy production of approximately 10.31 GWh, displacing more than 6,000 t/y of CO2 emissions, according to Lion One.

Lion One Managing Director, Stephen Mann, said: “meeco has a solid track record of installing and operating solar hybrid power plants worldwide. This hybrid system will not only reduce our carbon footprint, but will enable Lion One to meet our power capacity requirements while significantly reducing fuel consumption and operating costs for the Tuvatu gold project.”

Tuvatu is the largest undeveloped gold project in Fiji and one of highest-grade gold projects anywhere in the world, according to Lion One, with the company focused on building production of 100,000 oz/y over 10 years.

The process facility is designed with a nominal capacity of 219,000 t/y for a nominal design rate of 600 t/d based on an overall availability of 91% with a life of mine average feed grade of 11.3 g/t Au.