Zenith Energy says it has achieved completion on the diesel portion of its 62 MW power station for Newmont Mining’s Tanami gold mine in the Northern Territory of Australia.
The remote power generation specialist said it had energised the 42 km 66 kV interconnect between the Dead Bullock Soak and Granites sites, enabling transmission of power for the site in line with previous estimates.
The agreement between Zenith and Newmont – a build, own and operate (BOO) contract for a 62 MW power station at the mine – is the largest such power purchase agreement Zenith has signed to date. It is for an initial 10-year term, with an option to extend the contract for a further 10 years.
“Zenith is also delighted to confirm that the supply commencement milestone of Q1 2019 has been successfully achieved, with numerous complex design, engineering, logistics and construction challenges met and overcome, resulting in the on‐time, on‐budget and safe completion of this landmark project by Zenith’s world‐class team,” Zenith said.
The power station comprises 52 MW of gas‐fired and circa 10 MW of diesel (back‐up) power generation. Zenith said: “To put the scale of the power station in perspective, the average Australian household consumes circa 25 kWh/d of power, whereas the Tanami facility will produce upwards of 864,000 kWh/d.”
With the completion of this facility, Zenith has 428 MW of total generation capacity under control.
The design and construction phase for Tanami required the transport of three 150‐t Wartsila 34DF generators by road train from Fremantle in Western Australia; a 3,000 km journey (pictured) taking more than one week to complete, according to Zenith.
Managing Director of Zenith Energy, Hamish Moffat, said: “The construction of our 62 MW power station at Tanami, on time and within budget, is testament to the capability and commitment of the entire Zenith Energy team. As the largest BOO hybrid gas‐diesel project we have undertaken, completion of the Tanami power station is a major milestone for Zenith.
“Diesel-fuelled electricity supply from the facility has commenced and gas supply is imminent. We look forward to delivering cost‐effective, reliable power to Newmont’s Tanami operation for years to come.”
Newmont’s Tanami underground gold mine produced 419,000 oz of gold (attributable to Newmont) in 2017.