Tag Archives: battery energy storage

Hybrid Systems Australia delivers Western Australia’s ‘largest network-integrated BESS’ to Fortescue

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hybrid Systems Australia, Pacific Energy’s integrated renewables subsidiary, says it has delivered Western Australia’s largest network-integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) as a part of Fortescue Metals Group’s Pilbara Energy Connect project, which aims to power the miner’s Pilbara iron ore operations with renewable energy.

Hybrid Systems Australia designed, installed and commissioned 42 MW of interconnected battery storage for two Fortescue mine sites, making it one of the world’s largest network-connected BESS to be developed for a mining application, the company says.

The batteries, which are now fully operational, have been developed alongside solar and new low emissions gas-fired generation that will be owned and operated by Fortescue as part of the company’s Pilbara Energy Connect (PEC) program.

HSA said: “The battery systems use industry-leading grid stabilising control systems, including millisecond-response capabilities and Kokam battery technology, to provide greater protection against load spikes and dips and ensure overall network stability.”

The batteries’ primary role is for grid stability and support, providing spinning reserve backup to any gas generation outages or sudden changes in the solar output. They will store energy from Fortescue’s planned 150 MW of nearby solar power, enabling mining activities to be powered by more renewable energy and cutting the annual carbon emissions of the mines.

Mike Hall, Executive Director of Hybrid Systems Australia, said the project represented one of the largest and most technologically advanced BESS projects the company had undertaken, and that systems of this size were critical to Fortescue’s move towards eliminating the use of fossil fuels in their operations by 2030.

“Our industry-leading design, network integration experience and strong partnerships meant we could readily deliver a large-scale solution that will allow Fortescue to continue its rapid upscale of renewable capacity and deliver on its real zero target,” he said.

“Our BESS are built specifically for remote Australia’s harsh conditions and can be sized from 1 MW to 200 MW, which makes them ideal for large-scale mining applications where the objective is greater reliance on clean energy.”

Fortescue Chief Operating Officer Iron Ore, Dino Otranto, said: “At Fortescue, we are committed to eliminating the use of fossil fuels across our operations by 2030. We were pleased to partner with Hybrid Systems Australia on the BESS, which are a significant component of our investment in the PEC program.

“PEC will not only supply low-cost power to our Iron Bridge operations, but importantly will support Fortescue’s world-leading decarbonisation agenda, allowing the incorporation of additional large scale renewable energy into our network in the future.”

The project included specialised involvement from its subsidiaries, Pacific Energy Pty Ltd, which is delivering the PEC’s low-emissions gas-fuelled power station, MVLV Power Solutions, which designed, manufactured and installed the switchgear and BESS enclosures, and Digital Intelligence, which delivered the BESS control systems.

Hybrid Systems Australia partnered with Hitachi Energy and Kokam to bring together expertise and key battery components from the two specialist equipment suppliers to deliver a solution for Fortescue. It also worked closely with Supply Nation accredited vendors, including electrical contractor, Boodjara Pty Ltd, and local electrical wholesalers, Myelec and D&W Electrical.

NextSource contracts CrossBoundary Energy for Molo hybrid power project

Energy minerals, Environmental, Mineral project development, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

NextSource Materials has awarded a power supply contract to independent power producer CrossBoundary Energy (CBE) for the long-term supply of solar and thermal generation to power the operations of its Molo graphite project in Madagascar.

The contract is for a 20-year term and has been designed to scale with the production output of the Molo mine, where delivery of power will increase in lockstep with all future expansion capacity requirements, NextSource said.

A subsidiary of CBE in Madagascar is developing the project and will build, own and operate the Molo hybrid energy power plant at no capital cost to NextSource, it said. The plant will be located adjacent to the Molo mine site and is expected to be operational at the same time as the Molo mine is due to be commissioned in the June quarter of 2022.

“Through this contract, NextSource will initially be able to source up to one third of the Molo mine’s total electricity needs from renewable solar energy,” NextSource said. “NextSource and CBE are committed to optimising the solar component throughout the contract to increase the percentage of renewable energy to a majority.”

The hybrid energy power plant will comprise a 2.5 MW solar PV energy system, a 1 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) and a 3.3 MW thermal energy system (diesel generators) that will supply all the electricity requirements for the Molo mine and processing plant. The thermal energy system will be used in combination with the solar plant and BESS to provide uninterrupted power supply and ensure 100% power availability to the mine, NextSource said.

The renewable energy services provided by CBE will be supplied exclusively to NextSource and provide guaranteed energy cost savings, according to the mine developer. This rate will lower expected energy costs on a per kWh basis versus the expected cost per kWh rate based on thermal power alone, as modelled in the company’s 2019 Molo feasibility study. This study outlined a phased development approach at Molo with Phase 1 producing 17,000 t/y over the first two years of production and Phase 2 producing a total of 45,000 t/y by year three. Earlier this year, the company announced the initiation of a technical study for an expanded Phase 2 production capacity of at least 150,000 t/y of SuperFlake® for Molo.

NextSource added: “The hybrid plant will contribute significantly towards NextSource’s adherence to its environmental, social and governance principles. It will also achieve the company’s broader initiative to reduce its environmental footprint through the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure to reduce emissions and work toward its goal of a carbon-neutral energy system.”

NextSource President and CEO, Craig Scherba, said: “Deployment of clean, renewable and sustainable power sources to reduce emissions is a cornerstone of our operational strategy and will reduce our expected energy costs over the life of our project.”

Matthew Fredericks, Head of Mining at CrossBoundary Energy, added: “We worked closely with the NextSource Materials team to design a custom solar hybrid solution for the Molo graphite facility. This power system will reduce the mine’s total cost of electricity, lowering its all-in sustaining costs, as well as minimising its carbon emissions. CBE is proud to be awarded this second project opportunity in Madagascar and honoured for NextSource Materials’ selection of our flexible, collaborative approach to sustainable energy solutions for African mines.”

Earlier this year, CBE announced two additional hybrid renewable energy projects, the first for Rio Tinto’s QMM ilmenite operation in Madagascar, and the second for Eramet’s mineral sands mine, Grande Cote Operations, in Senegal. In total, CBE is now delivering 40 MW of solar and wind generation and 20 MWh of battery energy storage capacity for African mines.

SCEE Electrical to help integrate battery energy storage system at Rio’s Tom Price

Environmental, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

Southern Cross Electrical Engineering says its SCEE Electrical business has been contracted to work on a 45 MW/12 MWh Battery Energy Storage for Spinning Reserve (BESSR) facility at the Hammersley Iron-owned Tom Price operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

This contract, part of pacts amounting to around A$20 million ($14.9 million) the company has received in the resources and infrastructure sector, will see SCEE supply works for the installation of the balance of plant for the BESSR facility.

The integration of this battery energy storage system into the network operator’s existing power network has the goal of decarbonising the power generation portfolio and saving fuel costs, SCEE said.

SCEE Electrical’s works will commence immediately and are scheduled to be complete in July 2022.

Hammersley Iron is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto.

SCEE Group Managing Director, Graeme Dunn, said he was particularly pleased to announce the battery project for Rio Tinto in the Pilbara following its NECA WA award-winning efforts at the Agnew Hybrid Renewable project.

“The SCEE Group is leveraged across many aspects of the lithium cycle including working at lithium mines, at lithium processing plants, manufacturing electric vehicle charging systems and installing the batteries themselves,” he said. “In turn, this is only a subset of the many decarbonisation initiatives which the SCEE Group enables.”