hybrid power Archives - Page 2 of 2

B2Gold has provided an update on the solar power plant working at its Otjikoto gold mine, in Namibia, in its 2018 financial results, confirming that the installation is making savings when it comes to heavy fuel oil (HFO) use and power generation costs.

On May 29, the company celebrated the official opening of the solar plant, one of the first fully-autonomous hybrid plants in the world.

At the time, B2Gold said it would allow the company to significantly reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from the site’s current 24 MW HFO power plant. The shift to an HFO solar hybrid plant was, at that point, expected to reduce Otjikoto’s HFO consumption by approximately 2.3 million litres and reduce associated power generation fuel costs by approximately 10% in 2018.

B2Gold selected Caterpillar and Cat® dealer Barloworld for the 7 MW solar power solution. The full system included Cat photovoltaic solar modules and the Cat microgrid master controller.

In the company’s 2018 results, B2Gold said the plant was now providing approximately 13% of the electricity consumed on site.

And, the plant had also achieved its expected HFO consumption and power generation fuel cost results: “Changing the power plant to an HFO solar hybrid plant reduced Otjikoto’s HFO consumption by approximately 2.4 million litres and reduced associated power generation fuel costs by approximately 10% in 2018,” B2Gold said.

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.

Solar hybrid power plant pays off for B2Gold at Otjikoto in Namibia

Diesel power up and running at Tanami gold project, Zenith Energy says