Tag Archives: hybrid solar power

Aggreko to help expand renewable energy generation at Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine

Environmental, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, , ,

Aggreko is set to expand the solar farm and battery energy storage system (BESS) at Gold Fields’ Granny Smith gold mine in Western Australia, further reducing the carbon intensity of the mine and the overall power cost for the mining company.

The decarbonisation of Granny Smith began almost eight years ago with Aggreko replacing the existing diesel power station with a high-speed, gas-fuelled reciprocating engine station. Aggreko further advanced the mine’s power system in 2019 by adding 7.7 MWp Solar and 2 MW/1 MWh BESS of renewable generation.

Aggreko won the original contract to build, own and operate the power station in 2016. Since then, Aggreko has continuously worked with Gold Fields to expand and decarbonise the mine’s power system adding increased gas engine capacity along with a solar farm and BESS.  

Once expanded, the gold mine will have a total of 19 MW of solar capacity and 9 MW/4.5 MWh of BESS capacity installed.  This will result in a renewable energy fraction of approximately 21%, saving 443,304 GJ of gas and 22,843 t of CO2 emissions per annum.  

“Aggreko’s focus is on efficiency and reliability in line with the power demand over the life of the mine, as well as contributing to the decarbonisation of the region,” George Whyte, Managing Director of Aggreko APAC, said.

Aggreko’s ESG strategy is underpinned by two goals:

  • Net zero emissions from facilities and operations by 2035; and
    30% reduction in the emissions intensity of energy solutions by 2030

These environmental commitments sit alongside the company’s social and governance commitments: investing in its own skills and communities and being an ethical and transparent business.

The solar farm expansion comes ahead of Gold Fields conducting a prefeasibility study, investigating how it could go on to generate 75% of Granny Smith’s energy requirements from renewable sources, including increased solar, a larger battery and a wind farm later in the decade.

General Manager of Granny Smith, Mark Glazebrook, said: “The expanded hybrid power station not only makes our operation more cost efficient and improves energy reliability, but it also demonstrates our commitment to accelerate renewable usage across all Gold Fields sites. This is a great step forward in Granny Smith’s decarbonisation journey as we seek to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and deliver on our ESG commitments.”

In 2019, Granny Smith was one of the first mines in Australia to add renewable generation, establishing Aggreko as a market leader in microgrid hybridisation. Since operational, the solar farm and BESS has produced approximately 48 GWh of clean energy, preventing 25 Mt of CO2 emissions.

Aggreko to deliver renewable power microgrid to Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine

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Gold Fields’ Granny Smith gold mine is set to install one of the world’s largest renewable energy microgrids powered by more than 20,000 solar panels and backed up by a 2 MW/1 MWh battery system, according to mobile and modular power company Aggreko.

The mining company has contracted the Scotland-based firm to design, build and operate the 8 MW solar power generation system along with the battery system at Granny Smith, which is located east of Laverton in Western Australia’s Goldfields region.

In June, said it was working with Gold Fields on plans to provide 7.3 MW of solar power generation, as well as a 2 MW/1 MWh battery system, to be integrated with the existing gas supply as a hybrid power station.

Gold Fields Executive Vice President Australasia, Stuart Mathews, said: “We are thrilled to reach an agreement with Aggreko for the design, installation and operation of this innovative source of renewable energy which will generate nearly enough power to run the mine’s processing operations.

“We expect the renewable power microgrid will be up and running at Granny Smith by Q4 (December quarter) 2019 and it will be a welcome addition to our suite of on-site energy solutions across other operations which will enable us to reduce our carbon footprint,” he said.

Construction of the renewable energy system is planned to commence in May and, when completed, will be one of the world’s largest hybrid off-grid microgrids, integrated with Aggreko’s existing 24.2 MW natural gas generation.

Aggreko AusPac Managing Director, George Whyte, said the solar, thermal and battery storage assets will be seamlessly integrated and managed by Aggreko’s control software platform – maintaining full system availability and optimising the lifetime of existing thermal assets.

Whyte said: “The solar-plus-battery system is projected to reduce fuel consumption by 10-13% – the equivalent of removing 2,000 cars from the road – and produce about 18 GWh of clean energy per year.

“Gold Fields understands the performance, cost and environmental advantages for their operation, as well as the need to integrate this resource into their system without compromising power supply reliability or mining productivity.”

While the solar photovoltaic (PV) will reduce the need to run thermal generators, the battery plant will provide essential services such as spinning reserve displacement, PV ramp rate control and transient voltage/frequency support.

The current Granny Smith power station was designed and installed by Aggreko in 2016 and the new hybrid power system, combined with a thermal station expansion, will meet the increased daily power needs of 24.2 MW, with 12.2 MW allocated to the Wallaby underground mine and the remaining 12 MW to the processing plant, associated facilities and mining camp, Aggreko said. Granny Smith produced 290,000 oz of gold in 2017.

GoviEx Uranium and Windiga sizing up hybrid solar power solution for Madaouela

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GoviEx Uranium has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Windiga Energy that could see the company’s flagship Madaouela project in Niger use a dedicated and renewable hybrid solar power solution.

Initial discussions and collaboration between the company and Windiga will target energy solutions for Madaouela with the intent to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20,000 t/y and provide sustainable, renewable power at approximately 25% lower cost than traditional coal-fired options currently available in Niger, GoviEx said.

GoviEx Chairman, Govind Friedland, said: “We are pleased to begin exploring cleaner energy alternatives to power our future development activities in partnership with Windiga.”

The company has requested that Windiga determine the feasibility of a solution to power the Madaouela project and the surrounding local community through a hybrid power plant combining photovoltaic solar panels and diesel generators, with total installed capacity of at least 20 MW.

Under the terms of the MOU, following a favourable result from a feasibility study, GoviEx will have an opportunity to negotiate a power purchase agreement for the priority supply of electricity for an initial term of 21 years, extendible at the request of GoviEx.

Windiga is Canadian energy developer focused on developing, owning and operating renewable energy facilities and off-grid smart power systems on the African continent.

The proposed base case for Madaouela envisages a 2.69 Mlb/y U3O8 yellowcake production rate, a 93.7% ultimate recovery and an 18-year mine life. Initial capital costs were estimated at $359 million, with total life of mine capital costs at $676 million, cash operating costs of $24.49/lb U3O8 excluding royalties, and $31.49/lb U3O8 including royalties.