Clean technology company, Verditek plc, has won its first order from the Australia mining sector, agreeing on a contract to supply its PowerMat solar solution to InterGroup Mining Ltd.

The contract win is in line with Verditek’s stated strategy to target verticals in the oil & gas, marine and mining industries, it said.

Verditek’s PowerMat solution will provide solar power to InterGroup’s exploration operations based in Queensland.

The first order is for 75 kW of solar panels at its exploration camp, but InterGroup anticipates a large increase in its power requirements over the coming 12 months, Verditek says, hoping for further larger orders.

“The lightweight durable solar panels will be used as part of a diesel-solar hybrid system, with the solar panels significantly reducing the consumption of liquid fuel and hence offering financial savings to the operator as well as achieving a key objective for InterGroup, in wanting to make their mining operations as green as possible,” Verditek said.

Verditek’s PowerMat solution can be easily moved to any of the company’s sites, Verditek said. The unit is expected to be shipped to Australia in December 2020, with first-stage payment alreaady received.

Steve White, Managing Director of InterGroup, said: “As we expand our operations significantly, we have been looking for a cost-effective way to adopt green technology that will move us towards our aim of being a leader in ecologically-friendly gold production. Given our projected power demands as we ramp up our mine development, we believe there is scope to increase our take-up for Verditek PowerMat to between 1.5-2 MW over the next 12 months.”

Robert Richards, Verditek CEO, said: “I am extremely pleased that we continue to deliver on the strategy of delivering solar solutions to off-grid installations and converting wet fuel users to dry. This first sale of our mobile power solution to the Australian mining sector, through InterGroup, marks a significant achievement. Although the starting order is relatively modest in size we are confident of the potential for much larger repeat orders. This contract win demonstrates that we are on the right track as we expand our business.”