The decarbonization of Gold Field’s gold mining operation in Western Australia is gathering pace, with Aggreko announcing that it will expand the existing renewable power system to boost the capacity to 19 MW of solar, supported by a 9 MW/4.5 MWh battery energy storage system.
Glasgow-headquartered Aggreko said the expanded system will build on the existing 7.7 MW solar farm and 2 MW/1 MWh battery system that has been helping to power the mine site near Laverton, about 1,000 km northeast of Western Australian state capital Perth, since 2020.
The newly expanded renewables elements will be integrated with the existing 27.3 MW gas power station to deliver what will be one of Australia’s largest hybrid off-grid microgrids. The solar-plus-battery system is projected to provide about 21% of the mine’s power requirements.
George Whyte, managing director of Aggreko APAC, said that the company won the original contract to build, own and operate the Granny Smith power station in 2016. Since then, it has continuously worked with Gold Fields to expand and decarbonise the mine’s power system.
“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 decarbonization of the region,” said Whyte.
The solar farm expansion comes as Gold Fields prepares to conduct a pre-feasibility study investigating how it could generate 75% of Granny Smith’s energy requirements from renewable sources. Potential solutions include increased solar, a larger battery, and a wind farm later in the decade.
Granny Smith General Manager Mark Glazebrook said the expansion of the solar farm and battery storage system is a significant milestone for the mine site.
“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,” he said. “This is a great step forward in Granny Smith’s decarbonization journey as we seek to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and deliver on our ESG (environmental, social and governance) commitments.”
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