The decarbonisation of Gold Field’s Granny Smith mine in Western Australia began almost eight years ago when Aggreko replaced the existing diesel power plant with a high-speed gas-fired piston engine power plant.
Aggreko further upgraded the mine’s electricity network in 2019 by adding 7.7 MWh of solar power and a 2 MW/1 MWh renewable battery energy storage system (BESS). In 2024, Aggreko will expand the solar farm and BESS, further reducing the carbon intensity of the Granny Smith mine and the overall electricity costs for Goldfields.
Aggreko was awarded the contract to build, own and operate the power plant in 2016. Since then, Aggreko has worked continuously with Gold Fields to expand and decarbonise the mine’s power grid by increasing gas engine capacity and adding a solar farm and BESS.
After the expansion, the gold mine will have a total of 19 MW of solar capacity and 9 MW/4.5 MWh of BESS capacity, resulting in a renewable energy share of approximately 21%, saving 443,304 GJ of gas and 22,843 tonnes of CO per year.2 -Emissions.
“Aggreko is focused on efficiency and reliability in line with power needs throughout the life of the mine and aims to contribute to the decarbonisation of the region,” said George Whyte, Managing Director of Aggreko APAC.
Aggreko’s ESG strategy is based on two objectives:
- Net zero emissions from facilities and operations by 2035.
- 30% reduction in the emission intensity of energy solutions by 2030.
These environmental commitments go hand in hand with the company’s social and governance commitments: investing in its capabilities and communities and being an ethical and transparent company.
The solar farm expansion comes ahead of a pre-feasibility study by Gold Fields examining how 75 percent of Granny Smith’s energy needs could be met from renewable sources, including more solar power, a larger battery and a wind farm later this decade.
Granny Smith General Manager Mark Glazebrook welcomed the expansion of the solar farm and battery storage system, which represents a significant milestone for the site. “The expanded hybrid power plant not only makes our operations more cost efficient and improves energy reliability, but also demonstrates our commitment to accelerating the use of renewable energy across all Gold Fields sites,” he explained. “This is a major step forward in Granny Smith’s decarbonisation journey as we seek to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and meet our ESG commitments.”
In 2019, Granny Smith became one of the first mines in Australia to deploy renewable energy, establishing Aggreko as a market leader in microgrid hybridisation. Since commissioning, the solar farm and BESS have produced approximately 48 GWh of clean energy, avoiding 25 million tonnes of CO.2 -Emissions.
For more news and articles from the global renewable energy industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.
Summer 2024 issue of Energy Global
The Summer 2024 issue of Energy Global kicks off with a guest commentary from Terrawatt on streamlining the permitting process in Italy, before moving on to a regional report from Frost & Sullivan on the Asia Pacific energy landscape. This issue covers key topics such as wind power installation vessels, offshore wind turbine foundations, weather analysis, solar maintenance, and much more!
Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/energy-storage/27082024/aggreko-expands-renewable-energy-storage-site/
