Under an initial 10-year build-own-operate power purchase agreement, Pacific Energy will design and deliver a new 26MW hybrid power system for Tronox’s Atlas–Campaspe mineral sands mine near Hatfield, New South Wales. This will be Pacific Energy’s first power system in NSW.
The hybrid power system will comprise an 11MW solar farm, a 3MW/6MWh BESS, 12MW of diesel generation and 13km of high-voltage powerlines. It will replace 41 distributed diesel generators currently powering the mine, consolidating the power supply into a single location.
The system will boast hydrocarbons-off functionality, enabling the site to operate solely on renewable energy when solar power production outweighs mine site load, which Pacific Energy predicts will be most days.
The solar and BESS integration will provide up to 40% renewable energy to the mine site’s power supply, reducing Tronox’s annual carbon emissions by approximately 13,000 tonnes and its diesel usage by nearly five million litres per year.
Pacific Energy has included provisions in its design to accommodate more renewable and thermal energy sources to support the planned future expansion of Tronox’s Atlas-Campaspe operations.
Pacific Energy Chief Executive, Jamie Cullen, said the company was pleased to support Tronox’s sustainability commitments, which aim to better control costs and manage its environmental footprint.
“By consolidating Tronox’s existing power supply, we can reduce its 41 existing diesel generators down to just six, not only reducing its fossil fuel consumption and the associated scope one emissions, but also operations and maintenance costs,” Mr Cullen said.
Mr Cullen also said the Tronox agreement marked a significant milestone in Pacific Energy’s operational expansion on Australia’s east coast, signalling a new era for the west coast headquartered power provider.
“Securing this agreement with Tronox marks another important step in delivering on our east coast growth strategy, and firmly aligns with our aspirations to be recognised as the preferred partner for decarbonising power supplies across the country.”
The Tronox agreement aligns with the launch of the company’s new division, Pacific Energy Connected (PEC), which will be led from Melbourne and will leverage the company’s unique, full-service delivery model to support hydrogen projects nationally, and deliver stand-alone power systems, battery storage systems and renewable energy microgrids to the National Electricity Market (NEM), east coast isolated networks and the mobility sector.
Site works for the Tronox project are anticipated to commence in June this year, with the power system expected to be up and running by mid-2025.
