An evolving power solution

We delivered our first build-own-operate power station for the Tropicana gold mine in 2012. Located 330km east of Kalgoorlie, this original solution consisted of a 27.5MW diesel-powered station to enable mine production while a dedicated gas pipeline was constructed. In 2014, when natural gas became available, we upgraded the station to a 54MW gas-fired system, beginning the mine’s journey towards a lower carbon intensive future.

In 2023, our client AngloGold Ashanti Australia contracted us to integrate 62MW of clean energy into our existing system as a part of its strategy to cut its global net carbon emissions from energy use by 30% by 2030.

The expansion, which we’re delivering under a 10-year build-own-operate agreement, will incorporate four 6MW wind turbines, a 24MW solar farm and a 14MW battery storage system (BESS). The integrated power facility’s intelligent control system, which we have developed in-house, will optimise input from the high penetration renewable energy and storage technologies and allow the system to run hydrocarbons-free for extended periods of time.

Overall, the renewables integration is expected to reduce Tropicana’s diesel and gas consumption for power generation by 96% and 50% respectively, slashing carbon emissions by an average of 65,000 tonnes per year over the life of the agreement.

When completed, the 116MW power station will be the largest off-grid hybrid investment in our portfolio, and one of the largest off-grid gas-wind-solar-battery storage facilities in the Australian resources sector.

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