Australian lithium mine to be powered by biggest off-grid solar, wind and battery plant

Zenith Energy will supply renewable power to the Kathleen Valley lithium mine in what is being described as the largest off-grid wind-solar battery storage power station for a mining operation in Australia.

Liontown Resources, which is developing the mine 700 kilometres northeast of Perth, awarded Zenith the contract to supply electricity to the site on a “build, own and operate basis” over 15 years.

The 95MW hybrid power station will mark the largest off-grid combination wind-solar-battery facility of its kind to be deployed in the mining sector, beating the 56MW solar, wind and battery project developed and operated by EDL at the Agnew gold mine in Western Australia that was commissioned in mid-2021.

EDL’s microgrid at Agnew (pictured above) combines five wind turbines (for a total of 18MW), a 4MW solar farm and a 13MW/4MWh battery energy storage system, to provide an average of between 50-60 per cent of renewables for the mine in WA’s northern Goldfields region.

The Liontown facility will comprise 30MW of wind, delivered from five 6MW turbines, and 16MW of solar PV and a 17MW/19MWh battery energy storage system, as well as synchronous condensers to provide critical system stability and resilience.

There will also be 27MW of gas generation and 5MW of diesel standby capacity, but the renewables are expected to be able to run in “engine off” mode for significant periods of time.

“A combination of incentives to produce renewable power over thermal power and a renewable energy guarantee should enable Liontown to meet and exceed its renewable energy factor commitments,” the companies said.

Liontown granted Zenith  a “letter of award” for the power station, giving Zenith the green light to start planning, engineering and design works and order long lead items while the parties progress towards finalising a binding power purchase agreement.

Liontown CEO Tony Ottaviano said that when the thermal energy components are in “engine off” mode at various times, the mine will operate from 100 per cent renewable energy during periods of high wind and solar resource.

“When fully constructed, this hybrid power station will enable Liontown to exceed our target of achieving at least 60 percent renewable energy at project start-up and beyond,” he said.

Liontown’s board in June approved the final investment go-ahead to construct the mine,  supplying 500,000 tonnes of 6 percent lithium oxide annually starting in 2024 and targeting applications in the electric vehicle market.

Zenith Energy specialises in tailored off-the-grid hybrid power generation and has installed capacity of more than 400MW across Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Last week, it announced the purchase of itsfirst non-resources asset in Peel Renewable Energy, taking ownership of WA’s first renewable industrial microgrid – Peel Renewable Microgrid, which supplies power to the Peel Business Park, south of Perth.