Australian energy infrastructure company APA Group says it has completed the installation of all 34,016 carbon steel piles for its new solar farm in Port Hedland, in the north-west of Western Australia.
The 45MW Port Hedland solar PV farm, which will also feature a 35MW/36.7MWh battery, will supply all the daytime energy needs for BHP’s port operations in Port Hedland, with the project likely to be doubled in coming years as the iron ore majors switch to renewables to power their mines and infrastructure, including large haul trucks.
APA revealed on its LinkedIn page on Monday that it had completed installation of all 34,016 piles, the foundations for the solar panels. Installation took only eight weeks and keeps the project on track to be operational later this year.
The company said the solar farm is being designed to withstand very high wind speeds, so that in the event of a cyclone, the structure remains stable and safe.
Construction of the solar piles was carried out by EPC contractors Shanghai Electric Power Design Institute and Monford Group. The images shared by APA Group on LinkedIn suggest that installation of the solar panels has also already gotten underway.
