Giant copper project signs deal for Australia’s biggest off-grid hybrid renewables facility

One of Australia’s biggest copper mining projects has signed a 15-year deal that will pave the way for the biggest off-grid hybrid renewables power facility in the country.

The deal has been signed by Harmony Gold, the owner of the $2.4 billion Eva copper mine project, which is located around 80 kms north-east of Cloncurry in north-west Queensland, and the UK-based Aggreko, a specialist in off-grid power.

The two companies said in a statement that the project will combine a 118 MWp solar farm, a 250 megawatt hour battery, backed by a 104 MVA thermal power plant. Aggreko will build, own and operate the facility.

The Eva facility will overtake the Kathleen Valley lithium mine in Western Australia as the largest of its type in Australia. The Kathleen Valley facility combines 17 MW of solar, 30 MW of wind, and a 17 MW/20 MWh BESS, which enables “Engine Off” capabilities.

Curiously, the Eva copper mine set-up – unlike other off-grid renewable hybrid facilities that are achieving average penetration rates of 80 to 90 per cent – does not include any wind turbines, although wind energy may be added in the future.

“This is a milestone for Aggreko and Australian mining,” George Whyte, the head of Aggreko AusPac, said in a statement.

“The scale of this renewable hybrid power station and the level of integration between solar, battery storage and thermal generation set a new benchmark for off-grid energy.  

The two companies are targeting net zero emissions from the mine’s facilities and operations by 2035, although some miners such as Fortescue are targeting “real zero” – meaning burning no fossil fuels for energy or terrestrial transport – by 2030.

The statement said the two companies will look at increasing the share of renewable energy over time, including the addition of wind energy, and potentially through a connection to the grid – although this will likely depend on the development of the Copperstring transmission project.

Renew Economy is seeking further details about the proposal, including the MW size of the battery and the expected share of generation from the initial solar and battery installations.

Aggreko says it employs over 6,900 people worldwide and is active in more than 70 countries.

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