IM 2019 April 19 | Page 5

THE LEADER VO LU M E 1 4 • N U M B E R 4 Floatovoltaic tailings Editorial Director Paul Moore B.Sc (Hons), M.Sc. Email: [email protected] Editor Daniel Gleeson BA (Hons) Email: [email protected] Editorial Board Professor Malcolm Scoble Robert E. Hallbauer Chair in Mining Engineering., University of BC, Vancouver Peter Knights Mining Professor Stephen Stone West One Management Perth, Western Australia Dr. Andrew M. Robertson President, Robertson GeoConsultants Vancouver, Canada. Ed McCord Project Consultant Caterpillar Global Mining, USA Jason Nitz Fleet Management & Dispatch Superintendent Newmont Mining Corporation, USA Dr Terry Mudder Managing Director, TIMES Ltd, USA Simon Tarbutt Consultant, Santiago, Chile Dr. Mike Daniel Comminution Process Consultant CMD Consulting Pty Ltd Advertising Sales: Phil Playle Email: [email protected] [phone] Publishing Assistant Lynne Lane Email: [email protected] Accounts Manager Nicola Shukla [email protected] Marketing Assistant Joanna English BA (Hons) [email protected] Circulation Assistant Jane Alter [email protected] Design and Production Trevor Sheldon Email: [email protected] Website: www.im-mining.com Annual Subscription Enquiries Emma Smith [email protected] Annual Subscription UK and Europe £160, €230 Rest of the world US$270 International Mining (ISSN No: 1747-146X) is published monthly by Team Publishing Ltd, GBR and is distributed in the USA by Asendia USA, 17B South Middlesex Avenue, Monroe NJ 08831 and additional mailing offices. Periodicals postage paid at New Brunswick NJ. POSTMASTER: send address changes to International Mining, 17B South Middlesex Avenue, Monroe NJ 08831 Founding Fathers John Chadwick B.Sc. Min Eng David Lansdowne Bob Warren Printed by The Manson Group, St Albans © Team Publishing Ltd 2019 ISSN 1747 -146X IM uses, as preference, SI units throughout, so, for example, all tonnes are metric unless otherwise stated. All dollars are US unless otherwise stated S ometimes the most innovative ideas in mining come out of the blue and make you wonder why they were never thought of before. Recently in the industry, there has been one such example, with solar power technology coming together with wet tailings dams and flooded former mines and mining areas. According to a recent Associated Press report, a floating island of solar panels is being tested in Chile as a way to generate clean energy and reduce water loss at mine operations, a cornerstone of the Andean country’s economy that uses huge amounts of electricity and water. The experimental Las Tortolas power- generating island is being run by Anglo American at Los Bronces copper mine, and the initiative comes as the government pushes to put Chile at the forefront of renewable energy use in Latin America and the world. The 1,200 m 2  array of solar panels was inaugurated Thursday March 14 by Chilean Mining Minister Baldo Prokurica. Officials said that if the test is successful, the $250,000 plant could be expanded to cover 40 hectares, or nearly 100 acres. The array floats in the middle of the tailings pond, and it is expected that its shadow will lower the water temperature and reduce evaporation by 80%. Thus, the mine would retain more of that water for its operations and could reduce the amount of fresh water it pumps in the dry mountainous region where water is a scarce commodity. “With this system, we can make our fresh water consumption more efficient, in line with our goal of re-imagining mining and reducing Anglo American’s fresh water consumption by 50% by 2030, as well as the CO 2  emissions by producing non-polluting energy,” said Patricio Chacana, Los Bronces’ Vice President of Operations. If the year-long experiment works as planned, the solar panel island could be expanded and new ones could be installed at other tailings ponds. Experts say there are approximately 800 such ponds in Chile. “It is an excellent idea for the traceability of the mining industry and especially in terms of more efficient use of water. This is a company that recycles 76% of the water it uses in its processes,” the Mining Minister said at the unveiling and he encouraged other mining companies to follow suit. Elsewhere, China state-owned developer CECEP has completed a 70 MWp floating solar plant in a former coal mining area, in Anhui Province, China, following tests and monitoring, according to the company that supplied the plant. France-based Ciel & Terre said the floating photovoltaic (PV) plant will mainly aim to improve the energy structure in the province and quality of the environment on site. Constructor China Energy Conservation Solar Technology Co and the engineering procurement and construction contractor China Energy Engineering Group Shanxi Electric Power Design Institute Co contributed to the build, the biggest floating solar plant in the world. To connect the 70 MWp floating PV power generation project to the national grid, a brand new 18 km long 110 V overhead line was built to optimise the transport of electricity. Ciel & Terre said: “Behind the installation of this complex is the will to improve the energy structure of Anhui Province as well as the ecological environment quality of the Lianghuai mining subsidence area. In the meantime, the initiative enables the promotion of the development of the ‘floatovoltaic’ technology, which also preserves water bodies. It prevents them from algae proliferation and oxidation, and even conserves water sources by reducing evaporation.” The floating solar plant covers an area of 1.4 km² and is expected to generate up to 77,693 MWh in its first year, according to Ciel & Terre. This represents the electricity consumption of some 20,910 households. “Within 25 years, the solar farm should generate around 1.94 million MWh,” the company said, saying the project adds to another 32 MWp GCL floating PV plant it supplied in Anhui. Headed by CECEP, the complex was built using the tried-and-tested Hydrelio ® technology designed by Ciel & Terre. Ciel & Terre said: “CECEP chose Ciel & Terre for this major project for three complementary main reasons: the 13-year experience of the company in the field, the broad portfolio of 140 projects worldwide and the characteristic reliability and bankability of the Hydrelio system.” Through this technical system, the company contributed to the Chinese National Energy Agency’s aim to “bolster energy infrastructure and environmental quality”, Ciel & Terre said. Central inverters integrating medium voltage transformers have been used on this project – they stand on the water and not on the banks – while concrete poles support the electrical installation. The anchorage system was designed and installed under the supervision of Ciel & Terre China, a subsidiary of the French company. Overall, 1,500 helical anchors were used for the project and buried from 8 m to 15 m depth to fit the configuration of the site. Paul Moore Editorial Director [email protected] APRIL 2019 | International Mining 3