MINE POWER
Among the list of applications comes mine sites with an increasing number of electricallypowered equipment like dump trucks and excavators , the company says .
“ We are delighted to unveil this pioneering solution that decarbonises hard-to-abate applications ,” Marco Berardi , Head of Grid & Power Quality Solutions and Service at Hitachi Energy , said . “ As the transition to net zero progresses , more and more industries are looking for reliable ways to reduce their environmental impact and improve operational performance .”
PowerCell has provided the power modules and know-how in fuel cell integration and Hitachi Energy has the balance of plant and expertise in power electronics , batteries , cooling , intelligent control and systems integration .
Hitachi Energy expects to launch a movable variant of this eco-friendly generator for temporary deployment in late 2024 and the permanently deployable variant in 2025 .
“ With the unveiling of this breakthrough technology , Hitachi Energy now has a complete solutions portfolio across the green hydrogen value chain ,” it said . In addition to hydrogen-topower solutions , the portfolio includes power-tohydrogen ( or grid-to-stack ) solutions for electrolyser systems that optimise the power supply , from the high-voltage grid connection to the DC stack terminals of the electrolyser .
Rise of the renewable PPAs
The number and size of renewable energybacked power purchase agreements ( PPAs ) in Australia continue to grow , with Zenith Energy being a recipient of one such pact .
The company recently converted a preliminary works agreement and term sheet it had in place with Northern Star Resources , related to bolstering the power supply to the Jundee gold mine in Western Australia , to a renewable energy PPA .
Jundee is an existing mining operation that will have wind , solar and battery retrofitted into the mix and integrated into the existing gas power station . The renewable generation being added includes 24 MW of wind and 16.9 MWp of solar . Some 12 MW / 13.4 MWh of battery energy storage will also be augmented into this setup .
Zenith says this new energy mix will result in 56 % of the mine site ’ s power coming from renewable sources , contributing towards the aim of cutting Jundee ’ s Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 35-50 % by 2030 .
Zenith , along with clean technology innovation company 5B , is striving for even higher levels of renewable penetration at the Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia .
5B was recently appointed as the solar technology provider for a 16 MWp solar system that will form part of a 95 MW hybrid power station Zenith Energy is constructing on a build , own , operate basis for the project – expected to become the largest off-grid renewable energy hybrid power station in Australia upon start-up .
5B was an integral part of the Zenith Energy bid and was awarded the contract based on the rapid rollout and safety advantages of its system , Zenith Energy said .
Zenith Energy ’ s MD and CEO , Hamish Moffat , said : “ 5B has demonstrated that it has the potential to get the Kathleen Valley site to full solar photovoltaic generation capacity three months ahead of conventional single access tracker solutions with the potential to save more than 60 % of the man hours required on site . This is creating a faster pathway to market for solar PV renewable energy generation assets .”
Zenith Energy began deploying the 342 5B Maverick™ array systems in June 2023 . These ground mounted solar solutions are designed to be safer , more cost effective and faster to deploy for off-grid , commercial and industrial , and largescale solar power generation , compared with traditional single axis solar trackers or comparable solar racking solutions .
When complete , the solar farm will occupy a land area equivalent to 17 NRL football fields ( one NRL field is about 68 m by 100 m ) and generate enough to power 4,000 homes .
Still in Western Australia , Zenith Energy and RJE Global have recently contracted Yokogawa Australia to supply the microgrid controls for the hybrid power station being built for the Bellevue gold project – a project that ups the renewable penetration further still .
The islanded site will leverage wind , solar and battery storage to provide up to 80 % renewable energy across the year and have capability to switch thermal generation off to operate on instantaneous 100 % renewable energy , Bellevue has stated .
The hybrid power station is being established in the northern goldfields region of Western Australia to provide power for the gold mine and processing plant .
Zenith Energy has been awarded the Independent Power Producer contract for a hybrid 88 MW system with RJE Global being Zenith ' s delivery partner for the project . The project will consist of 16.4 MW of solar PV generation , 24 MW of wind turbines , a 30 MWh battery energy storage system and gas generators , with diesel generators .
For the control of the solar power plant , wind energy , battery energy storage system and thermal generation , Yokogawa Australia will supply a microgrid controller from PXiSE Energy Solutions , a Yokogawa Group company . The software will be responsible for the control , coordination and optimisation of all the power generation , adopting a renewable-first control approach , the company said .
The project will be deployed for fully autonomous operations and include an ongoing partnership to ensure that maximum efficiency and the highest renewable penetration is ensured .
Wheeling power in South Africa
Renewable power procurement contracts are also rising in South Africa as a way of stabilising an unreliable grid , safeguarding remote projects of the future and making the most of captive energy sources .
JUWI Renewable Energies , a global solar , wind and hybrid project developer , EPC ( engineering , procurement and construction ) and operations and maintenance company , announced last year that it had 400 MW of EPC projects in advanced stages of development for mines in South Africa .
This admission followed the financial close of the 89 MW Castle Wind project by the African Infrastructure Investment Managers ( AIIM ) Consortium for Sibanye-Stillwater ’ s mining operations , a project initially developed by JUWI for the South African government ’ s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers ’ Programme ( REI4P ).
“ We ’ re seeing a wave of formal requests for renewable energy projects from South African mines , largely driven by the energy crisis , commercial considerations and decarbonisation targets ,” Richard Doyle , Managing Director , JUWI SA , said . “ The right regulation has been needed to translate this demand into actual projects for mines . The amendments to the licenceexemption threshold and ability to wheel electricity are now allowing us to pivot projects initially developed for REI4P , such as the Castle Wind project , into the private sector , making them a reality .”
Wheeling is the act of transporting electricity from a generator to a remotely located end-user through the grid . With most large mines and energy users in South Africa lacking land for large-scale wind and solar projects , the ability to wheel electricity is essential for self-generation , according to JUWI .
Chris Bellingham , Head of Project Development , JUWI , explained : “ The ability to wheel power through the network , combined with the far lower electricity tariffs of solar and wind projects , incentivises mines to either remotely generate their own electricity or purchase it from remote independent power producers , thereby sourcing generation from sites where the resource is stronger .
“ This is a real win for mines , allowing them to save costs , reduce greenhouse gas emissions , and , when used in combination with backup technologies , avoid load shedding .”
IM
48 International Mining | JANUARY 2024