Pacific Energy has completed a 26MW off-grid power system for Tronox’s Atlas-Campaspe mineral sands operation near Hatfield in southwest New South Wales (NSW).
The hybrid system comprises an 11MW solar farm, a 3MW/6MWh battery energy storage system, 12MW of diesel generation, and 13km of high-voltage transmission lines. The project has consolidated power supply into a single location, reducing the number of diesel generators on site from 41 to six.
Delivered under a 10-year build-own-operate power purchase agreement, the facility is now fully operational following successful testing on the mine’s processing plant.
In a statement on its social media channels, Pacific Energy said the system incorporates a “hydrocarbons off” function and will “provide up to 40% renewable energy to the mine’s total power supply, reducing annual carbon emissions by approximately 13,000 tonnes and displacing nearly five million litres of diesel per year.”
The project is Pacific Energy’s first power generation facility in NSW and forms part of its expansion into eastern Australia. Future developments include a 30MW hybrid system for Iluka Resources’ Balranald mineral sands project, also in southwest NSW.
The Atlas-Campaspe site is the latest in a series of renewable energy projects delivered by the Western Australia-based developer.
Earlier this year, Pacific commissioned a 61MW hybrid renewable system for the Tropicana gold mine in Western Australia, combining a 24MW solar farm, four 6MW wind turbines, and a 13MW grid-forming battery alongside an existing 54MW gas-fired power station.
The company has also secured agreements to deliver a 35MW solar project for Gold Fields’ St Ives mine and a 20-year power purchase agreement with Horizon Power to supply the Exmouth region with 80% renewable energy.
Pacific Energy, owned by Queensland government investment manager QIC, currently manages 946MW of contracted capacity across 48 sites nationwide.
[Image credit: Pacific Energy]
