STAGE one of Gold Fields’ Agnew hybrid renewables project, just out of Lenister in WA, has been officially opened.
The hybrid micro grid is owned and operated by energy producer, EDL, and required a $112m investment, which was backed by the Federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) $13.5m contribution for construction costs.
EDL will be delivering the project, which will use wind and solar power generation to provide hybrid renewable system for mine site energy.
Stage one consisted of an off-grid 23MW power station, 4MW photovoltaic solar, 16MW gas and 3MWdiesel generation.
Stage two, expected to be completed in 2020, will provide additional 18MW wind generation through five turbines, a 13MW battery and an advanced micro-grid control system.
It is expected that over the next 10 years the hybrid system will provide the mine with more than 50pc renewable energy and, on completion of stage two, it will be Australia’s largest hybrid renewable micro-grid, and the first to use wind generation at a mine site.
Agnew is leading the way for mine operators to transition to renewable power for off-grid, remote mines.
WA mines, petroleum and energy minister Bill Johnston said that the project was setting the standard for minesites throughout WA.
“I congratulate Gold Fields and EDL for their collaborative work in completing stage one of this incredibly innovative project,” he said.
