Pacific Energy delivers Australia's largest off-grid hybrid power system to Tropicana gold mine

The project, which adds 61 MW of renewable energy to Pacific Energy’s existing 54 MW gas-fired power station, brings the total capacity to 115 MW, making it Australia’s largest off-grid hybrid system to power a mine.

Tropicana is owned by AngloGold Ashanti Australia Ltd (70% and manager) and Regis Resources Ltd (30%) and is located 330 km northeast of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

The renewables expansion incorporates four 6 MW wind turbines, a 24 MW solar farm and a 13 MW grid-forming battery energy storage system (BESS).

The integration of Pacific Energy’s cutting-edge intelligent control solution, BESS, and virtual synchronous machine technologies means assets can work in harmony to stabilise the 115 MW system. This approach replaces legacy solutions like thermal-powered spinning reserve and synchronous condenser units, resulting in a state-of-the-art, technically advanced power system.

This combination of technologies also enables ultra-responsive hydrocarbons-off functionality, which can power Tropicana’s mining operations using 100% solar, wind, and BESS for extended periods of time.

The new facility is expected to reduce Tropicana's diesel and gas consumption for power generation by 96% and 50% respectively, slashing carbon emissions by an average of 65 000 t/y over the life of the agreement.

Pacific Energy’s new wind-solar-battery facility will support AngloGold Ashanti's strategy to reduce its global net carbon emissions from energy use by 30% by 2030, as part of its roadmap to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is the first of its kind to be implemented within the AngloGold Ashanti group.

Pacific Energy’s Chief Executive, Jamie Cullen, said the system was already outperforming targets:

“The new assets have already generated over 38 000 MW hr of renewable energy, and that’s mostly while we were still bringing the equipment online. We’re also on track to displace an average of more than 1100 terajoules (TJ) of gas with solar and wind generated power every year, and we expect to almost entirely displace diesel, which is now there purely for emergencies.

“In real-world terms, these fuel reductions will reduce Tropicana’s power generation emissions by upwards of 45%, which is equivalent to taking more than 14 000 cars off the road.”

Image courtesy of Pacific Energy

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/01042025/pacific-energy-delivers-australias-largest-off-grid-hybrid-power-system-to-tropicana-gold-mine/