The site is Gold Fields’ Agnew mine. Gold has been mined in the area for more than 125 years and it remains a highly productive operation, producing more than 250,000 ounces of gold each year. 

But it’s what is above ground that has put Agnew on the global stage over the past two years – specifically the five 110-metre wind turbines that are delivering 18MW of power to the site. 

The giant turbines are part of Australia’s largest hybrid renewable energy microgrid, one that features a 10,170-panel solar farm generating 4MW, a 13MW/4MWh battery system and an off-grid 21MW gas/diesel engine power plant. 

The system has been estimated to result in approximately 40,000 tonnes per annum of avoided carbon dioxide equivalents, which would correlate to taking 12,700 cars off the road each year. 

The microgrid was originally forecast to provide more than 50 per cent of the power requirements for Agnew, which has about 650 staff. But as Gold Fields Executive Vice President Australasia Stuart Mathews explained, it’s been even better than advertised. 

“The microgrid has supplied as much as 70 to 80 per cent [of power needs] in optimal conditions – the winds just right and the solar working really efficiently,” Mathews said. 

“For a very short period of time, maybe an hour or so, we well and truly did touch 95 per cent and almost got to 100 per cent. 

“And we do have plans for the future which will deliver 90-plus per cent via renewables consistently.”

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While the Agnew microgrid is now rightly celebrated in both Australia and internationally – including winning the Golden Gecko award for environmental excellence at the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s Resources Sector Awards – it wasn’t always a certainty to get the go-ahead, let alone become the success story that it is. 

In 2018, the Gold Fields board faced a choice between renewing a traditional power agreement or going down the renewables route. 

There was no Australian precedent for such a bold investment in wind power on a mine site but the decision to push ahead with the microgrid has paid off on a number of fronts. 

“I asked our executive and the board to take some courage without the reserve life [of the mine] necessarily being there but with good vision on exploration success,” Mathews recalled. 

“They went for it and said ‘let’s do it’.  

“What I really underestimated was what [the renewables project] did for the morale and motivation of our workforce at Agnew. 

“People, especially younger people, want to work for a company that believes in sustainability – not just talking about it but putting actions in place. 

“They are absolutely proud of it [the microgrid] and people want to work there, including people putting their hands up to transfer from other sites to go to Agnew.” 

The stunning results at Agnew paved the way for Gold Fields to assess which of its other Western Australian operations might benefit from the implementation of renewable energy. A solar farm was installed at the company’s Granny Smith operation in the Eastern Goldfields in late 2020 and wind options are being investigated to meet likely rising power demand as that mine goes deeper. 

Solar will soon become a major part of the energy mix at the Gruyere mine (a joint venture with Gold Road), while the St Ives Mine out of Kambalda – which has been in operation since the mid-1980s – is currently the subject of a feasibility study to support a transition to predominantly renewable energy sources. 

While Agnew has been the early benchmark for the use of wind power on WA mine sites, it’s expected other companies will follow suit. 

In April 2022, BHP announced that it would use power generated by the Flat Rocks Wind Farm outside of Kojonup for three of its major nickel processing operations. The farm, on which construction was set to start in mid-2022, will feature the tallest wind turbines in the State (measuring 200m in height) and it is expected to produce first power by October 2023. 

In combination with a power purchase agreement from the Merredin Solar Farm, renewable energy is projected to meet all power requirements for BHP’s Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter, the Kambalda Nickel Concentrator and the Kwinana Nickel Refinery. 

The two renewable power initiatives have been estimated to reduce BHP Nickel West’s Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 60 per cent against 2020 baseline levels. 

“We are taking great strides in making our operations more sustainable and strengthening BHP’s position as a nickel supplier of choice to global customers,” BHP Nickel West Asset President Jessica Farrell said.  

“We are delighted to partner with Enel Green Power as the first customer of the Flat Rocks Wind Farm, creating jobs and supporting the Kojonup community with the introduction of a renewable energy industry to the area.” 

Right around WA, there are very visible examples of how the mining and resources sector is innovating to reduce emissions. 

Rio Tinto hopes its high-profile Gudai-Darri mine – which opened in June 2022 and has been billed as the most technologically advanced in the Pilbara – will one day be home to a world-first operational deployment of zero-emission autonomous haul trucks.  

But from August, around a third of the mine’s average electricity demand is being supplied by a 34MW photovoltaic solar farm that is expected to be the equivalent of taking 28,000 cars off the road. The solar farm is Rio Tinto’s first and is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 90,000 tonnes a year, the same amount produced by 6000 Australian homes. 

Elsewhere in the Pilbara, a solar gas hybrid collaboration between Fortescue Metals Group and Alinta Energy is meeting the energy needs of the iron ore miner’s Chichester Hub, comprising the Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek sites. 

The solar farm component of the project is providing up to 100 per cent of the electricity for daytime operations at the hub, displacing around 100 millions of diesel every year and helping FMG take strides towards its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. Fortescue is also developing an electric haul truck through its work with Williams Advanced Engineering, the company it acquired in March 2022. 

Smaller-scale investments in renewables are also producing important results at operations across WA. 

Perth-based Nomadic Energy specialises in the supply, installation and operation of renewable energy systems on mine sites – with a twist. The company’s core offering is a redeployable solar farm that can be seamlessly packed up and moved, whether that’s a shift to another spot on site, a switch to another operation run by the same company or a departure for an entirely new entity and location. 

Meanwhile, WA company EcoQuip and its inventive founder Dave Sharp have produced a mobile solar lighting tower that can be easily deployed by a single person and even operated remotely via mobile phone if necessary. 

A fleet of 100 of the towers operating 12 hours a day for a full year is estimated to reduce diesel consumption by one million litres and abate around 2500 tonnes of CO2 emissions. 

Whatever mine site you visit around WA, chances are you’ll see evidence of industry’s move towards a lower emissions future – whether it be wind turbines, solar farms, electric vehicles or diesel-free lighting options.  

And there will be much more to come. 

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA and its member companies – which encompass 95 per cent of all mineral and energy production in WA – have a long-term commitment to the Paris Agreement and its goal to reach net zero as soon as possible and no later than 2050. 

To find out more about how the WA mining and resources sector is innovating now and for the future, visit safersmartercleaner.com.au   

The post How renewable energy is changing the face of mining appeared first on The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia.

“I would see diesel lighting towers still running during the middle of the day, spitting exhaust fumes out,” he recalls. 

“They were obviously really inefficient, and I just thought ‘there’s got to be a better way to illuminate sites in these remote locations’. 

“In the North West of WA, for example, the sun shines more often than not providing an almost unlimited energy supply. So why aren’t we using it?” 

The result of Sharp’s self-questioning is a piece of technology named the MSLT4, which denotes the fourth generation of mobile solar lighting towers produced by his Perth-based company EcoQuip. 

Its basic premise is simple enough that it might well lead to another question that accompanies many innovative ideas: how is it that nobody else has come up with this first? 

The reality is that there are other solar-powered lighting towers on the market. But it seems unlikely there is one that ticks quite as many performance boxes as the MSLT4. 

It can be easily deployed by a single person, thanks to its robust and light weight design, the patent pending spring assist on its solar panel deployment system, and a custom-designed mast that can reach up to eight metres in height. 

It can hold more than 20kilowatt hours of battery capacity if required, has a patent pending control system that can be seamlessly swapped in and out without any need for special tools (or skills), and has LED lights which switch on and off automatically at sunset and sunrise. 

There is no need for maintenance – it has no hydraulics, no solenoids and effectively no moving parts  – and it can be operated and monitored remotely via mobile phone or PC, meaning that once deployed it’s a fully autonomous illumination system. 

Oh, and did we mention that a fleet of 100 MSLT4s operating 12 hours a day for a full year is estimated to reduce fuel consumption by 1 million litres, abate ~2500 tonnes of CO2 emissions and reduces total costs by approximately 50 per cent when compared to diesel fuelled alternatives? 

For mining and resources operations that operate day and night and need to be illuminated accordingly, that’s a strong selling point. 

“Another obvious advantage is the scope one emission reduction performance, given the carbon intensity of the unit is zero,” says Adam Boyd, CEO and Managing Director of Volt Power, which bought into EcoQuip in 2018 and now holds a 70 per cent stake. 

“But the most compelling commercial aspect is that there is no operating expense and no maintenance and no requirement for skilled labour intervention. Therefore, the cost profile of a solar light tower from EcoQuip, is half that of a diesel fuelled solution. 

“There’s no waste oil. There’s no refueling. There’s no fuel required. There’s no routine component replacement. The design solution has distilled the power system to three key components, with each able to be replaced within 15 minutes by unskilled labour capability. 

“It’s commercially compelling. It’s not just another expensive piece of carbon-reducing renewable technology – it’s much cheaper than using a diesel alternative.” 

One of the earliest mining and resources sector users of EcoQuip technology was Chevron, which used first generation trailers back in 2014, then in July 2021 announced that 25 MSLT4s would be deployed on Barrow Island for a five-year period as part of its Gorgon natural gas project, with potentially more deployments across other  operating assets. 

Other mining operators who use the lighting towers include BHP and Thiess, and there are also opportunities emerging in the US where the salient MSLT4 components are fabricated. 

It’s fair to say the MSLT4 has been a labour of love for Sharp. EcoQuip started out life based at his home and he’s had a hand in the design and/or construction of every single element of the towers. 

“I had an idea that I could build a solar/battery-powered trailer that could compete directly with the performance of a diesel unit, and that once complete we should take it out to site and give it a trial,” Sharp explained. 

“So I went about building a trailer in my driveway and, using the knowledge that I had from my solar, mining and mechanical background, putting it together as best I could with what was commercially available. 

“Firstly I was using parts off the shelf, manipulating, rewiring and changing them to push the performance to the limit to get the outcome we needed.  

“Once proven I put it on a truck and took it up north and tried to get it in front of somebody. 

“We’ve still got the very first trailer and also the first prototype of the MSLT4. They might look similar [to the current model] but pretty much every part is different. 

“To give an example, we changed the panel format on a version of the Gen 4 trailers and had to make 130 parts changes just to make that panel fit. 

“Our power management and telemetry controller is also a bespoke design that we developed in partnership with some US aerospace and electronics contractors. It helps deliver a 40 per cent efficiency gain over other solar battery powered illumination solutions. 

“But every single part of this trailer has been designed to deliver a robust, reliable solution.” 

The MSLT4 has also been designed for versatility. While its primary use so far has been for lighting purposes, the masthead can also be reconfigured to accept communications devices and technologies, including wifi/internet network re-inforcement. 

Sharp says the future of renewable energy in mining – and across wider industry and society in general – is virtually limitless. 

“There’s so many things that need to be powered by a reliable, low cost power system,” he said. 

“Technologies are also getting more efficient. And when they get more efficient, they aren’t as power hungry, so the MSLT4 can then power them a lot easier with greater reliability and over long-timeframes. 

“This opens up so many opportunities, whether it be remotely monitoring turtles on a beach somewhere, or remotely monitoring people accessing a military facility. 

“As we achieve increases in efficiency and density of energy storage, we can fit more energy inside a smaller space, so I see potential everywhere I look.” 

The post The WA invention providing a diesel-free option for mine site lighting appeared first on The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia.

The new Flat Rocks Wind Farm, currently construction outside Kojonup, will comprise 18 turbines producing 315GWh per year. 

First power is expected in October 2023 and in combination with a recently announced power purchase agreement with the Merredin Solar Farm, renewable energy is projected to meet the power requirements for BHP’s Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter, the Kambalda Nickel Concentrator and the Kwinana Nickel Refinery. 

It’s also estimated the two renewable power initiatives will reduce BHP Nickel West’s Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 60 per cent against 2020 baseline levels. 

“We are taking great strides in making our operations more sustainable and strengthening BHP’s position as a nickel supplier of choice to global customers,” BHP Nickel West Asset President Jessica Farrell said. 

“We are delighted to partner with Enel Green Power as the first customer of the Flat Rocks Wind Farm, creating jobs and supporting the Kojonup community with the introduction of a renewable energy industry to the area.” 

As a commodity nickel has been enjoying a strong couple of years, thanks to its vital role in the production of lithium-ion batteries.

Some 85 per cent of BHP Nickel West’s nickel is sold to battery material suppliers and in 2021 the company entered into a nickel supply agreement with electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla. 

The wind farm is being constructed by Italian-owned Enel Green Power and there is an element of symmetry in the arrangement given Kojonup’s historically strong Italian population. 

The development highlights the ever-growing influence of renewable energy sources on the WA mining and resources sector. 

In addition to a wide range of solar projects – including the Gruyere gold mine, Granny Smith in the northern Goldfields and even redeployable installations – wind has an increasingly important role to play. 

Gold Fields’ Agnew gold mine 375km north of Kalgoorlie has generated more than 90 per cent of its power needs at times through Australia’s largest hybrid renewable microgrid, one which features an 18MW wind farm comprising five 110-metre turbines. 

The innovation was in 2021 recognised with the Golden Gecko award for environmental excellence, awarded by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. 

Gold Fields’ Executive Vice President Australasia Stuart Mathews said the microgrid was a point of considerable pride for workers. 

“People, especially younger people, want to work for a company that believes in sustainability – not just talking about it but putting actions in place,” Mathews said. 

“What I really underestimated was what [the renewables project] did for the morale and motivation of our workforce at Agnew. 

“They are absolutely proud of it and people want to work there, including people putting their hands up to transfer from other sites to go to Agnew.” 

The post Giant wind turbines to power major WA nickel processing operations appeared first on The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia.

“It’s funny, but if you and I had a beer at the pub five years ago, and we were talking about our superannuation funds, I think we would only have been comparing their rate of return,” Gangemi explained. 

“Mine might have been making 10 per cent and yours might have been making 12 per cent. So, we would have thought that yours was better. 

“Whereas now it might be that mine is making 10 per cent but it is green, while yours is still making 12 per cent. 

“The pub test now is that mine is actually better because it’s green and doing the right thing by the environment. 

“The train has now left that [super funds] can’t just talk about being ‘greener’. Now they need to be showing that there is a plan in place for where their money is invested.”

Gangemi is in quite a unique position to appreciate the transition to a cleaner Australian mining and resources sector. 

A little more than six years ago, he was working as a geophysicist, the career he originally qualified for by completing his honours in Geophysics and Seismology at Curtin University. 

But for the past five-plus years he has been employed in energy efficiency consulting to mining operations, including close to three years as founder and Managing Director of Super Smart Energy. 

“You could hear the rumblings about renewables, particularly solar power – you had friends and family putting it on their roofs at home for the past 10 years,” Gangemi recounted. 

“Then I started to do a bit more research and heard that Norway’s big sovereign fund was putting pressure on mining companies to get out of coal. That was in 2013-2014. 

“And I thought ‘well if these guys made all their money from oil and gas and they are doing that, there’s a shift about to happen.’ 

“I knew there were going to be some hard yards at first because it [decarbonisation] was a new space, but once things did turn – which is where we’re at now – I wanted to be there to help guide and educate the industry. 

“I went and did an MBA at the University of Western Australia and funnily enough my very first case study was on the Norwegian Sovereign Fund putting pressure on mining companies to get out of coal. 

“At that point I sort of thought that I was going down the right direction.” 

From a day-to-day perspective, Super Smart Energy – which has now grown to a team of five – provides practical advice to mining operators and service companies on how they can decarbonise their existing assets and create a roadmap to net zero emissions. 

That could be as “simple” as strategy planning, or a full decarbonisation plan involving detailed assessments of generators, “low hanging fruit” relating to equipment used, advice on first steps into renewable energy solutions (such as powering water bores or parts of mine camps), or even platforms that companies can use to track how well they are doing over a number of years. 

Gangemi notes the increasing number of major projects incorporating large-scale wind and solar power as evidence of where the sector is headed. 

Gold Fields’ Agnew mine in WA’s Eastern Goldfields has Australia’s biggest hybrid renewable energy microgrid, while the likes of Rio Tinto, BHP Nickel West and FMG have also announced significant investments in renewables. 

“I do think whatever that large storage battery turns out to be, will be a game-changer,” Gangemi said. 

“Is it hydrogen? Is it a vanadium-radox battery? Is it zinc-air hybrid flow battery? I heard about a graphene-aluminum ion battery the other day that can recharge 60 times faster than a lithium battery. 

“The other thing is that we are moving into a data space, where software from a story or communications point of view, internally and externally, will play a big part. 

“What I mean by that is that [a mining company] might have a log-in for shareholders, or a publicly available display, which shows their decarbonisation journey. 

“It might say ‘this is our decarbonisation plan, we’ve committed to net zero by 2050, and at the moment we’ve reduced our emissions by four or five per cent’ and it will allow investors to track their initiatives as they develop. 

“At the moment we are more at a point of consultants looking at spreadsheets, extracting the data, and putting it into something that’s manageable for management to use, like a report. 

“I can see that becoming more automated, and your C-suite executives and employees and maybe shareholders being able to log in and see if the company has hit its targets or not” 

Gangemi says the process of creating cleaner mining ecosystems involves adjusting mindsets, from the tops of companies down to workers on the ground. 

“I’ve been having a conversation with a company that is using solar to create potable water,” he said. 

“They use the sun to run a pump, but they are actually pulling water out of the air. 

“With newer mine sites that are going up, that could be very cost effective. And if you’re talking ‘green and clean’ that can also offset the amount of plastic waste that you are going to have on a mine site. 

“The biggest challenge that mining and oil and gas is facing now is ‘how do we implement change? From job functions and outcomes to how do we get people to just go to the tap and fill up a reusable water bottle instead of taking 10 bottles to bed with them at night?’ 

“Changing mentalities is the hardest part and internal stakeholders have to manage that. But they are getting there.” 

The post How Adam built a business around mining’s big shift appeared first on The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia.