Essakane Mine pit in Burkina Faso. Photo by Iamgold [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.2017 may be the year microgrids gain a solid foothold. Rising diesel prices paired with a handful of test projects in remote locations and island communities have demonstrated their power and feasibility.
Microgrid successes have caught the attention of miners working in some of the most remote locations on earth. British firm Shanta Gold recently built on its positive experience with solar power by expanding solar capacity at its New Luika mine in the Lupa Gold Field of southwest Tanzania late last year.
Canadian giant Iamgold also announced plans to add 15MW of solar to its Essakane mine in Burkina Faso—the company’s largest—in January 2017. The array will supply power in tandem with an existing 57MW thermal plant. In addition, the company signed a 15-year PPA with Eren Renewable Energy and the African Energy Management Platform (AEMP) in March 2017.
Read more in Climatescope.