By Mike Stone The mining sector could be an important driver of energy storage in Australia, say experts. Sandfire Resources is one mining company set to benefit from the trend. Sandfire was approached by Juwi Renewable Energy to develop and operate a 10.6-megawatt solar facility at its DeGrussa copper mine in Western Australia that will be Read More
Challenged by frequent power supply disruptions and anticipated price increases South African mining company Gold Fields undertook a regional energy security plan in cooperation with the Carbon War Room Sunshine for Mines Project. One of the first outcomes of this review is an RFP for a 40 MW solar PV project for its South Deep Mine. Read More
“The decrease in metal prices is accelerating the implementation of specific measures to reduce energy consumption and improve purchasing price and conditions,” reports First Quantum’s Technology and Innovation Director, Carlos Frias. Based in Seville, Spain, Frias heads the energy decisions for First Quantum’s Cobre Las Cruces mine, which is an open pit operation and process plant Read More
In a report published earlier this year titled "Greening the future: New technologies that could transform how industry uses energy" global management consulting group, McKinsey & Company, highlighted the need to focus on energy consumption and efficiency as a key to driving down costs. The authors suggested operational improvements can reduce energy consumption be 10-20%. This can Read More
(to view the video presentation associated with this post fill in the form below) Energy is a major cost component for miners, especially for mines located off-grid, and in areas of erratic power supply and weak power infrastructure. Combining wind and/or solar with existing fossil generating plants (e.g gensets) can help to economically meet the power Read More
“This project was attractive because it is the largest off-grid project with a private PPA,” reports Romain Desrousseaux, Deputy CEO at Neoen. The IPP is providing the construction equity and will be the long-term owner-manager of the innovative 10.6 MW solar PV farm for the DeGrussa Copper-Gold mine in Western Australia. The solar project, which is Read More
Figure 1: Business Model Approach to Renewables & Electric Vehicles for Mining Industry By: Arnoldus van den Hurk, CEO, r4mining.com, info@renewables4mining.com There are two large opportunities for renewable energy in mining: renewables for electricity and renewables for fuel. For both scenarios hybrid energy architecture can be found in the form of hybrid power grids (mini grids) and hybrid Read More
“Almost all of our operations are on grid, however in some geographies the risk with unreliable supply and escalating costs are among our main concerns,” says Stan Pillay, Lead Energy & Carbon Effectiveness at Anglo American. “Whilst operations can accommodate the occasional requests to curtail electricity use, the disruptions in supply impacts the business.” Headquartered in Read More
The recent issue of Mining Global showcased the innovative Rio Tinto's project at Weipa Mine, where the mining giant has commenced the first commercial solar plant used to displace diesel. The Weipa Solar Plant is expected to generate enough electricity to power the company's bauxite mine, processing facilities and associated township in Queensland. Weipa Solar Plant - construction timelapse Read More
As the coal industry declines in many places around the world, can the mines it leaves behind be repurposed for cleaner energy projects that benefit multiple stakeholders, including local economies? Several existing and planned projects demonstrate that there may be multiple paths toward that transition. Shahid Mahmud, Team Leader, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approached the Read More
