Flexible power-on-demand for a remote mine in sub-zero temperatures

The customer had a mining site in an extremely remote location with no access to main power. They needed a temporary power solution that would allow them to expand their mining operations while they were building their own long-term power plant.

As well as being a remote mine, there was limited road access making it difficult to transport in heavy equipment, such as generators, and to deliver the diesel to power them.

The site was also in a very cold region, so the customer needed equipment that could work in conditions as low as minus 40°F.

We designed a flexible temporary power solution starting with 10MW of power that could be gradually increased as required.

All the equipment was shipped in on boats, including large fuel tanks to ensure there was always enough diesel to keep the site fully powered. We provided all the necessary equipment to generate and distribute power, such as highvoltage transformers and panel distribution.

To ensure the new power solution operated as reliably as possible, we trained company staff to carry out some of the smaller maintenance tasks and sent our technicians to the site every month for one or two weeks to carry out more advanced tasks.

We ensured that there were always spare parts available at the nearest port, so that if anything needed replacing it could be shipped there quickly and replaced without any power interruption.

The customer was able to start construction much sooner thanks to the fast setup of the temporary power solution. And by renting the equipment from Aggreko, they could get up and running almost immediately rather than waiting for at least six months to purchase generators themselves.

As power requirements were fluctuating across the site during operation, we set up a power-on-demand solution where generators could be either placed on standby or moved to other sections of the mine as needed

This meant the customer always had all the power required but didn’t have to pay excessive fees during periods of lower power consumption.

Regular site visits coupled with the ready availability of spare parts and an established sea route made sure that the equipment was always well maintained and the customer had uninterrupted power to keep their operations on track.