Following on from Aggreko’s successful work at the Granny Smith Gold Mine in Western Australia, Aggreko will work to provide a unique and market-leading power solution for a new Gold Fields open pit mine in Chile, Latin America.

The Salares Norte Mine, a green field project located in Northern Chile, presents unique challenges. The open-pit gold mine sits at an altitude of 4,500m in the Andes mountain range, 190km from the nearest town, and is not connected to any local power grid systems, making logistics and operations challenging from the off.

To meet the dual challenges of providing a consistent power supply and doing so in these extreme conditions, using a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not an option.

In addition to these physical challenges, the Chilean government applies stringent environmental regulations to such projects, with Gold Fields further requiring a minimum 20% renewable power generation for all mining operations. As such, the finished solution must work to minimise carbon emissions whilst delivering reliable power for the mine.

To meet the unique demands and requirements of the mine, which at full capacity will produce 450,000oz of gold per year, Aggreko will develop an equally ambitious and market-leading solution.