Solar hybrid power cuts costs and emissions for a remote mine
Aggreko's solar/thermal hybrid solution helped a remote mining operation in Eritrea cut power costs, reduce carbon emissions, and ensure a reliable power supply. The integrated solution resulted in over 12% fuel savings and lowered costs from the first day, with no upfront investment required from the customer.
Client: Bisha Mining Share Company / Nevsun
Location: Eritrea, Africa
Sectors: Mining
The Challenge
Power a remote mine and lower power costs
Our customer needed to lower their power costs to profitably convert their gold mining operations in copper and zinc. They were happy with the reliability of our containerised, mobile and modular diesel plant but were looking for ways to reduce their fuel costs.
They had been approached by 3rd party solar developers offering a lower cost of energy, but they did not want to commit to a 20-year contract. They were also concerned about how solar intermittency could impact the reliability of the power station and who would ultimately be held responsible and accountable for their electricity supply. Having two different power suppliers did not seem ideal.
Project fact file
The Solution
One-stop for mine power, thanks to our solar/thermal integration
We offered our customer an integrated solar / thermal hybrid power solution to keep it simple and wrapped everything into a single contract, with added power guarantees for peace of mind. Our customer did not have to find CAPEX to invest in the solar plant: they buy solar energy per kWh. Our unique solar / diesel hybrid solution delivers more than 12% savings on fuel – with around 10,000 litres being saved each and every day.
We provided our reliable solar and thermal power, integrated by our cutting-edge software, to ensure a reliable source of power for the mine site – with costs lowered from the very first day.
The Impact
Cheaper, reliable power - with lower emissions
With no upfront costs required for the solar plant, our customer can conserve their capital for their mining operation, save on their energy costs by displacing diesel fuel with cheaper solar power and improve their environmental impact by cutting carbon emissions by 10,000 tonnes annually.