Powering a gold mine with LNG

A gold mine that lacked access to the grid had been powering their operations for the past couple of years with just two generators. They were right next to native lands, meaning their footprint had to be small and their expansion plans modest; but they were struggling to keep up with the output of other mines.

What’s more, they were about to hit emission compliance issues, which meant they had to find an alternative power source quickly. Their choices were limited. They could spend a lot of money to upgrade, wait for the grid to reach them, or shut down altogether. We knew we could come up with a better option.

We went to Prometheus Energy, one of the largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and together we came up with an option our customer had not previously considered. Taking the time to consider all the angles and collaborating with another company is something we do because we know it gets a better result. We designed a 3.6 MW temporary power plant using LNG as a fuel source. This addressed all their headaches: the costs, the emissions compliance issue and the lack of space to expand.

Together with Prometheus, we installed two 1.3 MW natural gas power generator units, and a 1 MW diesel power generator for backup, within 14 days. Going above and beyond the standard for mine safety, we also equipped each unit with fire suppression and venting shut-down systems.

Using LNG brought more than 30 per cent of fuel savings and dramatically reduced the mine’s carbon footprint with near-zero environmental impact. The temporary power plant met the operator’s load demands with ease and the more efficient natural gas power allowed for a bit of expansion.

The mine’s looming problems with permits and environmental emissions compliance were put to rest, the output was enough to power the mine without needing a costly upgrade, and the package was flexible enough to allow the mine to expand in the future.