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Solar Hybrid power cuts costs and emissions

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

Footprint of solar station 9Ha
Fuel savings 12-13%
Solar power capacity 7.5MWp
Produced by generators 22MW

The Solution

One-stop for customer’s power, thanks to our solar/thermal integration

We offered our customer an integrated solar / thermal hybrid 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 our customer – with costs lowered from the very first day.

“Being in a remote location meant that finding a reliable power supply was a critical factor; however, Aggreko's lead time and modular flexibility fitted with our planning production schedule.”

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.

How we support our customers

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