WA project to produce ‘carbon-neutral gold’ with 13 MW hybrid solution

Australian gold miner Bellevue Gold has entered an agreement with distributed energy provider Energy Developments Pty Ltd for an off-grid solar, wind, and battery hybrid power station for the flagship project it is developing in central Western Australia.

October 4, 2022 Bella Peacock

Australian mine sites have been rapidly turning to renewables to boost their ESG credentials in Australia. The solutions are well suited to the off-grid sites in the country's outback. Pictured: Red 5's hybrid solar-gas power plant at its King of the Hill gold mine also in Western Australia.

Red 5

Bellevue is targeting “green gold,” looking to become Australia’s first listed gold miner with a net-zero product. To that end, the company announced on Monday it had entered an Early Works Agreement with Energy Developments Pty Ltd (EDL) to supply an off-grid renewable solution capable of operating on 100% renewable energy.

The hybrid power solution, Bellevue said, will consist of wind and solar generation, as well as a battery and backup gas generation capacity to supply around 13 MW of capacity to the site.

The hybrid solution will be deployed at the Bellevue Gold Project currently being developed in Sir Samuel in Western Australia’s Goldfields-Esperance region.

Bellevue said it has now secured the long-lead items required for the hybrid power station, which will be able to run in an ‘engines off’ mode on 100% renewables. Furthermore, Bellevue said it has designed its processing circuit to timeshift up to 1 MW of power, allowing it to maximise its renewable use.

“This agreement is a key step in Bellevue’s strategy to be powered by a forecast average of 80% renewable energy each year using a wind, solar and battery hybrid power solution,” the company said in its stock exchange (ASX) announcement.

EDL, the company contracted to supply the hybrid power station, has already built and currently operates a similar hybrid solution at the Agnew gold mine about 35km south of the Bellevue Gold Project.

Bellevue and EDL are currently negotiating a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the renewable plant, which will subject to approval by the Boards of both EDL and Bellevue.

Bellevue’s ultimate goal is to produce “carbon-neutral gold,” it says, which it believes will give it a “major competitive advantage in global investment markets.”

“This also provides potential for the company to seek a premium for the sale of ‘green gold’,” it added.

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