Canada headquartered mining company NextSource Materials is getting a 2.6 MW solar farm, owned and operated by CrossBoundary Energy (CBE), at its Molo Graphite Mine in Madagascar whose construction is now complete. Once final electrical interconnections are in place, the solar project will be energized.
The solar farm is part of a hybrid arrangement with an already installed 3.1 MW diesel system, and a 1 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) that's expected to be delivered in the next few weeks.
The solar facility is equipped with 4,902 solar panels and is expected to generate 4 GW annually. Together with the BESS, the solar farm will be capable to supply up to 100% of the plant's electricity requirements during peak daylight hours, while the thermal part will supply all off peak power requirements.
According to NextSource, the solar hybrid plant is expected to generate 33% of the mine's steady-state requirements from renewable energy, according to the company.
CBE will supply energy from the hybrid project to NextSource under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
Project partners plan to expand the solar farm and may also add wind turbines in the future as they aim to increase the amount of renewable energy available to the mine if it is expanded in the future.