The Australia subsidiary of Risen Energy of China has nailed a renewable energy power purchase agreement (PPA) for its 132 MW Merredin Solar Farm with global natural resources mining group BHP. The solar farm is already operational and has an output of 274 GWh annually.
BHP said the PPA comes into effect from February 1, 2021 and is the company's 1st renewable energy PPA in Western Australia. Previously it has entered into similar agreements for renewable energy to power its mines in Queensland, as well as in Chile (see Solar & Wind For BHP's Queensland Coal Mines).
The power procured from the solar farm will cover up to 50% of the electricity needs of the company's Kwinana Refinery where it mines nickle. BHP believes the 10-year agreement with Risen Energy will enable it to lower emissions from electricity use at the refinery by up to 50% by 2024, based on FY 2020 levels.
"Nickel is a future-facing commodity that is essential to creating the high performing lithium ion batteries used in battery electric vehicles (BEV). Consequently, the demand for nickel and especially the nickel produced by Nickel West is set to grow dramatically," explained BHP Nickel West's Asset President Eddy Haegel. "The sustainable production of nickel is also essential to meet this future demand as the customers purchasing BEVs want to know that the inputs to the manufacturing of these vehicles are also sustainable."
Risen Energy (Australia) has powered the 132 MW solar farm with close to 360,000 of its 370W monocrystalline PERC modules mounted on a single axis tracking system. The company's Vice General Manager for Australia said his firm is open to more clean energy partnerships to power manufacturing, minerals processing and other Western Australian industries.
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