Solar-Diesel Hybrid Solution For Chilean Gold Mine

• Gold Fields' Chilean gold mine located 4,500m above sea level is to be powered by a 25.9 MW hybrid solar and thermal power solution
• Aggreko said it will install the customized off-grid solution comprising diesel gensets each with 772 kW capacity along with 9.9 MW solar power units
• Project will power all 5 of the mine's distribution points over the next 10 years

British power generation equipment company Aggreko will provide and install its solar power units in a hybrid power solution system for the Salares Norte open pit gold mine of global mining operator Gold Fields in Chile. Aggreko terms the 25.9 MW hybrid solar and thermal power solution a 'ground-breaking' hybrid power system to be installed 4,500m above sea level.

The off-grid application will comprise tailor made high-altitude performance diesel gensets with each delivering 772 kW and incorporating Spinning Reserve and Cold Reserve Units to meet peaks in demand. It will be integrated with 9.9 MW of Aggreko Solar Power units. Altogether the hybrid power solution will deliver a reliable, module power supply across all 5 of the mine's distribution points, enabling Gold Fields to meet 20% minimum renewable power generation for its mining operations.

Over the next 10 years, Gold Fields also expects $7.5 million in cost of energy savings and $1.1 million in carbon tax offset over the project's lifetime.

"Hybrid products, such as the one we are deploying for Salares Norte, enable a reliable and flexible power supply whilst reducing carbon emissions, thanks to the incorporation of Aggreko Solar Power units as part of the system," said Aggreko's Latin America Managing Director Pablo Varela.

Aggreko previously installed more than 20,000 solar panels and a 2 MW/1 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at Gold Fields' Granny Smith Gold Mine in Western Australia, integrating it with the existing 27.3 MW natural gas power station, aimed to lower the need to run the mine on thermal power generation (see Australian Gold Mine Gets Solar Hybrid System Online).

In August 2020, Sonnedix said it will supply 150 GWh solar power annually to Chilean copper miner Collahuasi from its 170 MW solar project in Chile (see Chilean Copper Miner To Procure Solar Power).