The decarbonization of Australia’s mining sector has reached a new milestone with the Bellevue gold mine in Western Australia operating for more than six consecutive days on 100% renewable energy.
Australian miner Bellevue Gold has hit a sustainability milestone at its namesake gold mine in remote Western Australia, achieving 155 consecutive hours of “engine-off” operations with the facility running entirely on renewable energy courtesy of a 90 MW off-grid hybrid power station.
The microgrid, owned and operated by Perth-based remote power specialist Zenith Energy, integrates 27 MW of solar, 24 MW of wind and a 15 MW / 30 MWh battery energy storage system. It also includes 24 MW of thermal generation that serves as back-up.
Zenith said the off-grid system allowed the Bellevue site, near Leinster is Western Australia’s northern Goldfields region, to last month to operate for six-and-a-half consecutive days on 100% renewable power.
“This is a significant milestone, not only for the project, but for what is possible in the Australian energy sector and demonstrating nation-leading progress in renewable energy for remote mining operations,” Zenith said in a LinkedIn post.
