The owners of one of the world’s largest zinc mines, located in remote north-west Queensland, plan to run the project with at least 80 per cent renewables following the addition of a large wind farm and a big battery.
The Dugald River mine, owned by Chinese company MMG and located around 65 kms north east of Cloncurry, already sources one third of its power needs from an 88 megawatt solar farm that begun operation in 2024.
It has now received funds from the Queensland state government’s North West Energy Fund to advance the development of a 144 MW wind farm, plus a big battery, that will become one of the biggest remote hybrid facilities in the country.
“This endorsement will help support a final investment decision on the first stage of the wind farm, which has the potential to benefit not only Dugald River Mine, but the highly prospective North West Minerals Province as a whole,” Dr Akroyd said.
“We are targeting 80-plus per cent of our power to be sourced from renewables as we position Dugald River as a mine of the future – one that embraces technology, electrification and long-term investment in the region.”
