Solar hybrid power plant DeGrussa
The Project
In 2016, the largest JUWI project in Australia to date also resulted in the largest solar hybrid power plant in the world: Our Australian JUWI subsidiary built and commissioned the power plant for the mining company Sandfire Resources NL.
A 10.6 megawatt, single-axis tracked solar park and a 6 megawatt battery storage cover the majority of the electricity requirement during the day. This reduces the mine's annual diesel consumption by more than 20 percent. In the solar park, around 34,000 solar modules convert the power of the Australian sun into climate-friendly electricity – this makes the DeGrussa gold and copper mine the largest solar-powered mine in the world at its time.
The completion of the project is an important milestone for the mining industry and the renewable energy sector.
Renewable Energies and the Mining Industry
The potential of off-grid systems for mining can be illustrated with the example of the DeGrussa mine: by using renewable energy sources together with the mine's existing diesel power plant, operators can not only reduce the negative impact on the climate, but also reduce fuel and operating costs at the same time. This saves 12,000 tons of CO2 emissions and five million liters of diesel fuel every year. The combination of solar power plant and battery storage is fully integrated into the diesel power plant and reduces its base load without interrupting mine operations.
Project video
View the project video here:
