Modern Mining June 2019

POWER SUPPLY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Hybrid power solutions gain traction in mining

Faso’s President, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. The project represents an investment of more than US$20 million and was entirely developed, constructed and financed by the global renewable energy independent power producer Total Eren SA and its partner, AEMP. The construction of the plant was managed by technology group Wärtsilä, which employed 75 people from local communities during execution. Wartsila has also been contracted to operate and maintain the plant under an Operations & Maintenance agreement. The Essakane plant – which incorporates close to 130 000 PV panels – reduces depen- dence on the existing 57 MW Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) power plant. Essakane Solar SAS, a local entity created by the developers, operates the facility and sells the energy to the mine. Over the 15-year term of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), the project is expected to deliver 86 million litres of heavy fuel displace- ment (representing a total saving of US$80,9

Arguably, 2018 was the year in which hybrid power systems finally took off in Africa’s mining sector, with two major installations being commissioned during the year and development of a third announced, all at gold mines. The systems typically supplement existing conventional diesel or HFO gensets with solar energy to reduce power costs, which are generally huge for mines in Africa and a major contributor to the total cost of production.

T he first of the systems to be opened last year was a 15 MW project at IAMGOLD’s Essakane gold mine in north-eastern Burkina Faso, one of the biggest gold mining operations in the country with a production of just over 400 000 ounces in 2018. Con- struction of the photovoltaic (PV) plant was started in July 2017 and it was inaugurated in March 2018 at a ceremony attended by Burkina

The 15 MW hybrid plant at IAMGOLD’s Essakane gold mine in Burkina Faso (photo: IAMGOLD Corp).

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44  MODERN MINING  June 2019