Pacific Energy to build solar-battery-diesel hybrid to power NSW mine

Australian distributed energy provider Pacific Energy has secured a deal to build a 26-MW hybrid system with solar, batteries and diesel generators to help decarbonise mining operations in New South Wales.

The company said it has signed a build-own-operate power purchase agreement (PPA) with an initial 10-year term to power Tronox’s Atlas-Campaspe mineral sands mining activities near Hatfield.

Pacific Energy will design and deliver a hybrid installation comprising of a 11-MW solar photovoltaic (PV) park, 3 MW/6 MWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and 12 MW of diesel generation. The construction of 13km of high-voltage powerlines is also included in the plan.

The hybrid park will leave only six diesel generators at the mine, which currently uses 41. The solar arrays and batteries are expected to provide up to 40% renewables power to the site, cutting Tronox’s annual diesel consumption by almost 5 million litres.

With construction slated to begin in June, the hybrid installation is expected to be energised by mid-2025.

The project will create Pacific Energy’s first power system in New South Wales. The company noted the system design will allow more more renewable and thermal energy sources to be added in line with a planned future expansion of the Atlas-Campaspe mine.

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