- Baywa r.e. and Suntrace has deployed an off-grid hybrid energy system at the Fekola, a gold mine in Mali.
- This installation will reduce the mine’s heavy oil generators’ daily usage by over 50 per cent.
- The project, which cost $38 million, was awarded in 2019 to Baywa r.e. and Suntrace.
An off-grid hybrid energy system has been deployed at the Fekola, a gold mine in Mali, according to the project partners Baywa r.e. and Suntrace. The Fekola mine operates for 24 hours daily and relies on six heavy fuel oil-powered generators. However, with the installation of the solar system, three of the generators will be shut off during the day, and the use of the other three will be limited.
The hybrid system comprises a 30MW solar PV array and a 17MW/15.4MWh energy storage system. The system has been successfully integrated with the existing power plant onsite. The project developers are confident of completing the power plant by the end of June. German companies Baywa r.e. and Suntrace’s were awarded the US$38 million project as a joint partnership by the mine owner and operator, B2Gold, in 2019.
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Baywa r.e. stated that up to 75 per cent of the mine’s daytime energy use could be covered by solar. Project manager Thorsten Althaus noted that the integration of such a large amount of solar into a small, isolated grid safely and reliably has been a major technical challenge and required the use of battery storage as well as a tailor-made control system.
B2Gold’s senior VP Dennis Stansbury stated about the project, “Suntrace and BayWa r.e. have played a vital role in our work towards more sustainable production at Fekola. The implementation of a solar-battery hybrid system was an obvious choice to help achieve this, not only for its environmental credentials but also its economic viability”, “This is a landmark project which we expect to pave the way for more sustainable power generation within the mining industry in West Africa.” He added.