Mining Elites in Africa 2023: Renewable Energy Design & Delivery runner-up – Centamin – EQ Mag
While renewable energy projects and solar power installations at African mines are becoming increasingly common, a standout project is the 36 MW hybrid solar plant at Centamin’s Sukari mine in Egypt.
It is currently under construction on an 85-ha site at a cost of US$37 million and due for commissioning in Q3, 2022. Not only does this reduce operating costs but also greenhouse gas emissions.
Centamin, which is listed on the LSE and TSX, believes that, once commissioned, it will rank as the largest facility of its type in the world for an off-grid gold mine. Sukari, which has been operating since 2009 and is Egypt’s first and only large-scale modern gold mine, is a low-cost, bulk tonnage open-pit and high-grade underground operation that yielded its five millionth ounce of gold last year. Gold production is currently running at approximately 415 000 ozpa and the remaining mine life is plus 12 years.
The company is currently undertaking an exploration programme which includes identifying the potential for underground expansion at the mine. The mine is in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, close to the Red Sea, in an area which – with an average of 10 hours of sun per day – is characterised by some of the highest levels of solar irradiance globally.
The solar project, which also includes a 7.5 MW battery-energy storage system, is expected to reduce diesel fuel consumption at Sukari by an estimated 22 million litres a year – which translates into a saving of between US$9 million and US$13 million annually – and lower carbon emissions by an estimated 60 000 t a year. The project has been engineered with a longer-term outlook, enabling the solar and battery capacity to be increased if required.
“Centamin’s figures speak for themselves. This is exactly the kind of renewable energy project that Africa’s mining sector can support and replicate across the continent to underpin the industry’s energy transition.”
Tom Quinn
Renewable energy specialist juwi AG, based in Germany but operating globally, is the contractor responsible for designing, supplying and integrating the Sukari solar and battery plant into the current diesel power plant while Giza Systems, a leading systems integrator in the Middle East and Africa region, has installed the solar plant.
In selecting juwi, Centamin has partnered with a company with an impressive track record in the renewable energy field. To date, it has implemented more than 1 000 wind energy systems with an output of more than 2 400 MW at around 180 locations worldwide; in the solar segment it has around 1 800 PV systems with a total output of more than 3 000 MW to its credit.
To maximise the total energy generation, the project will use bifacial solar PV modules and single-axis tracking. juwi Hybrid IQ micro-grid technology will enable the integration of the solar and battery system into the existing off-grid network.
Commenting on the solar plant last year, Centamin’s CEO, Martin Horgan, said: “Centamin’s decision to integrate sustainable solar power at Sukari is fully aligned with our commitment to responsible mining.
“It has enabled us to marry up our environmental stewardship philosophy with our strategic objective of maximising returns for all stakeholders.”
Interestingly, Centamin’s environmental strategy goes beyond this solar plant. It is in process of securing power from the national Egyptian grid which will reduce its need for diesel generators as an energy source and improve its carbon footprint.
Source: miningreview
