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Unlikely bedfellows: mines that run on solar or wind power

Friday, August 22nd 2014 - 13:07 UTC
Full article 3 comments
 Brazil's Vale has formed a joint venture with Australian company Pacific Hydro to build and operate two wind farms in Brazil's northeast. Brazil's Vale has formed a joint venture with Australian company Pacific Hydro to build and operate two wind farms in Brazil's northeast.

Mining companies are often seen as dinosaurs when it comes to making changes that will benefit the environment, but that perception may be shifting as some companies turn to renewable energy to cut costs and lighten their carbon footprint.

 At first blush, mining and renewable energy seem incongruous. Mining's reputation as a voracious consumer of fossil fuels is well deserved, especially surface mining, where diesel-sucking haul trucks perform endless loops to and from gigantic pits scraped ever-deeper by immense earth-moving machines belching greenhouse gases.

Contrast that with solar panel installations, with their acres of gleaming panels and gently humming generators, or wind farms, where silent spinning blades crank out megawatts of emissions-free power.

But as the cost of diesel fuel and electricity continues to rise, mining companies are searching for ways to cut their energy bill, and renewable are looking increasingly attractive. The main reason is cost. Choosing renewable energy, especially in an industrial setting, used to be cost-prohibitive, but that is starting to change, in some cases dramatically.

Clean Technica reported last week that for systems with the right economies of scale -- 10 megawatts or higher -- solar power can now be generated for between 70 and 100 dollars per megawatt hour. That is four times lower than in 2009. China and the United States both have plans to make solar competitive with coal-powered electricity within a few years.

Another reason is security of supply. Mines are often located in remote areas where grid power is spotty and more costly than in cities. In South Africa, a shortage of power in 2008 caused rolling blackouts, causing several mines to shut down. Two years ago, Egyptian mining company Centamin had to temporarily close its Sukari gold mine due to a dispute with its diesel fuel supplier.

Running a mine on renewable, often in combination with fossil fuels, offers mining companies a way to own and control their own power supplies. Excess power generated by solar and wind at mines can be sold to utility companies, offsetting costs.

Lastly, using renewable energy in their operations is a way for mining companies to change their reputation as something of eco-pariahs, which can only help their relations with governments and host communities.

If there is a test case for using solar to power mines, it is South Africa. The country receives over 2,500 hours of sun a year, but what really makes the mining powerhouse a candidate for solar is the increasing costs of electricity. As mentioned, South Africa suffered blackouts in 2008, and its power utility, Eskom, is doing everything it can to ensure that doesn't happen again. The result has been a 25% annual rise in electricity prices over the last six years; for the next five years, Eskom is allowed to increase rates by 8% a year.

South Africa's miners are fighting back with solar. German mining company CRONIMET was the first to connect solar power to the grid at its Thaba chromium mine in Limpopo province. The 1-megawatt solar facility supplements the mine's diesel-based power system. CRONIMET says it used to consume almost 2 million litters of diesel fuel a year. Since installing its hybrid PV-solar system in 2012, the company has cut its diesel bill by half a million dollars.

Harmony Gold, South Africa's third largest gold miner, has also started working solar into its electricity mix. According to PV Insider, the company has started building a 5- to 7-megawatt solar park in Free State province, and another 18-MW facility in North West province, with the goal of alleviating pressure on peak energy usage.

Over in Tanzania, African Barrick Gold is exploring the possibility of using solar power at its Bulyanhulu mine, Mining Weekly reports. The company has also looked to move away from diesel-generated power by tapping into the state-run power utility, which uses a combination of hydro, natural gas and thermal energy. African Barrick Gold expects solar could give its three mines in Tanzania 18% of their power needs.

Wind power is also being tried by mining companies intent on slashing electricity bills. Vale, the world's third largest mining company by market value, has formed a joint venture with Australian company Pacific Hydro to build and operate two wind farms in Brazil's northeast.

Vale, a major iron ore producer, is expecting its demand for electricity to jump 150% by 2020. In a press release, the Brazil-based company said it wants to use hydro, wind and biomass to help meet that demand, as well as to diversity its energy mix, reduce emissions and cut costs.

As mining companies continue to evaluate their power options in an era of higher diesel fuel and electricity costs, it is interesting to contemplate whether they could one day foresee operating in an environment more weighted towards renewable than conventional energy. While that seems far-fetched now, considering the amount of equipment and plant machinery that relies on conventional power and fuel, the examples cited here show that renewable are already finding increasing currency among the world's major miners.

They also demonstrate that mining companies are not oblivious to broader environmental issues, and are willing to make changes in the direction of renewable, especially if there is a motivation to cut costs.

By Andrew Topf of Oilprice.com

 

Top Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules
  • Briton

    We all need to change our attitude,

    [ Mines a pint ] lol.

    Aug 22nd, 2014 - 06:40 pm 0
  • ChrisR

    As always with these flim-flam people the devil is in the detail:
    “CRONIMET says it used to consume almost 2 million litters (SIC) of diesel fuel a year. Since installing its hybrid PV-solar system in 2012, the company has cut its diesel bill by half a million dollars.”

    You cannot tell WTF is happening here. How much is a litre of diesel DELIVERED to the site? How many litres did they consume and how much power was produced? It could be that production fell and costs would be lower in any event.

    3 or 4 years of operating will soon tell the truth.

    BTW No mention about the cost to the environment to manufacture and replace the (finite life) solar panel active material, ship it around the world to make the panels and ship the panels to the “builder”.

    Aug 22nd, 2014 - 07:41 pm 0
  • Briton

    Just like new EU rules from September banning the use/sale of hoovers over 1000 revs, all to save the environment,

    we must be right mugs to put up with some of the rubbish that the EU impresses on us..

    Aug 23rd, 2014 - 06:05 pm 0
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