ENERGY
What a scaled Green Centre could look like.
Yannik Baurain, FlowGen Head of Technology.
Energy resilience reimagined : Microgrids as strategic risk infrastructure for mining with FlowGen By Dirk Küster, CEO of FlowGen In Africa’s high-stakes mining sector, operational downtime is more than an inconvenience; it’s a significant financial and safety risk. From gold operations in West Africa to copper and cobalt mines in the DRC and Zambia, sites are often located in remote, logistically challenging, or politically unstable regions. Despite their drawbacks, diesel generators remain ubiquitous, exposing operators to supply chain disruptions, price volatility, and high carbon emissions. With national grids across much of the continent frequently unstable or unavailable, uninterrupted, resilient power becomes a competitive imperative. F lowGen’s technology is designed to withstand the realities
rapidly deployable, containerised energy hubs that provide silent, off-grid power for critical functions such as drone operations, EV charging, and mission-critical equipment, without reliance on diesel refuelling. Microgrids as downtime insurance In mining, the consequences of power outages are significant: • Lost production: Every hour the mine is idle, it incurs fuel costs, lost throughput, and a financial penalty. • Restart costs: Shutting down heavy equipment is operationally risky and costly to bring back online. • Safety hazards: Reliable power is essential for ventilation, communications, and emergency systems.
of mining in Africa—whether it’s erratic wind conditions in Southern Africa, long rainy seasons in West Africa, or extreme remoteness in Central Africa. Developed from motorsport aerodynamic engineering expertise, FlowGen’s small-format turbines maximise output per kW even in low- wind environments. Their lightweight, low-noise construction and durability ensure performance in harsh climates, while containerised packaging allows for rapid deployment and redeployment between exploration, development, and production phases. Our Mobile Green Centre and military compact microgrid packages embody this resilience-first philosophy, featuring
26 MODERN MINING www.modernminingmagazine.co.za | March 2026
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker