B2GOLD FEKOLA MINE
MS: Battery storage, or BESS, are a facilitator for renewable energy. Their economic benefit will be larger in off-grid mine sites because these do not have the grid to balance fluctuations. BESS can serve as a “buffer” in smoothing the fluctuations of renewable energy and thus allow a ramp rate control and a preventive start/stop of engines at off-grid mines. Using BESS for energy shifting, meaning to overproduce solar during the day, store it in the BESS and discharge during evening or night hours will become increasingly attractive. For grid-connected mines, they can also be used as a peak energy source to avoid mine trips in case of grid issues like power cuts, load shedding or similar. If wind energy can be used, the balancing aspect of the BESS becomes even more important, as more renewable energy generation capacity is contributing to the energy mix, so the BESS will be required to ensure the stability of the electrical network. However the BESS installed power would match more or less the mine load, while renewable generation capacity would be oversized compared to mine load to charge the BESS and provide the electricity for times without renewable generation. To determine which combination, size and storage duration actually would be feasible economically, a site-specific analysis is required. A future reduction in BESS cost or increased fuel cost will further improve the economics and enable larger renewable and BESS systems. E&M: Can you discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating renewable energy into existing mining infrastructure? MS: The opportunities are very likely lower cost of electricity from renewables and the option to hedge future energy cost and carbon taxes to manage risk. Moreover, lower cost of electricity may allow the mine
to also extract lower-grade ore bodies, thus making the overall investment into the mine more profitable. The challenges are that implementing solar and wind generally requires the resource and the land to be available for the installation of the plants. The demand profile and the expected improvements on the mining operations side such as expansion of mill throughput or electrification of operations are also important boundary conditions. In some instances flexible loads can shift electricity consumption to times when the resource is available to maximize the value from renewables. On the technical side, the integration is mainly on the electrical system and the control system. Accordingly, it requires tailor-made solutions to enable a smooth integration with existing power generation and its characteristics, alignment of protection schemes, grid stability and power flow. For the long-term perspective it is helpful to consider sufficient space and provisions in the electrical system design for future expansion of the renewable generation and BESS, in line with the decarbonization roadmap and increased electricity demand. The main challenge really is that each location and each mine requires a tailor-made solution and it is not recommended to apply the same solution to each mine. E&M: How do you see the future of hybrid energy solutions evolving in the mining sector, particularly in terms of innovation and scalability? MS: I want to highlight that large renewable energy plants at mine sites are already and will only get more economic, benefiting the economic viability of the whole mine site by reducing the operating cost – assuming that the sizing of the renewable system is chosen based on a solid study.
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