A renewable wind and solar system powering Liontown Resources’ Kathleen Valley mine could pave a path to firming Kalgoorlie’s electricity supply, according to the state’s Energy Minister.
A renewable wind and solar system powering Liontown Resources’ Kathleen Valley mine could pave a path to firming Kalgoorlie’s electricity supply, according to the state’s Energy Minister.
The $154 million, Zenith Energy built-and-run integrated solar farm, wind farm, battery and LNG plant was formally launched by Energy and Environment Minister Reece Whitby at the eastern Goldfields lithium mine today.
The 95-megawatt project represents the largest operating off-grid power system in the state and allows Kathleen Valley’s operations to run on a minimum 60 per cent emissions-free energy.
The site has run on as much as 98 per cent renewables, and can be operated in an “engine-off” mode when conditions allow.
The energy the system is capable of generating is enough to power 18,000 homes, and today’s launch is the first in a series of four lined up by Zenith.
Neighbouring Bellevue Gold, Northern Star Resources’ Jundee project and Lynas Rare Earths’ Mt Weld mine are also on the Zenith order book.
It comes amid a period of challenge for Kalgoorlie, which sits at the fringe of the state’s South West Interconnected System with limited transmission infrastructure.
Speaking on-site, Mr Whitby told Business News the model being applied by Zenith at Kathleen Valley had potential to support the grid – supporting the state’s Goldfields regional network ambition.
He revealed the government was planning a Goldfields Energy Roundtable of industry and stakeholders to explore firming options for the region.
“We know that at night, the wind blows here, and the sun in the day and the wind at night is a great combination to have an assured security of supply,” Mr Whitby said.
“We’re looking at the possibility of building a network out to the north east of Kalgoorlie, right up to Leinster – to provide power to the resources sector, but also, importantly, to Kalgoorlie, so we can significantly reinforce and secure supply for Kalgoorlie.”
Mr Whitby said the region was already shaping as a world leader in renewables, and that a Goldfields roundtable would involve industry, community and traditional owners.
Zenith chief executive and managing director Hamish Moffatt said systems like that rolled out at Kathleen Valley today had large-scale potential.
“There’s an opportunity to share some of the infrastructure between the sites, and then connect that into the proposed Goldfields regional network, which would then feed power back down into the Eastern Goldfields and ultimately into the SWIS,” he said.
“We think [the location] is [advantageous], because you’ve got what we call distributed generation.
“You’re not putting all your generation at the end of the line like it currently is. You’re distributing it from around your network, so if you have a fault anywhere in that network, you can go to alternate sources for your energy.”
Zenith’s bustling pipeline of renewables is growing, with management expecting the proportion of its work taken up by the sector to account for 55 per cent of its business by the end of the year.
Liontown commenced production in July and shipped its first spodumene concentrate at the end of September, bringing the project online amid an ongoing lithium price glut.
It remains confident of weathering the depressed price environment. It cut staff by around 10 per cent last week as it seeks to manage costs.
