Construction of a 3.8-megawatt solar array is underway at Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) Ken’s Bore site, which is part of the larger Onslow Iron project in Western Australia.
The solar array will comprise more than 6600 solar panels, displacing approximately 95 terajoules of natural gas and reducing associated emissions by about 4990 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.
“This solar array highlights another successful collaboration between MinRes’ energy and engineering and construction teams,” MinRes executive general manager Onslow Mike Tonkin said.
“The project will deliver significant emissions savings as we continue to progress Onslow Iron.”
The solar array will operate alongside a dedicated gas pipeline that extends 16km underground from the Goldfields gas pipeline to the Ken’s Bore power station, reducing Onslow Iron’s diesel fuel dependency.
Upsized to a 55-terajoule-per-day capacity, the gas pipeline has been future proofed to cater for the mine’s future electrification, which will require both gas and renewables to displace diesel engines.
A battery energy storage system will also work alongside the Ken’s Bore solar array, with both expected to become operational by January 2025.
“Together with natural gas, renewables play an important role in our energy transition – especially solar power to support our remote locations,” MinRes general manager operations and development energy Rowan Hill said.
“At Onslow Iron, a range of renewable energy solutions is being designed to offset more adverse fuels and our energy division continues to pursue cleaner and more reliable power sources.”
Located 150km east of Onslow in the west Pilbara region of WA, Onslow Iron is forecast to have an annual capacity of 35 million tonnes and a mine life of more than 30 years.
The project is being developed by MinRes and its Red Hill Iron joint venture (RHIJV) partners China Baowu Steel Group, AMCI and POSCO.
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