Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX) is expecting to pocket a range of fuel and cost savings after powering up the first of four hybrid power facilities to be installed across its Western Australian operations.
Located at Tuckabianna, 20km east of Cue, the new 17.9 megawatt (MW) facility replaces the existing diesel-fired power station, cutting an estimated 15,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and 10 million litres of diesel fuel out of the company’s operations each year.
The first of four facilities to be rolled out under Westgold’s Clean Energy Transition initiative, it features a 6 MW solar farm fitted with 11,088 photovoltaic panels, a battery energy storage system with 2.4 MW capacity, and a 9.5 MW gas-fuelled power station.
The other three power facilities at Bluebird, Fortnum, and Big Bell are scheduled to be installed and operational by the third quarter of 2024.
With a combined capacity of 82 MW, the new facilities are expected to collectively save 38 million litres of diesel, lower annual CO₂ emissions by roughly 57,000 tonnes, and drop Westgold’s all-in sustaining costs by around $60 per ounce.
“Westgold continues to innovate to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and drive our operating costs down,” Westgold Managing Director Wayne Bramwell says.
“This new hybrid power facility at Tuckabianna incorporates renewable energy and is a great first step along this journey, with power generated from these facilities energising our mines and processing hubs for decades to come.”
“Westgold continues to innovate to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and drive our operating costs down”
The solar farms, battery storage systems and gas-fired power stations are owned and operated by Pacific Energy under an electricity purchase agreement Westgold signed in July 2022, while the LNG is supplied by Clean Energy Fuels Australia under a separate contract.
“The transition to a cleaner, more efficient energy platform that utilises renewables and gas in FY23 is strategic for Westgold,” Bramwell said at the time.
“It is an important step in meeting our ESG targets but is pivotal to reducing the operating cost of our business.”
Based in Perth, the $708 million market capitalisation gold producer and explorer holds more than 1,300km-square of tenure in Western Australia’s Murchison and Bryah regions. Westgold sold 269,705 ounces of gold in the 2022 financial year.
Write to Oliver Gray at Mining.com.au
Images: Westgold Resources Ltd
