Johannesburg-based AngloGold Ashanti has advanced its decarbonisation strategy with the completion of the Tropicana renewables project, establishing the largest hybrid power system in Australia’s mining sector.

The integration of 61 MW of renewable energy into the existing power system at the Tropicana gold mine, in Western Australia, is projected to reduce diesel and gas consumption for power generation by 96% and 50% respectively. This shift is expected to cut carbon emissions by more than 65 000 t/y on average over the next decade, the company said.

“This project will enable a significant reduction in emissions while reducing both diesel and natural gas consumption and improving our overall security of energy supply,” AngloGold CEO Alberto Calderon said. “It’s especially impressive that this large project, in a remote location, was completed safely, on time and on budget, despite the major disruption caused by last year’s flooding.”

Tropicana, located about 1 000 km east of Perth, is jointly owned by AngloGold Ashanti (70%) and Regis Resources (30%).

The renewables expansion was developed by Pacific Energy, which owns and operates the combined renewables-natural gas power station under a ten-year power purchase agreement. The hybrid system brings the total thermal and renewable power capacity at Tropicana to 115 MW.

The solar component consists of 42 120 panels with a 24 MW generation capacity, backed by a 13 MW battery storage system. The solar farm spans an area equivalent to 53 FIFA-regulation football fields.

The installation also includes four 6 MW wind turbines, each standing 130 m tall with a rotor diameter of 165 m – comparable in height to the London Eye and in width to one-and-a-half NFL football fields. At their highest point, the turbine blades reach 213 m, nearly as high as the Golden Gate Bridge towers in San Francisco.

The Tropicana renewables project will contribute significantly to AngloGold’s goal of reducing Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse-gas emissions by 30% by 2030, based on its 2021 carbon emissions baseline. The project follows last year’s connection of the company’s Geita mine in Tanzania to the national grid, which sources a substantial portion of its power from renewables, including hydroelectric generation.