Global bullion miner Gold Fields on Wednesday reported a milestone in the construction of its A$296-million St Ives renewable energy project, pouring the foundations for seven wind turbines as part of Western Australia’s biggest renewable energy installation at an existing mine.

Located 80 km south of Kalgoorlie, the project is progressing on time and within budget, the Johannesburg-headquartered company said in a statement. Each turbine foundation contains 800 m³ of concrete, supplied and poured by local contractor Westforce. Wind turbine components are expected to arrive at the site by September.

Construction of the associated 35-MW solar farm is also advancing, with more than half of the panel frames completed and the first of 66 000 solar panels already delivered. Installation is set to begin this month. The solar component is being developed in partnership with Pacific Energy.

The full system, comprising a 42 MW wind farm and a 35 MW solar farm across 2.5 km², is expected to be operational in 2026. Once on line, it will supply more than 70% of the power requirements for the St Ives gold mine.

Simon Schmid, Gold Fields principal specialist and project director, called the foundation work “a pivotal moment for the project".

“The recent milestones achieved at the St Ives Renewable Energy project has further solidified the reality of what Gold Fields is achieving with our industry partners,” Schmid said.

“When it’s up and running, the St Ives Renewable Energy project will be a visible representation of our commitment to making Gold Fields’ operations more sustainable.

“We believe this project is industry-leading when it comes to renewable energy use in the mining sector, and we are thrilled to see the progress that has been made as we track towards this goal.”

The initiative is part of Gold Fields’ decarbonisation strategy, which targets a 30% net reduction in emissions by 2030 from 2016 levels. At St Ives alone, the renewable system is expected to cut carbon emissions by 50% by the end of the decade.