New hybrid energy power plant built in Madagascar
Madagascar: Crossboundary Energy has been awarded the contract to supply a hybrid solar plant to NextSource’s Molo graphite mine in Madagascar.
Image source: NextSource
Madagascar: Crossboundary Energy has been awarded the contract to supply a hybrid solar plant to NextSource’s Molo graphite mine in Madagascar.
The 20-year contract has been designed to scale up alongside the projected production output of the Molo mine.
A Crossboundary Energy subsidiary in Madagascar will develop, build, own and operate the Molo hybrid energy power plant at no capital cost to Canada-headquartered NextSource. The power plant will be situated next to the Molo mine site and is expected to become operational at the same time as Molo mine is commissioned in the second quarter of 2022.
The hybrid energy power plant will comprise a 2.5 MW solar PV energy system (the solar plant), a 1 MW battery energy storage system and a 3.3 MW thermal energy system (diesel generators) to supply the electricity requirements of the Molo mine and processing plant.
The thermal energy system will be used in conjunction with the solar plant and battery energy storage system to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the mine. Nextsource will initially source up to a third of the mine’s total electricity needs from renewable, solar energy. But the commitment from both NextSource and CBE is to optimise the solar component over the years to increase the percentage of renewable energy to dominate the mix.
Matthew Fredericks, head of mining at CrossBoundary Energy said they worked closely with the NextSource Materials team to design a custom solar hybrid solution for the Molo graphic facility. “This power system will reduce the mine’s total cost of electricity, lowering its all-in sustaining costs, as well as minimising its carbon emissions.”
Source: ESI Africa
#CrossBoundary Energy#hybrid energy power plant#Madagascar#Molo graphite mine#NextSource