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Redeployable Power Solutions for Mines
REDEPLOYABLE POWER SOLUTIONS FOR MINES
The WMB
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The availability of new power technologies, combined with increased concerns around environmental footprint and energy sustainability, are driving miners to explore cleaner solutions to power their businesses. This trend is pushing mining executives to investigate power dynamics and efficiencies in ways they never did before. But for those with a shorter mine life, the time and investment required to set up a clean, diverse power system on a remote site is hard to justify.
Wärtsilä has a track record of installing a variety of power systems at remote locations around the world, from the Essakane Mine’s hy- brid power plant in Burkina Faso to a diesel, wind, solar and storage microgrid integration that powers an island in the Azores, Portugal. Earlier this year, the company launched the Wärtsilä Modular Block, a flexible and redeployable solution for sustainable power genera- tion, even in short-life mines.
The plant is pre-fabricated, reducing installation time from several months to a few weeks, and making Wärtsilä’s medium-speed gas and liquid fuel engine technology available where conventional perma- nent set-ups are not. Energy and Mines spoke with Mark Kennedy, Business Development Manager at the firm, to get more details on the innovation.
Energy and Mines: Your modular block solution is redeployable — what does that mean exactly? Is there a defined period that mining customers need to commit to using this technology?
Mark Kennedy: The Wärtsilä Modular Block (WMB) is a pre-fabricated, modular solution that can be installed much more quickly than traditional “stick-build” power plants. Due to the modular nature of the WMB, the civil works and installation at site are significantly reduced. This enables owners to enter into shorter agreements, and the plant could be redeployed to another location at the end of the term. Wärtsilä is partnering with Aggreko, a world leader in rental and mobile power plants.
The period of time that a mining customer would need to commit to is negotiable but typically is a 5 or 10-year term. This is well suited to mining sites that have a shorter life of mine and do not wish to invest in permanent infrastructure.
E&M: What sort of flexibility does it offer in terms of integrating renewable energy options?
MK: The Wärtsilä Modular Block can provide power using traditional fuels such as natural gas or diesel and combine batteries (energy storage) to provide a hybrid offering. Wärtsilä can provide the software and electronics to integrate solar and wind power.
One of the key ingredients to a successful hybrid project is to have the software to optimize the mix of energy. For example when there is no sun, the system needs to know to draw power from the batteries or engines. It is a complicated, continuous balancing act, and the Wärtsilä GEMS software is the glue that connects all of the pieces together.
E&M: How does this address the financing hurdle for mines — are you offering flexible power purchase agreements/contracts?
MK: The Wärtsilä Modular Block will be available for rental. This is a big deal in terms of helping mining companies finance projects as they do not have to outlay the capital expenditure during the build. Wärtsilä is working with partners such as Aggreko on the rental/ leasing side.
E&M: What sort of response have you had so far from the mining community?
MK: The Wärtsilä Modular Block has only recently been released and it has been extremely well received by the mining sector. Adding this to the Wärtsilä portfolio will further establish Wärtsilä as a key power provider to mines. Please note that Wärtsilä already has over 80 mining power plant references around the world. Wärtsilä also built the largest solar power plant at a mine –- the IAMGOLD Essakane mine. The mine gets power from that solar plant (15 MW) and also a 55 MW Wärtsilä thermal plant running on liquid fuel.
E&M: What do you see as the key drivers behind the move to low-carbon energy solutions for remote mines?
MK: The key drivers are reducing the cost of fuel and power, and lowering carbon footprint, or achieving lower emissions. The energy demands from miners are all similar: reliable, low-cost power with as little environmental footprint as possible.
However, technology has improved over the last few years, which makes it feasible to tap into renewable energy. The price of wind, solar, and batteries (energy storage) have all come down significant- ly. In addition, the technology (software/electronics) to integrate these various power sources in a reliable way has also developed significantly.
Wärtsilä has become a leading integrator –- providing thermal assets, with energy storage (batteries), whilst using advanced software and electronics to incorporate solar and wind resources.
E&M: What markets are currently the most active in terms of project opportunities for remote power solutions for mines?
MK: All markets are showing interest in incorporating renewables and energy storage into the mix. Obviously areas where renewable resources are most available are leading the way. For example, areas with great sun and wind resources seem to be moving forward with projects. Projects in Africa, South America, Australia, and Asia benefit from the combination of high-priced fuel at remote locations and availability of excellent solar resources. Energy storage can be deployed to any region, given the modular (containerized) nature of the solutions. Similarly, areas that have strong wind resources are looking at ways to reduce reliance on traditional thermal generation. Wind and energy storage projects in the far north of Canada prove that these kinds of projects can be done anywhere.
E&M: What lessons can you draw from your experience, in terms of the ability for mining operators to move to 100% renewable energy — what do you think the timescale and probability is for that milestone to be a reality?
MK: Moving to 100% renewables is an excellent goal. High penetration levels are already possible — the Graciosa Island in the Azores, where we integrated a hybrid microgrid, has already achieved 68%. Other fuels that can help achieve this are also key to the mix including synthetic fuels (fully renewable), biodiesel, bio-gases, etc. All of this will play out in the next couple of decades. The key is to get on board now.
