Jointly Developing Reliable Solutions for Decarbonization

In this interview, Jon Rodriguez, Energy Business Director - Engine Power Plants, Wärtsilä North America, discusses how decarbonization can be a daunting prospect for miners, yet careful planning and execution can help customers reduce CO2 emissions, integrate renewables and future-proof assets while simultaneously ensuring minimal disruption in operations.

ENERGY AND MINES: How is the conversation changing with mining clients now that ESG and decarbonization are top strategic concerns with concrete timelines?

JON RODRIGUEZ: Miners have been grappling with environmental and sustainability concerns for some time now. However, ESG has brought together all of these issues in a comprehensive framework that can help a mining company navigate and measure its impact on the planet, people, and profitability. The conversation now is therefore more targeted and structured with an emphasis on clear actions within defined timeframes. Clearly, investors, lenders, and governments are more focused than ever before on the ESG performance of mining companies.

E+M: In particular, how is the approach to and value proposition of renewable energy and storage for mining changing in light of corporate net zero and 2030 climate goals?

JR: Mining companies now have to carefully review their existing carbon footprint and formulate concrete plans to lower CO2 and other emissions. Of course, renewable energy and storage are only a part of the solution, as are more efficient power generation and cleaner fuels. We observe that no two customers have the same situation, and the solutions will, therefore, differ from project to project, and country to country. Wärtsilä’s approach is to help clients understand their current situation and jointly develop reliable solutions for decarbonization.

E+M: Can you share some of the projects Wärtsilä is currently working on with mining clients directly related to their goals for decarbonizing energy for their mines?

JR: Wärtsilä is working on several projects around the world that are helping mines to decarbonize. In many of these, mines are switching from liquid fuel to cleaner gaseous fuels (eg. LNG) resulting in dramatic environmental benefits. We also have on hand several hybrid projects that include engines, renewables, and storage, working in concert to lower CO2 and other emissions. For example, at the Fekola mine owned by B2Gold in Africa, Wärtsilä has installed 17 MW of energy storage and a state-of-the-art Energy Management System (GEMS) to optimize the microgrid in conjunction with the mine’s existing thermal plant and 30 MW solar power unit. These scenarios, where a site has multiple sources of energy, are becoming more commonplace.

E+M: What has changed on the technology side to meet mining customers’ demands for affordable, reliable, and zeroemissions power?

JR: In technology, very impressive strides have been made in recent years in software development. As described above, power systems at mines are becoming more complex with multiple sources of energy, including intermittent wind and solar. As the key to coordinating and reliably dispatching energy at these microgrids is complex software, Wärtsilä has focussed on developing and installing the GEMS platform which can perform this function very effectively.

E+M: How are energy goals for mining being integrated with decarbonization planning for heavy trucks and mobile equipment?

JR: Though Wärtsilä is not directly involved in this area, we foresee that electrification of mobile equipment in mining applications could increase the aggregate demand on the mine’s electrical supply system. It would also alter the load dynamics that the system serves. Amidst increasing integration of renewables, and growing ambitions to achieve decarbonization goals, electrification of the haul fleet could have a significant impact in the near future on the planning, design, and operation of the power supply systems at mines.

E+M: What are some of the main challenges mines encounter when trying to maximize carbon savings with renewable energy and storage?

JR: Reliability is always the biggest challenge when adding intermittent energy sources into the mix. There is also pushback from operators at the site who need to understand and make the new system work. This is why the Wärtsilä approach is to carefully study the mine’s current situation and then comprehensively model and analyze proposed additions. The company determines the most practical solution after a careful evaluation to arrive at the right mix of generation (such as thermal, renewable, storage, etc.) to ensure adequate reliability and redundancy yet still achieve the required reduction in emissions.

E+M: What do you see as the next steps in innovation and integration of low-carbon technologies for mining?

JR: Developing a decarbonization strategy can be daunting for mining companies. Wärtsilä’s approach is to help customers understand their current situation and plan a way forward with advanced modeling and dynamic simulations. Every case is different, and the mix of technologies will vary from project to project. Using our technological know-how and experience we help to develop and execute a decarbonization roadmap. This allows our customers to reduce CO2 emissions, integrate renewables, and future-proof their assets while simultaneously ensuring minimal disruption in the mine’s operations.

Wärtsilä observes that data integration, and leverage of that data, is another fast-growing trend alongside advanced modeling of the power systems at mines. Actionable data would enhance the mine’s decision-making relating to asset utilization and also enable predictive maintenance.

Future fuels, which are typically carbon-free and ideally derived almost completely from renewable energy sources, are another area that is seeing growing interest. Wärtsilä is already developing solutions for some of these fuels, including hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and synthetic methane so that customers can adapt to the needs of the future competitively and efficiently.

Jon Rodriquez is speaking at the Energy and Mines Toronto Summit, Nov 1, 2:40 PM on The Technologies Supporting Mining’s Energy Transition