Lighthouse Project: JUWI Commissions World's Largest Mine-hybrid Power Plant In Egypt

Sukari, London, Wörrstadt - The Wörrstadt-based JUWI Group is currently commissioning the world's largest solar hybrid project in the mining sector in Egypt, around 400 kilometres south of the Egyptian COP 27 conference venue Sharm El-Sheikh.

The systems consist of a 36 MW solar farm and a 7.5 MW battery storage system. Both subsystems were integrated into the gold mine's existing diesel power plant during ongoing mine operations.

When designing the single-axis tracking solar park, JUWI relied on bifacial PV modules to optimise yields at the sunny desert location, which are characterised by the fact that even diffuse light on the back of the module can be converted into electricity. JUWI Hybrid IQ micro-grid technology enables the integration of the solar and battery system into the existing off-grid network and supports the operation of the existing power station.

Already during the commissioning phase, the available operating results showed a very good performance of the overall system.

With savings of up to 70,000 litres of diesel per day and an average reduction in diesel consumption of 22 million litres per year, the project exceeds the previously calculated savings potential. In addition, there is a reduction in CO₂ emissions of an estimated 60,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year, a reduction in operating costs and a reduction in the price risk for fuel.

"We are delighted to have been able to deliver this flagship project to Centamin and, furthermore, to have been able to demonstrate the vital role that dependable solar, wind and battery solutions can already play in the transformation of the resource sector on the de-carbonization pathway", JUWI COO and Managing Director Stephan Hansen comments on the commissioning process.

With its successfully implemented hybrid power plants, JUWI has become an established partner for tier-one and mid-tier mining companies. After commissioning the world's first solar-battery hybrid project at the DeGrussa copper mine in Australia, six more hybrid projects followed in Australia with Agnew, Esperance, Jacinth Ambrosia, Jabiru, Weipa and Gruyere, as well as one for Pan African Resources in South Africa.

Source: IWR Online, 17 Nov 2022