The solar hybrid plant is owned and operated by CrossBoundary Energy (CBE) under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) and consists of the 2.6 MW solar farm, a 3.1 MW thermal facility (diesel generators installed prior to mine commissioning), and a 1 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), which is expected to arrive in the next few weeks.

The solar farm was constructed by CBE using local labour and comprises a total of 4902 photovoltaic panels, covering 12 663 m2, installed on ballasted mounting systems. The 2.6 MW solar farm is expected to produce approximately 4 GWh of clean energy per year, reducing the mine’s all-in sustaining costs, and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 2275 tpy. Final electrical interconnections between the solar farm with the mine are now underway and are expected to be completed within the coming weeks.

The solar hybrid plant is designed to generate 33% of the Molo mine’s steady-state power requirements from renewable energy. The solar facility together with load balancing provided by the BESS will be capable of supplying up to 100% of the plant’s power requirements during peak daylight hours, with the thermal facility supplying all off peak power requirements, thereby ensuring an uninterrupted power supply to the mine.