A few months ago, two 120 tonne LNG bullets made their way from Dampier to Warrawoona, the Caldius-operated mine site near Marble Bar, in what was a complex logistical journey and the next step in Zenith Energy’s commitment to reduce emissions on site.
The arrival of the LNG bullets marked a fresh milestone for the project as work on the gas-fuelled power station is finalised, with commissioning expected to be complete by the end of the month.
Warrawoona is a unique project for Zenith, which we first highlighted earlier this year.
It’s been an opportunity for us to showcase our expertise and ability to meet client expectations around reliability, security of supply and reducing overall emissions, while also taking into account the remote location and planning for various contingencies.
We’ve been consistently supplying power on site since March, after commissioning what is essentially the ‘back up’ diesel power station, which then allowed Calidus to complete its first gold pour in May.
However, in order to facilitate a reduction of emissions, work has also been progressing on a high efficiency gas/solar hybrid power station, which will significantly reduce diesel usage and also eventually overall LNG usage.
The remote location and particular geography on site has meant constructing two power stations and a 4MW DC Solar Farm hasn’t been without its challenges, and we’ve also had to manage external challenges such as supply chain delays, which impacted the expected arrival date of the LNG bullets.
The logistics around moving the bullets also had to be taken into consideration, requiring specialist equipment and personnel, as well as an intimate knowledge of the location to which they were travelling. It was a mammoth operation, taking two days in total, with the final 30 kilometres of gravel road into site taking almost a full day in itself.
However, despite all of this, Zenith is proud to be consistently meeting client expectations, hitting the original deadline for supply of power, and on track to integrate renewable energy generation before the end of the year.
As an ESG enabler for our clients, Zenith is continually working to develop ways to increase renewable penetration and have previously highlighted our collaborations with like-minded companies to ensure we have the technological solutions and expertise within our wheel-house.
We are seeing all this come to fruition at Warrawoona, and we’re also able to leave the door open for a potential expansion of solar penetration if required in the future.
It’s the latest example of Zenith’s commitment to supplying our clients with safe, secure, reliable power generation, and continuing on our journey to achieving Net Zero by 2035.
Read Australian Mining’s Warrawoona article here
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