While the international community is still looking for solutions against the climate crisis at the COP27 conference in Egypt, the international project developer JUWI is in final stages of commissioning the world’s largest solar hybrid project at Centamin’s Sukari Gold Mine, some 400 kilometers south of the conference venue Sharm El-Sheikh. The energy system consists of a 36 MW solar farm and a 7,5 MW battery energy storage system that have been integrated into the existing diesel power station. The system demonstrates the key role of renewable energies in decarbonising the resource sector and already delivers savings ahead of expectations.
The solar system designed by JUWI has maximised the output with bifacial solar PV modules and a single-axis tracking system, taking advantage of the high irradiance on site. 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.
The benefits of the hybrid power solution at Sukari include:
- Reduction in exposure to volatile fuel pricing with commissioning savings of up to 70 000 liters of diesel per day and averaging a reduction in diesel consumption of 22 million liters per annum
- Lowering carbon emissions by an estimated 60 000 tCO2- per annum and a subsequent reduction in the volume of diesel trucked to the site
- Reduction in operating costs
Stephan Hansen, COO and Managing Director of JUWI, comments: “The world’s eyes are now on Egypt and the outcome of the COP27 summit. 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.”
