DeGrussa solar project wins environmental award

26th September 2019 By: Creamer Media Reporter

juwi Australia has announced that the Sandfire DeGrussa Hybrid Project in Western Australia, has won the Western Australian Government’s Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety's, 2019 Golden Gecko Award for Environmental Excellence. The project consists of a 10.6MW tracking PV Project together with a 6MW battery coupled with a hybrid control system, which juwi developed, constructed and has been operating and maintaining since 2016.

Golden Gecko Awards for Environmental Excellence recognise leading practice and innovation in environmental management and provide an opportunity to share experiences between government, industry and the community.

Judges notes say it generated 17 to 20 per cent of the DeGrussa Copper-Gold Mine’s total power requirement, with 34,080 solar photo-voltaic panels reducing Sandfire’s carbon emissions by 30,789 tonnes since 2016.

“The DeGrussa Solar Project has provided a blueprint for the adoption of renewable energy at other mine sites around the world,” the judges said.

“The project has been visited by mining companies, government representatives, universities and schools, and has been showcased around the world to educate the global mining industry about how to transition to renewable energy.”

The award was one of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s 2019 Resources Sector Awards for Excellence announced recently in Perth, Australia.