Bellevue Gold has hit a sustainability milestone at operations in Western Australia, achieving 155 consecutive hours run on entirely renewable energy.
The achievement, hit in early May, saw engine-off operations for more than six and a half days continuously, demonstrating what has been described as a “significant milestone, not only for the project, but for what is possible in the Australian energy sector”.
In collaboration with Zenith Energy, the operational shift was achieved through hybrid power stations, bringing together solar, wind, battery storage and thermal backup systems at a total power capacity of 90-megawatts.
The system, Zenith Energy said on social media, is designed to meet at least 80 per cent of site energy needs from renewables, and moments like this show what that looks like in practice – especially with the right weather conditions.
The move, the company said, is a step forward in Bellevue Gold’s journey as the world’s first net zero emission gold mine.
“Congratulations to the whole team,” a Zenith Energy social media post said.
The commercial operation date of the energy infrastructure dates to May 2024 with a power purchase agreement in place between Bellevue and Zenith for an initial term of 15 years.
“We’ve put out a strategy that’s ahead of the market that will have us producing net zero carbon gold by 2026 and we couldn’t do it without renewable energy as a core part,” Bellevue managing director Darren Stralow said in a statement.
This partnership also advances the Tjiwarl Katu Power joint venture between Zenith Energy and Tjiwarl Contracting Services, which represents the Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation, who are the Traditional Owners of the land where the Bellevue Gold project is located.
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