German developer and EPC contractor juwi has secured a deal to design, supply and build a solar-storage hybrid project at an off-grid gold mine in Egypt.
The 36MW solar farm will feature bifacial modules, single-axis trackers and be connected to a 7.5MW battery energy storage system. Juwi Hybrid IQ micro-grid technology will enable the integration of the solar and battery system into the existing off-grid network.
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The project will be installed at the Sukari mine, which located near the Red Sea in the east of Egypt and is owned and operated by mining company Centamin in partnership with the Egyptian government.
Juwi said the solar-plus-storage plant will reduce diesel consumption by 22 million litres per year and lower the site’s exposure to fuel price volatility.
“We look forward to assisting Centamin to reduce carbon emissions and cost of power to the Sukari Gold Mine. This global flagship project highlights significant benefits that African mines can unlock with solar battery hybrid solutions powered with juwi Hybrid IQ,” said Dave Manning, director global hybrid at juwi.
Juwi’s first utility-scale solar-battery hybrid development at a mine saw it install a 10.6MW PV project linked to 6MW of storage at the DeGrussa copper mine in Western Australia. This was followed by another installation at the Agnew mine, also in Western Australia, and a further five utility-scale hybrid projects currently under construction across Australia and South Africa.
With the mining industry accounting for 10% of global energy consumption, juwi chief operating officer Stephan Hansen said the company is “glad to support the resource industry on their decarbonisation pathway with our dependable solar, wind and battery solutions”.
