Canadian miner NextSource has awarded a 20-year power supply contract to independent power producer CrossBoundary Energy to supply solar and thermal power to the Molo graphite mine operations, in Madagascar.
The agreement has been set up so that the power generation can scale up along with the production growth of the mine.
Once the plant is complete, renewable energy will supply a third of the mine’s electricity consumption.
The companies will be optimising the solar component of the plant throughout the term of the contract to increase the percentage of renewable energy to a majority.
The 2.5 MW solar, 3.3 MW thermal energy (diesel generators) power plant will be developed at no cost to NextSource and will be located adjacent to the mine site.
The hybrid power plant will also have a 1 MWh battery energy storage system.
Both the power plant and the mine are expected to be commissioned by the second quarter of 2022.