Agnew

EDL owns and operates the Agnew Hybrid Renewable Microgrid, a ground-breaking energy solution for Gold Fields’ Agnew Gold Mine in Western Australia. The microgrid provides the mine with 50-60% renewable energy over the long term, without compromising power quality or reliability.

At a glance

  • Project name:

    Agnew Hybrid Renewable Microgrid

  • Owner, operator:

    EDL

  • Start of operation:

    May 2020

  • Location:

    Leinster, Western Australia, Australia

  • Generating capacity:
    56 MW
  • Total installed capacity :

    56MW

  • Primary fuel:

    Hybrid

  • Generating capacity (wind):

    18MW

  • Generating capacity (solar):

    4MW

  • Abated and avoided emissions:

    46,400 tonnes CO2–e p.a.

  • Equivalent cars off the road:

    12,700 p.a.

  • Equivalent homes powered:

    11,500 p.a.

About the hybrid renewable microgrid

The Agnew Hybrid Renewable Project has delivered Australia’s largest hybrid renewable energy microgrid—the first in the country to utilise wind generation on a large scale at a mine site.

EDL delivered this innovative hybrid renewable energy system under a 10-year agreement with Gold Fields. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) provided the project with $13.5 million in funding under ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program.

The microgrid at Agnew comprises four key components managed by an advanced control system:
• five 110m wind turbines, each with a rotor diameter of 140m, delivering 18MW
• a 10,710-panel solar farm generating 4MW
• a 13MW/4MWh battery system
• off-grid 21MW gas/diesel engine power plant.