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

  • Total installed capacity :

    56MW

  • Primary fuel:

    Hybrid

  • Generating capacity (wind):

    18MW

  • Generating capacity (solar):

    4MW

  • Emissions avoided:

    Approx. 40,000 tonnes CO2–e 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.

 

The live dashboard below shows the renewable energy inputs into the hybrid renewable microgrid. In the green box, the top dial shows the real-time renewable energy penetration level, and bottom dial shows the average renewable energy penetration level over a 24-hour period.