- Gold minor B2Gold will go ahead with its plans to to install a 30MW solar/battery hybrid plant at its Fekola gold mine in Mali.
- The Fekola Mine is located in southwest Mali, on the border between Mali and Senegal, approximately 500 km due west of the capital city, Bamako. Click here for mine/project location map.
The company said that its preliminary study revealed that its was a very “solid project” . The plant of around 30 MW of solar generating capacity with a significant battery storage component would provide the best economic result.
A second study has now been completed to establish the detailed capital and operating cost analysis for the project. Results indicated that a solar plant can provide significant operating cost reductions (estimated to reduce processing costs by some 7%), with the project approved by the B2Gold Board in the June quarter.
The company said: “The Fekola Solar Plant will be one of the largest off-grid hybrid solar/heavy fuel oil (HFO) plants in the world. It is expected that it will allow for three HFO generators to be shut down during daylight hours, which will save about 13.1 million litres of HFO per year, at a capital cost of approximately $38 million, of which $20 million is expected to be incurred in 2019, with the balance in 2020.”
The solar plant is scheduled for completion in August 2020 and has a four-year payback, B2Gold said.
Related news: 40MW solar hybrid plant installed at Syama Gold Mine in Mali
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
Source: B2gold
