The obvious environmental concerns regarding BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam mining operations expansion aside, where will the electricity to power it come from? A proposed $1.5 billion “Clean Energy Precinct” in South Australia may address those requirements.
Petratherm’s Clean Energy Precinct plans to deliver 600 MW of electricity generation capacity; initially sourced from a mix of gas and wind energy, followed by solar power and geothermal energy.
Adelaide-based Permatherm says its Clean Energy Precinct will be situated on Moolawatana Station, just 50 kilometres north of its Paralana geothermal energy project; adjacent to the Mt Painter region of South Australia’s northern Flinders Ranges.
The Precinct project location has been selected due to its proximity to an “on grid” market and the plentiful wind, solar and geothermal resources available
“Moolawatana” is a word derived from the Adnyamathanha language, translating to “Windy Place”. The area is also traversed by the Moomba to Adelaide gas pipeline.
The proposed first stage would involve the development of 300 MW of power generation capacity coming from a combination of gas and wind, with the gas component ensuring a reliable baseload supply. The second 300 MW stage of the Precinct project would see solar power being added, followed by the introduction of large scale geothermal energy.
Petratherm says discussions have commenced with the representatives of the local Aboriginal community, the Adnyamathanha people, and the company is seeking to initiate commercial discussions with BHP Billiton to explore the opportunity. Petratherm states it also intends to soon install equipment across the Precinct to accurately measure the wind and solar resources of the area.
“Petratherm believes that the Clean Energy Precinct project can provide an excellent opportunity for the Company and mining customers in the north-west SA - by providing a unique offering to the market that allows an immediate low cost and competitive solution to the market, while retaining the future potential of large scale base load power being delivered by geothermal and solar energy,”says a statement from the company.
