Sunrise Energy Group will construct a solar farm at Image Resources’ zircon-rich Boonanarring mineral sands project located 80km north of Perth.
The solar farm, which will be owned and operated by Sunrise Energy on a land owned by Image, will be located next to the Boonanarring mine and processing facility which are currently under construction and scheduled to be commissioned in late 2018.
Image Resources Managing Director Patrick Mutz said the solar farm will be connected directly to the company’s embedded electrical supply network in a “behind the meter” configuration.
“We are pleased to be one of the pioneering WA mining companies adopting distributed renewable electricity generation” Mr Mutz stated.
“This solar farm is expected to produce around 25% of our electrical requirements at Boonanarring.”
“Not only will the solar farm supply power in an environmentally sustainable manner, its construction will result in a further $6-$7m of capital investment by Sunrise Energy Group into a long-life asset located in the shire of Gingin, creating both construction and operational employment.”
Neil Canby, Executive Director, Sunrise Energy Group, said the company will now work to complete all of the remaining development activities, including securing all required approvals, over the next 6-8 months, with construction anticipated to commence in early 2019.
“We are excited to be working with Image Resources on this solar farm project,” Mr Canby said.
“The adoption of large-scale distributed generation by the commercial and industrial sector in WA has been very limited to date.”
“Image Resources has taken the time to work through our commercial model and evaluate the opportunity as a potential large load industrial customer, including the social, environmental and economic benefits of having distributed renewable energy generation for their mining project.”
