Iamgold Essakane signs solar power agreement
Iamgold Essakane, a gold mine in Burkina Faso, West Africa, has concluded a 15 year solar power agreement with renewable energy providers. These providers are Global renewable energy independent power, EREN Renewable Energy, and its partner African Energy Management Platform (AEMP). The $20 million solar project will be built at the Iamgold Essakane mine and the electricity produced from the solar plant will be sold to Iamgold Essakane.
The mine, located approximately 330 km away from the national electricity grid in the capital city of Ouagadougou, with no connecting transmission line and relies on its existing heavy fuel power plant.
What the stakeholders say about the Iamgold Essakane project:
The agreement is said to reduce diesel usage as well as their overall carbon footprint during its operations. According to AEMP’s Richard Duffy, the project represents a breakthrough for industries relying on costly and carbon-intensive diesel generation, which, until very recently, has been the only reliable source of electricity, added
“Hybrid power systems enable energy intensive industries, such as mines, to reduce fuel consumption, decrease energy costs, protect against fuel price volatility, as well as improve their social and environmental footprint by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting local employment,” according to Iamgold president and CEO Steve Letwin.
Business Development VP for EREN Africa, Christophe Fleurence, has stated that this project will mark EREN’s second utility-scale project in Africa and will be one of the largest hybrid diesel solar photovoltaic projects in the world!
Read more about this solar power project:
- Mining Review: Iamgold signs agreement to develop solar power plant for Essakane mine
- Engineering News: West African gold mine signs solar power agreement
