ANGLOGOLD Ashanti has announced the successful completion of a major renewables project at its Tropicana gold mine to create the largest hybrid power system in Australia’s mining sector. This project marks substantial progress by AngloGold Ashanti towards its decarbonisation goals.
“This project will enable a significant reduction in emissions while reducing both diesel and natural gas consumption and improving our overall security of energy supply,” said AngloGold Ashanti CEO Alberto Calderon.
Tropicana, in which AngloGold Ashanti has a 70% shareholding and manager Regis Resources holds 30%, is located in Western Australia about 1,000km east of Perth.
The 61MW renewables facility comprises four 6MW wind turbines and 42,120 solar panels, covering an area the size of 53 football fields, all underpinned by a 13MW grid-forming battery energy storage system (BESS) to provide system stability.
The renewables expansion was designed and constructed by Pacific Energy, which owns and operates the combined renewables-natural gas power station at Tropicana under a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement.
The introduction of renewable power at Tropicana is expected to reduce the site’s diesel and gas consumption for power generation by 96% and 50% respectively.
It takes AngloGold Ashanti significantly closer to its 2030 decarbonisation target of achieving a 30% reduction in its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions based on its 2021 carbon emissions baseline, and a critical step in achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The massive project, on which construction began in 2022, was completed safely and on time despite serious flooding in the region last year.
“It’s especially impressive that this large project, in a remote location, was completed safely, on time and on budget, despite the major disruption caused by last year’s flooding,” Calderon said.
The facility is expected to reduce Tropicana’s carbon emissions by more than 65,000 tonnes a year on average over the next decade. This is equivalent to planting 33 million trees per annum, removing 23,000 cars from the road every year, or eliminating 2.8 million long-haul plane trips per year.
The completion of the renewables facility at Tropicana follows a project completed last year to connect the company’s Geita mine in Tanzania to the national electricity grid, which is supplied by a significant portion of renewable power. In 2024, hydropower contributed 30% of Tanzania’s energy mix, with lower-emission natural gas responsible for about 64%.
Until the grid connection was achieved, Geita was required to operate high-emission diesel turbines for power generation.
In the next 25 years, AngloGold Ashanti is aiming to achieve 100% clean electricity, including wind, solar, hydrogen and battery, combined with new storage technologies.
Eliminating the use of fossil fuels and the adoption of 100% alternative fuels and electrification will include the adoption of electric material movement technology (conveyors, railveyors, trolley assist, battery technology), energy efficiency initiatives and will be supported by innovative approaches such as in situ leaching to refine the ore.
Carbon offsets will be used as a last resort.
The company’s approach to climate change goes beyond decarbonisation efforts. It aims to insulate its operations and host communities against the physical climate risks that may affect them.
The company recognises that its operations are exposed to a number of physical risks resulting from climate change, such as changes in rainfall rates or patterns, leading to increased water stress or floods, rising sea levels, higher temperatures, fires and severe weather events such as tropical cyclones.
It’s especially impressive that this large project, in a remote location, was completed safely, on time and on budget, despite the major disruption caused by last year’s flooding – Alberto Calderon
These climate risks have the potential to disrupt mining, mineral processing, transport and supply chain activities. They can create energy and resource shortages along with distress for communities who rely on the environment for their livelihoods.
The Tropicana mine experienced these kinds of consequences in March 2024 when significant rains and flooding resulted in the temporary suspension of mining and processing operations and closure of the 375km Tropicana access road for approximately three and a half weeks.
Fortunately, the company’s foresight – as a result of scenario analysis undertaken during a previous extreme weather event – meant that modifications had already been made to the access road, limiting the impact.
AngloGold Ashanti’s decarbonisation journey, which began in 2008 has achieved many milestones, including meeting company targets to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of its portfolio well before its own deadlines.
The company’s climate change commitments are reinforced by its memberships of the International Council on Mining and Metals, the World Gold Council and the UN Global Compact, all of which have requirements of their members in this and other respects.
The ICMM has called for technological innovation, behavioural shifts, and nature-based solutions to provide powerful ways to cut carbon emissions and curb climate impacts.
AngloGold Ashanti is part of the ICMM’s efforts to achieve this through uniting policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, industry, the value chain, and a broad spectrum of stakeholders and rights holders.
For more information on this project: https://www.anglogoldashanti.com/sustainability/environment/energy-climate-change/
Further details about AngloGold Ashanti’s sustainability performance may be found at: https://reports.anglogoldashanti.com/24/sr/
