Following the signing of a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Enel Green Power, BHP has secured enough renewable energy to meet 100% of the power requirements of three of its key nickel operations in Western Australia.
The PPA between BHP, one of the world’s major nickel suppliers to the battery industry, and Enel Green Power, a prominent multi-national renewable energy firm within the Enel Group, will support the first stage of the Flat Rocks Wind Farm near Kojonup in the Great Southern.
Stage 1 is estimated to provide 120 employment during construction and up to ten local jobs once completed. Construction is set to begin in July 2022, with power projected to be available in October 2023.
The proposed wind farm will have 18 of Western Australia’s largest wind turbines, with a tip height of 200 meters, and is estimated to generate 315GWh per year.
Per the renewable PPA with Enel Green Power, as of CY2024, the Flat Rocks Wind Farm will provide 100% of the existing power demand for Nickel West’s Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter and Kambalda Nickel Concentrator.
BHP said the combined output of the Flat Rocks Wind Farm and the recently announced Merredin Solar Farm PPA is enough to meet the current power requirements of all three of Nickel West’s downstream facilities, which are connected to the South West Interconnected System: the Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter, the Kambalda Nickel Concentrator, and the Kwinana Nickel Refinery.
BHP Nickel West Asset President Jessica Farrell said that based on current forecast demand, the combined effect of BHP’s agreements for the Flat Rocks Wind Farm, Merredin Solar Farm, and Northern Goldfields Solar Project is expected to reduce Nickel West’s Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 60% from FY2020 baseline levels.
“BHP supplies high-quality nickel to world markets for use in electric vehicle batteries and other growing technologies that will support global decarbonisation,” Ms Farrell continued.
“We are taking great strides in making our operations more sustainable and strengthening BHP’s position as a nickel supplier of choice to global customers.
“We are delighted to partner with Enel Green Power as the first customer of the Flat Rocks Wind Farm, creating jobs and supporting the Kojonup community with the introduction of a renewable energy industry to the area.”
