🏆 WA’s Tropicana Gold Mine Runs Fully on Renewables in Historic First

Jul 16

2 min read

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Australia’s largest off-grid hybrid power system has achieved a game-changing milestone — powering the massive Tropicana gold mine entirely on wind, solar, and battery storage, eliminating gas and diesel use during testing periods.

🏆 WA’s Tropicana Gold Mine Runs Fully on Renewables in Historic First

⚡ 115MW Hybrid Power System Powers Entire Mine

The Tropicana gold mine, located 330 km northeast of Kalgoorlie and jointly operated by AngloGold Ashanti and Regis Resources, is now home to a 115 MW off-grid hybrid system built by Pacific Energy.

The system features:

🔹 4 wind turbines (6 MW each)

🔹 24 MW solar farm

🔹 13 MW / 4 MWh battery storage

🔹 54 MW gas generation (used as backup)

It’s the largest renewable-integrated system of its kind in Australia’s resource sector.

🌬️ Wind and Solar Fully Power Mine During Tests

Pacific Energy’s “Hydrocarbons Off” (HOFF) testing proved the mine’s entire power demand – one of the highest loads in the state – could be met entirely by solar and wind, supported by battery storage.

Over a 72-hour test, the system executed five full transitions in and out of fossil-free mode. Notably, overnight operations were powered solely by wind, with the battery managing high-demand scenarios flawlessly.

🧠 Advanced Control Tech Paves Way for Future Projects

The success of HOFF testing demonstrates the cutting-edge energy control systems Pacific Energy has developed, enabling smooth, autonomous energy shifts between renewable and backup systems.

“This milestone lets us refine our control tech and push boundaries for other upcoming off-grid systems,” said Pacific Energy.