As part of a partnership between independent power producer (IPP) CrossBoundary Energy and mining company FG Gold, a hybrid solar power plant will be built to power operations at the future Baomahun gold mine in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone’s mining industry is committed to decarbonization. In this West African country, CrossBoundary Energy (CBE) has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with mining company FG Gold, based in the capital Freetown, to supply clean energy to the future Baomahun gold mine. As part of this partnership, CBE will build a hybrid power plant to power gold extraction.
The facility will comprise a 23.8 MWp solar photovoltaic park and a 13.8 MWh electricity storage system. This will be supported by a 21 MW thermal power plant. “This hybrid power plant demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that all elements of the project are sustainable, in line with our low-carbon strategy and focus on environmental stewardship,” explains Oliver Andrews, Executive Chairman of FG Gold.
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According to the Freetown-based mining company, the facilities financed and built by CBE will avoid emissions of 380,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over 20 years. Logical, since the solar power plant is expected to cover 90% of the mine’s electricity demand during sunny hours. The 23.8 MW facility will also be the largest solar power plant in Sierra Leone.
Located 200 km east of the capital Freetown, the Baomahun mine is a project currently under construction in the Valunia and Kunike Barina chiefdoms, in the Bo and Tonkolili districts respectively. The open-pit mine, which will start production in 2025, will cover an area of 124.27 km2 and produce 5.81 million ounces of gold, making it the largest gold mine in this West African country.
Jean Marie Takouleu
