Northern Star has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Zenith, which will build, own and operate 256 megawatts of wind, 138 MW of solar and 138 MW/300 megawatt hours of battery energy storage in the region.
The project involves the construction of as many as 32 wind turbines and major infrastructure approximately 10km from Kalgoorlie town center and will provide as much as 70 per cent of the power required to run the Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines operation – colloquially known as the Super Pit.
The turbines will be among the tallest in Australia, with a height of 150 meters and a rotor diameter of 182 meters. They will be installed by Goldwind Australia.
The solar panels will be supplied by solar system manufacturer 5B and will include more than 230,000 solar panels on platforms manufactured in Adelaide.
It will be connected to KCGM via an underground cable.
The energy plan will enable Northern Star to reduce its dependence on the South West Interconnected system and the Parkeston thermal power station, which it owns in a joint venture with TransAlta.
Zenith director Hamish Moffat described the deal as a milestone for the energy transition in the Goldfields.
“This sustainable energy solution will provide Northern Star with cost-effective energy whilst having the future potential to improve energy reliability for Kalgoorlie,” he said.
The deal will take Zenith’s contracted generation to more than 1.3 gigawatts and was foreshadowed by Business news in September – when the renewable energy leader had a 700 MW contract book under contract.
Northern Star and Zenith have also entered into a joint venture to supply 120 MW of thermal energy to support renewables and as a backup for KCGM – which will also be owned and operated by Zenith under a 25-year supply agreement.
The projects will be known as the Eastern Goldfields energy projects.
The cost for each was not disclosed.
Zenith said commissioning of the projects was expected to begin in mid-2027, subject to approvals.
The development proposal is currently before the Environmental Protection Authority, having been submitted by Northern Star in recent weeks.
In the submission, Northern Star raised doubts about its ability to meet its emissions reduction targets while relying on the electricity grid.
“Northern Star could not rely on greening the electric grid to achieve its emissions reduction goals,” Northern Star said in its EPA supporting documents.
The proposal for the massive renewable energy project is out for public comment, with the EPA yet to decide whether it will fully review the plan.
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