German solar developer Juwi is in the final stages of commissioning a 36MW solar farm, accompanied by a 7.5MW battery energy storage system (BESS), at the Sukari gold mine in Egypt.
The project will use bifacial PV modules mounted with single-axis trackers. Juwi said that its Hybrid IQ micro-grid technology will enable the BESS to be integrated into the existing off-grid network to support the operation of the diesel power station currently present at the site.
The Sukari mine is owned and operated by Centamin, in partnership with the Egyptian government.
Stephen Hanson, COO and managing director of Juwi said: “The world’s eyes are now on Egypt and the outcome of the COP27 summit. We are delighted to have been able to deliver this flagship project to Centamin and, furthermore, to have been able to demonstrate the vital role that dependable solar, wind and battery solutions can already play in the transformation of the resource sector on the de-carbonisation pathway.”
The project was originally announced in May last year, and builds on Juwi’s existing portfolio of projects at mines. In 2016 it completed a solar-plus-storage project at an Australian copper and gold mine, and developed a similar hybrid project at another Australian mine in 2019.