Great Southern wind energy to cover power requirements of major BHP nickel operations

BHP will cover the power requirements of two of its major WA nickel operations with renewable energy generated at a Great Southern wind farm. Stage one of the Flat Rocks Wind Farm will include 18 Vestas V150 4.2MW wind turbines located in the shires of Kojonup and Broomehill-Tambellup. The turbines will be the tallest in WA with a tip height of 200m and total annual production of 315GWh. Construction is due to start in mid-2022 after BHP Nickel West signed a power purchase agreement with Enel Green Power for 100 per cent of output over 12 years. Stage one is owned by Enel Green Power, the renewable subsidiary of Italian energy giant Enel. It is the company’s first project in WA. Kojonup-based Moonies Hill Energy has been working with Enel Green Power on the wind farm since it entered into a joint development agreement in 2016, which provided Enel Green Power with an option to acquire stage one. The sale was finalised on April 4, with Moonies Hill Energy now set to focus on the 100MW second stage of the wind farm, featuring an additional 24 turbines. Construction of stage one is expected to create about 120 jobs and 10 permanent roles once it is operational in late 2023. Strong, reliable winds around Kojonup will give Flat Rocks a capacity factor of nearly 50 per cent, among the highest in Australia. BHP Nickel West asset president Jessica Farrell said the company was delighted to be “supporting the Kojonup community with the introduction of a renewable energy industry to the area”. Renewable energy from Flat Rocks is tipped to reduce Nickel West’s market-based Scope 2 emissions by nearly a third against financial year 2020 baseline levels. The energy provided through the PPA would be enough to power both the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter and Kambalda concentrator from 2024. Moonies Hill Energy managing director Dr Sarah Rankin said the project highlighted the role WA could play in the global push to reduce carbon emissions. “After 15 years of development work and commercial negations by Moonies Hill Energy and its advisers, we are very excited to have secured the investment of two of the world’s biggest companies in the Flat Rocks project, and be just months away from the commencement of construction,” Dr Rankin said. Shire of Kojonup chief executive Grant Thompson said the Shire was excited about the prospect of new jobs and support for local businesses. “And of course, we’re really excited about bringing new families into this great community town and settling them here,” he said.