A RENEWABLE TRANSFORMATION AT ST IVES

GOLD FIELDS IS UNDERTAKING ONE OF AUSTRALIAN MINING'S MOST AMBITIOUS RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS AT ST IVES, FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGING HOW THE OPERATION WILL BE POWERED INTO THE FUTURE.

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The sheer scale of Gold Fields' new renewable energy project at St Ives in Western Australia is impossible to ignore.

Stretching across one of Australia's largest mining leases, the development brings together a 35-megawatt (MW) solar farm and 42MW of wind generation in what will become one of the biggest hybrid renewable installations in the country's mining sector.

It is a project measured not just in megawatts, but in kilometres, decades and ambition, reshaping how one of Western Australia's longest-running gold operations will be powered well into the future.

St Ives has been producing gold for more than 25 years and has a mine life stretching to 2045. With a site so large that it takes an hour to drive from one side to the other, and a resource base vast enough to support long-term planning, Gold Fields saw the perfect opportunity to invest in energy infrastructure that would deliver lasting impact.

Gold Fields St Ives Renewables Project director Simon Schmid told Australian Mining the runway afforded by the long mine life was fundamental to taking on a project of this magnitude.

“It’s one of the biggest mining leases in Australia,” he said. “The gold resource there is quite significant, meaning the life of mine lends itself perfectly to introduce renewables energy, especially from a wind perspective, as the cost to do so is quite large and you need a life of mine to really make it work.”

Reducing one of the biggest operating costs was another major catalyst.

“The power demand for the mine is one of the single biggest costs for any mining operation,” Schmid said. “So to reduce the cost of the power in our supply is quite significant from a financial perspective. And not only that; we have quite strong ESG [environmental, social and governance] commitments as well.”