APA Group has celebrated the opening of the Port Hedland Solar and Battery Project in WA.
Combining solar, battery and gas-powered generation, it will provide reliable energy to mining giant BHP while reducing emissions from the generation of electricity used to power its WA Iron Ore port facilities.
Specifically, the solar farm is expected to provide the majority of the forecasted average daytime energy requirements for BHP’s port facilities in Port Hedland.
Remaining power requirements are to be met through the battery energy storage system and APA’s existing gas-fuelled power station facilities.
The project’s unique solar farm is designed to withstand sustained wind speeds of 80m/s or 288km/hr, a first in the Australian market, according to APA Group.
Now that construction is officially complete, power is expected to be flowing through the project early in the new year.
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