BHP nickel goes green

BHP is building the tallest wind farm in WA to slash carbon emissions from its West Nickel operations across the State.

BHP has commenced installation of 18 towering wind turbines at its Flat Rocks wind farm in WA.

The project kicked off last year with partner Enel Green Power responsible for the commissioning of the farm.

The initial 12-year agreement will see BHP use 100 per cent of the power produced at Flat Rocks to power its Nickel West operations across the State.

“Upon completion, the wind farm will generate renewable energy equivalent to the entire annual electricity consumption at our Kalgoorlie nickel smelter and Kambalda concentrator each year,” BHP Nickel West manager of energy and utilities Rob Whitham said.

The wind farm is projected to reduce Nickel West’s Scope 2 carbon emissions by roughly 32 per cent, and overall emissions by 16.5 per cent.

“Approximately half of our carbon emissions are from electricity consumption, so reducing Scope 2 emissions has been a high priority for our business,” BHP Nickel West asset president Jess Farrell told the WA Mining Club.

“At Nickel West, we are not only providing critical resources for a decarbonising world,  but to thrive in a low carbon economy we too must decarbonise.”

Installation of the turbines is expected to be completed in the coming months, with electrical commissioning to follow.

When it is complete, each turbine will reach 200m at its highest point.

BHP’s Nickel West operations include the Mount Keith, Cliffs, Leinster, and Kambalda mines and processing facilities. These streams of nickel concentrate come together at the Kalgoorlie smelter, which are later refined in Kwinana, and finally exported in Fremantle.

BHP also nabbed the West Musgrave nickel project in the takeover of OZ Minerals.

Like lithium, nickel is an essential metal in electric vehicles and other decarbonising technologies.

Australian Mining.

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