A mobile plug-and-play solar PV firm is set for construction at the Mogalakwena Platinum Mine, to power a hydrogen production plant that will in turn power the world’s largest fuel cell electric mining haul truck at the mine.
Owned by Anglo American, a global mining company with a portfolio that spans diamonds, platinum, copper, iron ore & more, the Mogalakwena Platinum Mine, is an open-pit mine, actually, the world’s largest open-pit platinum mine in terms of production, located in the north-western part of South Africa in Mokopane, Limpopo.
Most recent development
Recently, a 2-year lease agreement was signed between Release solar, a company owned and managed by Scatec ASA, a leading renewable power producer, delivering affordable and clean energy worldwide, and Engie, a French multinational utility company focused on production & supply of low carbon energy and services.
Release solar, which basically designs, finances, and installs scalable solar power plants and battery storage, and leases out the equipment on short- or long-term contracts, will provide a 616kW version of its scalable containerized solar power solution, which will be used to provide power for a 3.5MW hydrogen electrolyzer installed by Engie at the Mogalakwena Platinum Mine.
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About the hydrogen electrolyzer
The hydrogen electrolyzer was installed as part of a partnership between Engie and Anglo American to develop a renewable hydrogen production and refueling solution to support a hydrogen-powered mine haul vehicle.
That project, which kicked off some time last year, saw Williams Advanced Engineering use eight Ballard FCveloCity-HD 100kW fuel cell modules to power a retrofitted Ultra heavy-duty mining truck– the world’s largest to run on hydrogen, in the demonstration project.
The electricity for the hydrogen production was to come partly from solar and the grid and the contribution from Scatec this year brings solar power into play.
