Renewables producer Neoen has signed a 70MW renewable energy baseload contract with BHP, which will see Neoen supply power to BHP’s Olympic Dam operations in South Australia, one of the world’s most significant deposits of copper, gold and uranium. This expected to meet half of Olympic Dam’s overall electricity needs from July 2025.
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Under the contract, Neoen will deliver a green energy solution 24/7 to the mine, along with the associated large-scale certificates (LGC). Neoen will dedicate to this contract half of the output of Goyder South Stage 1 wind farm. Neoen will firm the intermittent wind energy combining the storage capacity of Blyth Battery and its energy management expertise.
Goyder South Stage 1 is a 412MW wind farm currently under construction. It is the first phase of Neoen’s flagship project known as Goyder Renewables Zone, a hybrid wind, solar and storage project, located near Burra in South Australia’s Mid North region. The exceptional wind resources of the area are making this project world-class in terms of both size and competitiveness.
Stage 1 consists of two parts: 209MW underpinned by two long term power purchase agreements with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government and Flow Power, and 203MW underpinned by this new 70MW baseload contract with BHP.
Blyth Battery is a utility-scale battery project located in Blyth, South Australia. The project has been developed by Neoen over the last two years and received planning consent for up to 300MW in April 2022.
This new contract demonstrates Neoen’s ability to leverage, in an innovative way, its portfolio of renewable generation and storage assets to offer, for the first time, firm delivery of green power.
Neoen Australia managing director Louis de Sambucy said, “We are delighted to provide BHP with this highly innovative solution. We are convinced that our ability to combine our assets and our energy management capabilities to create bespoke commercial offers will be a key element of success for our future developments.”
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BHP Olympic Dam asset president Jennifer Purdie said, “The world needs South Australia’s high-quality copper to build renewable technologies and infrastructure, and BHP is focused on producing that copper more sustainably. This agreement will support BHP on its decarbonisation journey, and provide new firmed renewable energy and increased stability to the South Australian grid.”
