The Bellevue gold mine in a remote part of Western Australia is claiming another major record after completing 155 consecutive hours running the facility on 100 per cent renewables, and with “engines off.”
The gold mine – with an average load of around 12.5 megawatts (MW) – – has achieved average renewable shares of well above the 80 per cent it targeted, often reaching into the 90 pct range on a ...
This record-breaking achievement by the Bellevue gold mine underscores the growing viability of renewable energy in remote, energy-intensive industries. The success of hybrid solar-wind-battery systems in maintaining high renewable shares—often exceeding targets—challenges the narrative that heavy industry cannot transition away from fossil fuels. However, the reliance on offsets for net-zero claims and the unresolved decarbonization of mining equipment reveal the limits of current progress. The...