Zenith Energy has agreed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to develop what it says will be Australia’s largest renewable energy project dedicated to the mining sector, the company said on Monday.
Under the deal, the project will supply Northern Star Resources’ Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM) operations with 256 MW of wind, 138 MW of solar and 138 MW/300 MWh of battery storage. Zenith will fund, build, own and operate the new facilities, which it said will reduce power costs, improve reliability and “materially reduce emissions” at the site.
Hamish Moffat, managing director of Zenith Energy, said the agreement reflects the scale of the energy transition underway in Western Australia’s Goldfields. “This renewable energy solution provides Northern Star with cost-effective power while having the future potential to improve energy reliability for Kalgoorlie,” he said. He added that “planned local content and collaboration with key community representatives will also make it a great example of a Just Energy Transition.”
Design, engineering and procurement work has already commenced, according to Zenith, and will take the company’s contracted generation portfolio in Australia to more than 1.3 GW, over half of which will be renewable. Moffat said the KCGM development “provides a blueprint for what modern mining energy systems should look like; cost-effective, clean, scalable, reliable and delivery of real benefits to local and regional communities.”
Solar technology provider 5B will supply the 138 MW solar farm, using more than 230,000 panels manufactured in Adelaide on its Maverick platform. Goldwind Australia has been selected to supply turbines for the wind farm, located about 10 kilometres from Kalgoorlie, featuring 150-metre towers and 182-metre rotor diameters.
Zenith will also procure, own and operate the 138 MW/300 MWh battery system to manage renewable intermittency and optimise power delivery.
In parallel, Zenith and Northern Star have formed a joint venture to deliver 120 MW of thermal generation, along with a 132 kV transmission network and substations under the Eastern Goldfields Power Projects. Zenith will construct and operate the thermal station and transmission infrastructure for 25 years. Wartsila will supply 10 high-efficiency dual-fuel generators, while RJE Global will deliver key components of the transmission system and provide engineering and construction services.
Commissioning for the Eastern Goldfields Power Projects is expected to begin in mid-2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
