Zenith Energy has signed a contract with Lynas Rare Earths to design, build, own, operate and maintain a hybrid renewables project at Lynas’ Mt Weld Mine, 35km south-east of Laverton in Western Australia.
The Mt Weld hybrid power station will include a 24MW wind farm, 7MW solar farm, and a 12MW/12MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
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The renewable facility will be supported by a 17MW gas-fired power station with 5MW of standby diesel generation. Upon completion, the total installed capacity of the Mt Weld Power Station will be approximately 65MW.
The term of the PPA is 15 years, commencing from commercial operation of the wind farm, which is scheduled to occur in calendar year 2026. The diesel and gas facilities are scheduled to be completed in the first half of calendar year 2025, with solar and BESS to be installed progressively, and full operation expected in calendar year 2026.
The Mt Weld Power Station has been designed to run “engine-off” during periods of high renewable energy production and achieve an average annual renewable energy percentage of up to approximately 70%.
Zenith CEO and managing director, Hamish Moffat said, “As a leading provider of sustainable energy solutions to the Australian resources market Zenith is pleased to be working with Lynas, the world’s only significant producer of separated rare earth materials outside of China, on the high renewable energy fraction hybrid power solution to their Mt Weld operations.
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“The signing of the Mt Weld Hybrid power station Power Purchase Agreement represents a significant milestone for Zenith Energy, with our contracted Wind Capacity now exceeding 100MW. Zenith looks forward to enabling Lynas to deliver on their productivity and decarbonisation objectives.”
