The Monte Cristo gold mining company, located in Nossa Senhora do Livramento, in the Baixada Cuiabana region of Mato Grosso, will soon have a solar power plant integrated with a battery energy storage system.
The company's operation involves extracting gold by grinding and refining rock material until the metal is separated. The project will be carried out by GreenYellow, a French multinational specializing in decarbonization and energy efficiency.
The initiative combines solar energy and batteries (BESS), which will be operated in a microgrid, in conjunction with existing diesel generators. The photovoltaic system will have an estimated generation of 4,74 GWh per year, and the energy will be used to supply part of the operation's demand, charge the storage system, and reduce diesel consumption at the unit.
According to GreenYellow, with an installed capacity of 3 MWp, the solar power plant will be responsible for a significant portion of the operation's energy supply, while the storage system will have a capacity of 5 MWh.
The system is scheduled to become operational in December 2026. The project follows GreenYellow's EaaS (Energy as a Service) model, which eliminates initial CAPEX, guarantees performance, and allows the client to start paying only after the asset begins operating.
The investment involves R$ 18 million to generate approximate savings of R$ 165 per month for the mining company. Furthermore, the project should prevent the emission of between 50 and 106 tons of CO₂, depending on the need to use diesel as a backup source.
According to GreenYellow, the industrial process is energy-intensive and faces challenges related to the region's electrical infrastructure, such as frequent power outages, voltage fluctuations, and limitations on increasing contracted demand.
“With automation through a robust system with EMS [Energy Management System] planned for the project, it is possible to monitor and control all the energy generated and consumed in real time, ensuring greater operational efficiency, integration of renewable sources, reduction of losses and costs, and greater resilience in the face of failures or interruptions in supply,” highlighted Giovanni Milani, Head of BESS Sales at GreenYellow.
Milani further adds that the solution was developed to reduce dependence on the electrical grid and optimize the operation's energy consumption.
“We developed a solution to partially reduce diesel consumption on-site and decrease dependence on the power distributor, especially during peak hours. In this way, BESS can operate on multiple fronts, such as backup, load shifting, and peak shaving,” he said.
For Vinícius Eduardo Silva, CEO of Mineradora Monte Cristo, the adoption of the hybrid energy solution also reinforces the company's commitment to more sustainable practices in the mining sector.
“I believe this is an important step not only for Monte Cristo, but also to show that it is possible to do mining in Brazil with greater efficiency, predictability, and responsibility for the future,” he stated.
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