Australian Mining Consortium Launches Long Duration Energy Storage Challenge

The Australia-based Electric Mine Consortium is seeking long duration energy storage solutions to help with decarbonising its mining operations.

The grouping of mining companies as well as some energy storage technology groups are seeking providers that can deploy solutions at one or more of several mining sites throughout Australia.

The energy storage solutions can be thermal, electric, gravity-based, chemical or any other type.

The closing date for submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) is 13 October at 5pm Australian Western Standard Time. The EOI will cover small (under 50MWh), medium (50-500MWh) and large (500MWh and over) solutions.

The Electric Mine Consortium was founded in 2021 with the ambition to accelerate progress towards a fully electrified, zero-carbon and zero-particulates mining sector through resolving technology choices, shaping the supplier ecosystem, influencing policy makers and communicating the business case.

The Consortium estimates that by 2030, the mining industry in Australia alone will require 13x the estimated global energy storage capacity: 9710GWh versus an installed capacity of 741GWh.

As well as mining companies, its members include Amazon Web Services and gravity-based energy storage solution company Energy Vault.

Many of the mines operated by its members are off grid and rely on on-site generation from thermal, gas or diesel sources.

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