Sungrow Supplies the Largest Solar-plus-Storage Solution for Egypt Mining Site

Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, has announced a contract to supply equipment to the German developer juwi for the 36 MW off-grid solar farm and a 7.5MW battery energy storage system at Sukari gold mine operated by Centamin in Egypt. The project will be the largest solar-plus-storage plant located at a mine site, significantly facilitating the energy transition for minerals in the MENA region.

The project is located near the Red Sea, facing the challenge of scorching heat and high corrosion. Sungrow has offered the  1,500V 6.25MW PV inverter solution and the highly integrated energy storage system with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. The turnkey design makes it efficient on transportation, installation and O&M. Equipped with smart forced air-cooling technology and C5 high anti-corrosion capability, the solution can operate stably without derating in harsh conditions. Moreover, the solution enables higher yields in compliance with bifacial solar modules.

The project is scheduled to be commissioned in the first half of 2022. It will cut the mine’s diesel consumption by approximately 20 to 22 million liters per year and thus offset between 53,000 and 60,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. The solar-plus-storage micro-grid installation will enable Centamin to tangibly reduce its mine’s electricity bills, as the operator will partially shift away from fuel, which is often volatile in price.

“We’re excited to support the decarbonization of the mining industry and drive down energy costs for our customers. We are delighted to partner with entities such as Sungrow to unlock long-term benefits for all our stakeholders,” said Amiram Roth-Deblon, Director Global Business Initatives at juwi AG, the EPC company.

“We would love to provide the best of environmental sustainability with cutting-edge PV and storage portfolio as a pivotal player in the industry. The solar-plus-storage micro-grid solution is also an ideal solution for regions with power outages or high power demand,” said Alvin Shi, Managing Director of Sungrow MENA region.

A growing number of mining companies have made significant headway to cut their electricity costs and the environmental impact of their daily operations. Sungrow is currently the market leader by market share in MENA, claims the firm.