Given the high solar radiation of the country, this represents new opportunities for CSP to supply energy for the mining sector.
Peru´s Minister of Energy and Mines announced the start of US$15 billion mining projects in Peru between this year and 2015. Given the high solar radiation of the country, this represents new opportunities for CSP to supply energy for the mining sector.
Between the end of 2013 and first half of 2015, Peru will see the development of US$15 billion mining projects. According to Jorge Merino, Peru´s Minister of Energy and Mines, these projects will increase the country´s copper production from 1.3 million to 2.8 million tonnes by 2016.
These new projects will increase the demand for energy in the country. Moreover, mines are usually located in rural areas turning the cost of electricity transmission high. Therefore, alternative and affordable energy supply will be required by the new mining developments.
This need for affordable energy supply in mining represents new opportunities for the concentrated solar power industry to provide a sustainable and dispatchable energy solution to mines. This will only be possible given the good solar radiation that Peru receives, being at a level of around 7.5 kWh/m2/day, according to the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Recently CSP Today published a guide on mining and CSP which evaluated the integration of both industries. “The potential of CSP in the mining industry in the year 2035 will be of 16.6 GW (pessimistic scenario), 33.3 GW (conservative scenario) and 49.9 GW (optimistic scenario)”, states the guide.
However, CSP could provide more than just power to mines: “Hear provision from CSP can also be used for pre-heating heavy oils fuels required in boilers and furnaces for energy-intensive mining processes”, details the CSP Today guide.
In Chile, the mining company Antofagasta Minerals is already applying a CSP installation in their facility Minera El Tesoro. Engineered by CSP leading developers Abengoa, the plant has a capacity of 10 MW and operates with parabolic trough technology, according to the CSP Today Global Tracker.
The potential for CSP in the mining sector will be one of the key subjects discussed at CSP Today Sevilla 2013 this November. This year the summit will look into off-grid opportunities for the CSP technology including Enhanced Oil Recovery and Desalination.
To learn more about CSP Today Sevilla 2013 visit: http://goo.gl/rr3wXS
