Wartsila to supply utility-scale ESS to decarbonize gold mine in Suriname

The technology group Wärtsilä has announced that it will supply a 7.8-megawatt (MW) / 7.8-megawatt-hour (MWh) energy storage system to a leading gold mining company to help achieve its climate targets and decarbonization goals at a mine in Suriname.

This is the first utility-scale energy storage system to be built in Suriname and Wärtsilä's first energy storage project in the country. The order was booked to Wärtsilä order intake in Q4, 2021. The facility is expected to become operational in late 2022.

The integrated energy storage system will improve efficiency at the gold mine's power station by reducing the need for emergency backup spinning reserve, therefore lowering fuel consumption. The project is estimated to reduce the mine's emissions by 5,600 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. This optimized energy system will extend to improvements across the lifetime of the engines and reduce operation and maintenance costs.

The facility will include Wärtsilä's GridSolv Quantum, a fully integrated, modular, and compact energy storage system, as well as the GEMS Digital Energy Platform, Wärtsilä's advanced energy management system. GEMS will control and optimize the portfolio of both the existing generating sets and the new energy storage system. GEMS will also evaluate opportunities to integrate renewable energy assets at the facility to further decarbonize mining operations, further reduce operations costs and provide clean electricity to surrounding communities.

"With our holistic approach to power systems and expertise in different power generating assets, we can support our customers in decarbonizing their operations. Wärtsilä is pleased to help improve reliability, efficiency, and sustainability at mining stations in Suriname and around the world with our energy storage solutions," said Marc Tarbox, General Manager, Contract and Agreements, Americas, Wärtsilä Energy.

"Wärtsilä has global experience helping customers with isolated grids optimize system efficiency. GEMS continues to serve as mature control technology, allowing customers to easily integrate new resources and intelligently optimize the dispatch of all power assets within a hybrid system."