Sydney, September 24th (Argus) - Australian metals producer BHP will purchase 100 megawatts of renewable electricity from French company Neoen to support its Olympic Dam, Karapatina and Prominent Hill copper mining projects in South Australia. BHP stated on September 24th that Neoen will supply electricity to BHP from its 300-megawatt Goyder North wind farm and will be supported by its 200-megawatt Goyder battery.
This is the second acquisition agreement reached between BHP and Neoen. Since July, this French company has provided 70 megawatts of renewable energy to the Olympic Dam, accounting for half of the power generation of its Goyder South wind farm. The company stated that by 2030, the two transactions between BHP and Neoen will account for 70% of its copper-related electricity demand in South Africa. In the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2023-24, BHP generated 244,321 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) at the Olympic Dam, which was lower than the baseline of 246,875 tons of CO2e of its guarantee mechanism. BHP does not need to hand over any Australian carbon credits (ACCUs) or guarantee mechanism credits (SMCs) in the 2023-2024 Olympic Dam project. However, the company handed over 47,000 carbon emission units from its other 16 factories (including iron ore, coal, and nickel plants). BHP is on track to achieve its 2029-30 goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% compared to the 2019-20 level. In the fiscal year ending 2024-25, it generated 8.7 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent of operational emissions, a 36% decrease from the 2019-20 fiscal year. The company aims to achieve net zero operational emissions by replacing diesel in its mining vehicles by 2050. However, in recent years, it has faced technical delays, postponing the adoption plan for low-emission vehicles until the 21st century 30s.
