The hybrid power plant consists of a thermal generation facility, which is already in operation, and a solar and battery facility – consisting of a 2.6 MW solar PV facility and a 1MWh battery energy storage system. The thermal facility currently supplies all of the plant’s power requirement, and, once completed, the solar and battery facility will provide up to 33% of the mine’s total electricity needs using renewable energy.
Craig Scherba, President and CEO, comments:
“Commissioning of the Molo Graphite Mine is a testament to the hard work and perseverance of our employees and contractors who have brought this project from design through to implementation in the midst of a global pandemic and shifting geopolitical landscape. That hard work has placed the company in an enviable position, as it transitions into a global graphite producer at a time when graphite consumption is increasing dramatically, due to the explosive growth in demand for lithium-ion batteries.
“NextSource is taking advantage of this tremendous market opportunity by creating a substantive niche for itself within the global lithium-ion battery supply chain, through the commissioning of its first graphite mine and planned construction of its first battery anode facility.”
