Wind and battery power will be used in a new baseload renewables contract with BHP. 

French renewable energy giant Neoen has signed a contract with mining giant BHP to supply power to the Olympic Dam copper mine in South Australia with a combination of wind and battery storage.

The 70MW deal should deliver energy 24/7, with wind power coming from the first 412MW stage of the Goyder South wind farm, currently under construction. 

The plan will see that power stored in a new 300MW big battery at Blyth, also in South Australia.

The proponents say it will provide half of Olympic Dam’s forecast electricity needs from 2025, using around half of the output of the Goyder South wind farm.

“We are delighted to provide BHP with this highly innovative solution,” Neoen Australia managing director Louis de Sambucy said in a statement. 

“We are convinced that our ability to combine our assets and our energy management capabilities to create bespoke commercial offers will be a key element of success for our future developments.”

BHP Olympic Dam asset president, Jennifer Purdie, says “the world needs South Australia’s high-quality copper to build renewable technologies and infrastructure, and BHP is focused on producing that copper more sustainably”. 

“This agreement will support BHP on its decarbonisation journey, and provide new firmed renewable energy and increased stability to the South Australian grid.”