“Everything kept on changing, except for Energyst’s dedication”
Brendan Moseley, Stage 2 General Manager, Société d’Exploration de Kipoi
“Everything kept on changing, except for Energyst’s dedication”
Brendan Moseley, Stage 2 General Manager, Société d’Exploration de Kipoi
It’s the problem the Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNEL) were facing when they contacted Energyst. Why? SNEL could not supply the required 12 MW for the first stage of the expansion of mining operations called ‘The Kipoi Copper Mining Project’, let alone the additional 16 MW for later expansion. The national grid could only deliver 4 MW.
August 2013, Societe d’Exploration de Kipoi (SEK) invited Energyst invited to a tender clarification session at the copper mine site. There, the Energyst team was informed about a change in the power requirements. Putting their heads together, working through the night to deliver a successful new proposal by the deadline of midday the following day, Energyst’s team of professionals were awarded the tender. Vinesh Surajlall, business unit director Sub Saharan Africa: “We even delivered our proposal before the deadline.” This was just the beginning of the Real Energy that was needed to meet the many challenges on-site…
Johan Botha, Operations Manager at Energyst: “Port Authorities were on strike, which delayed the delivery time to site by three weeks. And then there was a big challenge concerning space: allocated areas were too small for the IPP plant and civil work had to be redone, right in the middle of the rain season,” he remembers.
“Port Authorities were on strike, which delayed
the delivery time to site by three weeks”
Johan Botha
Operations Manager at Energyst Sub Saharan Africa
The Energyst team brought together the skills, talent, and initiative that allowed them to overcome the many difficulties encountered on the project. The installation team, for instance, adapted to severe restrictions on the space available, using fuel bladders instead of much larger tanks. In general, Energyst’s understanding of mining operations, and of the challenges of local climates and infrastructures around the globe, means that a solution – standard or custom – is always nearby. Also, Energyst is used to servicing on-site and long term, as is required in case of The Kipoi Copper Project is a continuous operation. That is why the Energyst support team provides professional service around the clock: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Vinesh Surajlall, business unit director Sub Saharan Africa: “The first phase of the Kipoi Copper Mining project comprises a 12 MW power supply that will run during the complete six-year period of the contract. The second phase, which will ramp up the supply by a further 16 MW to 28 MW, will only be realised if the local grid, SNEL, cannot supply the required infrastructure and power in time. In that case, phase 2 will run for the remainder of the six-year contract during which time Energyst will continue to supply all the operational staff.”
To find out more about our design and engineering expertise, or to ask our advice on power, heating or cooling, contact your nearest Energyst rental location or simply call 0845 769 7450. We will put all our energy into helping you find the right solution.
For this project (12 MW), Energyst provided 11x CAT XQ2000 generators. Nine generators will provide the required load and two units will be on standby and used on rotation for maintenance and service. An additional three 8000 kVA transformers and two 400,000-litre fuel bladders were installed in Kipoi.
One of the world's largest copper mines is an Energyst customer: "Energyst invested a great deal of attention and commitment into fully understanding the customer’s circumstances."
Our customer is Europe’s largest alumina refinery. Also, it’s one of the most technologically advanced, energy-efficient facilities in the world. The refinery produces over 1.8 million tonnes of alumina per year. But this enormous production nearly ground to a halt, because of a damaged power cable…