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Asia / Industrial & mining

De Grussa Copper Mine Microgrid

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations16
System facts33
Sources reviewed12
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

DeGrussa was an off-grid mine hybrid combining 10.6 MWac of single-axis-tracking PV, a 6 MW/1.5 MWh battery and an existing 19 MW diesel station for an 11–13 MW continuous mine load. Commissioned in June 2016, it produced roughly 20.4 GWh/year and met close to 20% of annual mine electricity, with expected savings around five million litres of diesel and 12,000 tonnes CO2 each year. It was a mine-life asset, not a permanent community power system.

Research status
Decommissioned. Sandfire extracted the last stoping ore on 5 October 2022 and moved DeGrussa into care, maintenance and rehabilitation. Neoen then began dismantling the solar-battery plant, and Westforce reports the removal and site rehabilitation completed in 2024. The former project's capacity must no longer be shown as operational; resale/reuse destinations for individual panels, inverters, transformers and battery equipment were not publicly confirmed.
Historical classification
Industrial & mining
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
-25.57444, 119.25028
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in De Grussa Copper Mine Microgrid?

16 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

ABB

Battery control-system supplier identified in the commissioning report [4]

Organization

ABB / ComAp

Battery-control and InteliSys communications-bridge suppliers named in the commissioning record. [7]

Organization

Australian Renewable Energy Agency

Provided A$20.9 million support and required project knowledge sharing. [6]

Organization

ComAp

InteliSys communications-bridge supplier [4]

Organization

DeGrussa Solar Project Pty Ltd

ARENA project lead and project company [3]

Organization

DeGrussa Solar Project Pty Ltd / Neoen

Solar-battery project company and owner during operation; initiated dismantling after mine closure. [6][11]

Organization

Juwi

Publicly named participant; role not specified in the recovered record [1]

Organization

juwi AG

Project partner [3]

Organization

juwi Renewable Energy

Hybrid developer, EPC/integration contractor and operating-knowledge author. [7][8]

Organization

juwi Renewable Energy Pty Ltd

Hybrid-system developer, EPC integrator, and knowledge-report author [3][4]

Organization

Kalgoorlie Power Systems

Owner/operator of the pre-existing 19 MW diesel power station. [6]

Organization

Neoen

Solar-battery project owner in the cited operating period [3]

Organization

OTOC Limited

Construction partner for the original solar project. [6]

Organization

Sandfire Resources

Mine owner and solar-power purchaser/offtaker; now responsible for mine closure and rehabilitation. [6][9]

Organization

Sandfire Resources NL

Mine owner and solar power purchaser [3]

Organization

Westforce Construction

Contractor for 2024 PV/BESS dismantling, recycling preparation and 240,000 m² site rehabilitation. [10]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

KW Solar
10600 [1]
KW Gas/Diesel
19000 [1]
Storage
6MW/1.5 MWh [1]
Solar PV
10.6 MW AC, single-axis tracking [3][5]
PV module count
Approximately 34,000 modules [5]
Battery power
6 MW [4][5]
Existing diesel station
19 MW [3]
Continuous mine load
Approximately 11–13 MW [4]
Battery transformer
One 5 MVA transformer [4]
Reported annual solar production
Approximately 20.4 GWh [5]
Solar PV
10.6 MWac on single-axis trackers using 34,080 modules; expected/reported output approximately 20.4 GWh/year. [6][8][10]
Battery
Commissioning/project records describe 6 MW/1.5 MWh lithium-ion storage (15 minutes at full power). Westforce's decommissioning page calls the removed BESS 4 MW, likely a different battery-versus-converter reporting basis; the discrepancy is unresolved. [7][12][10]
Diesel generation
19 MW existing isolated-mine station operated by Kalgoorlie Power Systems. [6]
Mine load
Approximately 11–13 MW continuous during the operating-mine period. [7]
Battery interconnection
One 5 MVA battery transformer documented in the integration report. [7]
Cost and support
Approximately A$40 million total project cost, including A$20.9 million ARENA support. These are original-development values, not dismantling costs. [6]
Energy mix and savings
Solar supplied nearly 20% of annual mine electricity; expected annual displacement was about five million litres of diesel and 12,000 tonnes CO2. These operating-period figures ended with mine/project closure. [6][8][11]
Decommissioning quantities
Westforce reports removing 34,080 panels, about 850 tonnes of steel and 30 tonnes of copper, then rehabilitating approximately 240,000 m² in 2024. [10]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

Controller communications bridge

ComAp — InteliSys Bridge

Interfaces plant controls; the knowledge report traces intermittent commissioning communications failures to outdated bridge firmware. [4]

02

Battery control system

ABB

Named in the knowledge report's controller-communications incident; the exact ABB product model is not disclosed. [4]

03

Battery transformer

Model not publicly disclosed

Single 5 MVA battery transformer; manufacturer and model are not stated in the reviewed report. [4]

04

Plant integration controls

juwi

Coordinates PV, battery, and diesel operating constraints; the cited reports do not name a commercial software release. [4]

05

PV field

Model not publicly disclosed

34,080 modules on single-axis trackers; module and inverter models were not identified in the reviewed authoritative sources. [6][10]

06

Battery and PCS

ABB

6 MW/1.5 MWh project rating; ABB is explicitly named for the battery-control interface, but the cell manufacturer and exact PCS product are not established by the knowledge report. [7][12]

07

Controller communications bridge

ComAp — InteliSys Bridge

Connected the plant-control layers; obsolete bridge firmware caused an intermittent commissioning communications fault. [7]

08

Hybrid controls

juwi

Coordinated diesel, PV, battery reserve, voltage/reactive-power and ramp-rate limits. [7]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Operating reserve

    The operating philosophy maintained spinning reserve equal to 1 MW plus 85% of instantaneous PV output across battery and diesel resources. [4]

  • Grid support

    The battery provides ramp-rate control, frequency support, reactive-power control, voltage support, and spinning reserve for the isolated mine grid. [4]

  • Commissioning lesson

    A controller communications fault was resolved by updating ComAp InteliSys Bridge firmware, a rare publicly documented field-level integration detail. [4]

  • Operating reserve

    The control philosophy maintained reserve equal to 1 MW plus 85% of instantaneous PV output across battery and diesel resources. [7]

  • Battery services

    Ramp-rate control, frequency response, reactive-power/voltage support and spinning reserve allowed high PV penetration on the isolated mine network. [7]

  • Commissioning lesson

    A field communications failure was traced to out-of-date ComAp InteliSys Bridge firmware, an unusually specific public integration lesson. [7]

  • Lifecycle outcome

    The plant fulfilled its intended mine-life role for roughly seven years. Dismantling after ore depletion is not evidence of technical failure, but the lack of a post-mine load made continued operation at the site uneconomic. [9][11][10]

Provenance

12 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2020-07-05

  2. [2]
    Microgrid Media

    microgridmedia.com · Archived source · captured 2020-07-05

  3. [3]
    DeGrussa Solar Project

    Australian Renewable Energy Agency · Primary source

  4. [4]
    DeGrussa Solar Project Knowledge Sharing Report

    juwi / Australian Renewable Energy Agency · Primary source

  5. [5]
  6. [6]
    DeGrussa Solar Project

    Australian Renewable Energy Agency · Primary source

  7. [7]
    DeGrussa Solar Project Knowledge Sharing Report

    juwi / Australian Renewable Energy Agency · Primary source

  8. [8]
  9. [9]
    DeGrussa ramp-down

    Sandfire Resources · Primary source

  10. [10]
    DeGrussa BESS and solar plant decommissioning

    Westforce Construction · Primary source

  11. [11]
  12. [12]
    Recovered DeGrussa Copper Mine Microgrid project record

    Internet Archive / Microgrid Projects · Archived source

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