30 billion yuan spent on cross-border energy storage in one year! Mining companies' electricity costs drop sharply!

In every corner of the world, mining, as an important pillar of economic development, provides a steady stream of raw materials for all walks of life. However, while this industry promotes economic growth, it also brings huge energy consumption and environmental pressure.

At present, the global mining industry accounts for about 11% of the world's total energy consumption, which is enough to show the huge demand for energy consumption in the mining industry. In the mining production process, whether it is exploration, mining or smelting, a lot of energy is consumed. Take Zijin Mining as an example. As one of the largest gold producers in China, its business scope covers the entire industrial chain from exploration, mining to smelting. The annual energy consumption can be imagined.

At the same time, there are many types of mining production equipment, and the energy utilization efficiency is often low. Many mines have energy waste in the production process, which not only increases the operating costs of enterprises, but also aggravates environmental pressure. In mining operations, the stability of power supply is crucial. Short-term power outages may cause production safety accidents and cause huge economic losses. Therefore, mining companies have extremely high requirements for the stability and reliability of power supply. However, traditional power supply systems often have unstable factors and are difficult to meet the actual needs of mining companies.

In the context of energy transformation, the use of renewable energy has become an important way for mining companies to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. However, the intermittent nature of renewable energy has brought challenges to the continuous production of the mining industry. At this time, the "energy storage + mining" model came into being, providing an effective solution for mining companies.

Benefits of "Energy Storage + Mining"

It is important to know that the "Energy Storage + Mining" model not only helps solve the energy consumption problem of mining companies, but also brings many other benefits.

Reduce operating costs: By utilizing energy storage technology, mining companies can optimize energy use and reduce operating costs. Energy storage systems can provide additional power support during peak periods of electricity demand, thereby reducing the company's electricity costs. At the same time, energy storage systems can also reduce dependence on traditional power supply systems and reduce maintenance costs.

Improve production safety: The existence of energy storage systems can ensure the stability of power supply, thereby improving the production safety of mining companies. In the event of a power outage, the energy storage system can be quickly started to provide power support for key equipment and ensure the continuity and safety of the production process.

Promote the development of green mining: By utilizing energy storage technology, mining companies can optimize the energy structure, reduce the impact on the environment, and promote the development of green mining. This helps mining companies cope with the challenges of increasingly stringent environmental protection requirements and achieve sustainable development.

Promote technological innovation and industrial upgrading: The application of energy storage technology will drive mining companies to take greater steps in technological innovation and industrial upgrading. By introducing advanced energy storage technology and equipment, mining companies can improve production efficiency, enhance product quality, and enhance market competitiveness.

According to preliminary statistics from WIN ENERGY, since 2021, in addition to shared energy storage in large power stations, about 20 mining areas have adopted energy storage lithium batteries as backup power systems, with a total capacity of about 85MWh. These mining areas use an average of 1 to 2 containerized energy storage systems, and the capacity of each system ranges from 2 to 3MWh. This data shows that the application of energy storage lithium batteries in the field of backup power in mining areas has made significant progress.

"Energy Storage + Mining" Cases

At the beginning of 2023, the key technical transformation project of Zhongjin Lingnan Fankou Lead-Zinc Mine, the "Fankou Lead-Zinc Mine 3MW/6MWh Energy Storage Project", successfully completed system debugging and was successfully connected to the power grid, marking the successful commissioning of the first user-side intelligent string energy storage project in northern Guangdong.

This project is also a typical user-side energy storage application scenario in mining areas. The site is provided by Fankou Lead-Zinc Mine to build a 1MW/2MWh and a 2MW/4MWh energy storage system with a total installed capacity of 3MW/6MWh, containerized energy storage configuration, and a 6kV grid-connected voltage level.

The products used in this project have 5-fold simulation verification, 4-level early warning mechanism, 4-level fuse protection, and 4-fold linkage fire protection measures to fully guarantee the safety of the energy storage system. At the same time, cloud platform big data analysis, remote maintenance intelligent diagnosis, AI investment return analysis, and optimized operation strategies are adopted to achieve system intelligence and efficiency. After the successful implementation of the project, it can greatly save the electricity bills for mining and realize the low-storage and high-generation arbitrage model.

On September 25, 2024, Zhejiang Jiaotong Zhedong Mining Co., Ltd. started construction of its Toushan Mine Energy Storage Project in Sanmen County, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province. It is reported that this is the first 10KV high-voltage user-side energy storage project in Sanmen County and is scheduled to be put into use in December.

The total installed capacity of the project is a 4MW/8.2MWh energy storage system, with a containerized energy storage configuration, a "two-charge and two-discharge" operation mode, and a 10KV grid-connected voltage level. This project is a typical user-side energy storage application scenario in mining areas. After the project is completed, it is expected to save nearly 3 million yuan in electricity bills each year.

The energy storage system of this project is equipped with a full range of battery protection strategies and fault isolation measures, as well as an intelligent temperature and humidity adjustment system. At the same time, it is equipped with advanced safety and monitoring systems, including temperature, smoke, and combustible gas detection devices, as well as automatic fire extinguishing systems, to achieve a full range of fire warning, protection and linkage for the energy storage system, ensuring the safe, reliable, intelligent and efficient operation of the energy storage equipment system.