Nextsource Materials Inc. announces that the Molo graphite mine in the south of the Big Island now has a solar farm.
On foot. Four Giga Watt hours of clean energy, this is the annual production that could be provided by the new solar farm set up by the Canadian company Nextsource Materials Inc. in the south of Madagascar. The Molo graphite mine indeed announces the establishment of a solar farm in its graphite mining camp in Fotadrevo, Toliara. “The company is pleased to announce that the construction of its hybrid solar power plant at its Molo graphite mine in Madagascar has been completed,” reads the press release published by the company on its website. Built with local labor, this new installation includes 4,902 photovoltaic panels spread over 12,663 square meters. A significant concentration of means of production in terms of renewable energy which also has a maximum production capacity of 2.6 MW of solar energy and 3.1 MW of thermal energy. According to the additional explanations provided by Nextsource, “according to initial estimates, the 2.6 MW solar farm could produce up to 4Gwh per year in terms of clean energy. This capacity too could reduce CO2 emissions by 2.275 tonnes annually”.
Plus d’efforts
The graphite mining company, Nextsource Materials does not intend to stop on this momentum in terms of energy transition which has currently become a necessity, given the increasingly pressing climate issues. “Currently, the hybrid solar farm already in place generates 33% of the Molo mine’s requirements in terms of renewable energy,” confirms the company. However, efforts will be stepped up to achieve a 50% dependency on clean energy. Nextsource and CrossBoundary Energy (CBE), the company that owns the solar farm and is also in charge of its operation, plan to optimize the use of solar energy in the Molo graphite mine. “To anticipate a possible expansion of the Molo mine, the company has set itself the objective of increasing the percentage of renewable energies to at least 50%”, they indicate.