The Bellevue gold mine in a remote part of Western Australia is claiming another major record after completing 155 consecutive hours running the facility on 100 per cent renewables, and with “engines off.”
The gold mine – with an average load of around 12.5 megawatts (MW) – – has achieved average renewable shares of well above the 80 per cent it targeted, often reaching into the 90 pct range on a monthly basis, and an average 93.8 per cent over February.
In early May, the facility ran for more than six and a half days running entirely on renewables – courtesy of its 27 MW of solar, 24 MW of wind, and the 15 MW, 33 MWh of battery that stores excess output and sends it back to the micro-grid when needed.
“This is a significant milestone, not only for the project, but for what is possible in the Australian energy sector and demonstrating nation-leading progress in renewable energy for remote mining operations,” Zenith Energy, which built the hybrid power station, wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“The system is designed to meet at least 80% of site energy needs from renewables, and moments like this show what that looks like in practice – especially with the right weather conditions.”
Bellevue Gold already claims to be the world’s first net zero emissions gold mine (scope 1 and scope 2), although it achieves some of this with offsets, and is yet to decarbonise its mining equipment and transport, as Fortescue is aiming to do by 2030 at its much bigger iron ore operations in the Pilbara, where the average load is 800 MW.
Still, the new record for “engines off” is believed to be a world first at such a facility relying on wind and solar as the major source of power, and beats the achievements of the much smaller King Island mini-grid off the coast of Tasmania, where the average load is around 2.5 MW.
A number of different off-grid mines are achieving very high level of renewables – usually much higher than predicted – with Lynas Gold achieving a record 95.7 per cent renewable share over the entire March quarter at its Mt Weld lithium mine.
Another lithium miner, the Kathleen Valley facility operated by Liontown Resources, has also achieved high share of renewables above 80 per cent on a consistent monthly basis, shielding it from the recent surge in diesel prices.
Both Lynas Gold and Liontown are backed by Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, and one of its most ardent anti-renewable campaigners.
Bellevue said in April that it is on track to meet the upper end of the forecasted 80-90 per cent renewable energy for the current financial year.
“As well as reducing emissions, the high fraction of renewable energy has inherently decreased Bellevue Gold’s exposure to fluctuations in the diesel and LNG markets, and provides extra resilience to any potential supply chain shocks,” it said in its quarterly statement.
If you would like to join more than 29,000 others and get the latest clean energy news delivered straight to your inbox, for free, please click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
Facts Only
The Bellevue gold mine in Western Australia operated for 155 consecutive hours on 100% renewable energy.
The mine’s average load is around 12.5 MW.
The facility uses 27 MW of solar, 24 MW of wind, and a 15 MW, 33 MWh battery storage system.
It has achieved average renewable energy shares above 80%, often reaching the 90% range monthly.
In February, the mine averaged 93.8% renewable energy.
Zenith Energy built the hybrid power station for the mine.
Bellevue Gold claims to be the world’s first net-zero emissions gold mine for scope 1 and 2 emissions.
The mine still uses offsets and has not decarbonized mining equipment or transport.
Lynas Gold’s Mt Weld lithium mine achieved 95.7% renewable energy in the March quarter.
Liontown Resources’ Kathleen Valley facility has consistently achieved over 80% renewable energy.
Both Lynas Gold and Liontown are backed by Gina Rinehart.
Bellevue Gold expects to meet the upper end of its 80-90% renewable energy target for the financial year.
The high renewable energy share reduces exposure to diesel and LNG price fluctuations.
Executive Summary
Full Take
This record-breaking achievement by the Bellevue gold mine underscores the growing viability of renewable energy in remote, energy-intensive industries. The success of hybrid solar-wind-battery systems in maintaining high renewable shares—often exceeding targets—challenges the narrative that heavy industry cannot transition away from fossil fuels. However, the reliance on offsets for net-zero claims and the unresolved decarbonization of mining equipment reveal the limits of current progress. The involvement of Gina Rinehart, a prominent critic of renewables, in backing high-renewable mines like Lynas and Liontown adds a layer of irony, suggesting that economic pragmatism may be driving adoption as much as environmental commitment.
The broader pattern here is one of incremental but accelerating change in industries traditionally resistant to decarbonization. The fact that multiple mines are surpassing renewable energy targets suggests that technological and economic barriers may be lower than previously assumed. Yet, the persistence of offsets and the slow pace of electrifying heavy machinery highlight the gap between short-term gains and long-term sustainability.
**Bridge Questions:**
How scalable is this model to larger mining operations, such as Fortescue’s Pilbara sites?
What role do economic incentives (e.g., diesel price volatility) play in driving adoption versus genuine environmental commitment?
Could the success of these projects shift broader industry perceptions of renewable energy feasibility?
**Counterstrike Scan:** If this were part of a coordinated influence campaign, the playbook might emphasize the economic benefits of renewables while downplaying the reliance on offsets and unresolved decarbonization challenges. However, the article presents a balanced view, acknowledging both progress and limitations, without overt manipulation. No concerning alignment with hypothetical attack patterns is detected.
**Patterns detected:** None.
Sentinel — Human
The text exhibits the structure, factual density, and nuanced context characteristic of human-written industry reporting, with no discernible signs of synthetic generation.