The 347MW wind farm representing an investment of approximately A$569m ($370.3m) is owned by Ark Energy, an Australian subsidiary of Korea Zinc.

The State Significant Development (SSD-10315) application was lodged in 2021.

The number of wind turbines was reduced to 56 from 60 in response to community concerns.

The construction timeframe for the Bowmans Creek Wind Farm is approximately 18 months and the life of the project is 25 years.

Bowmans Creek wind farm is estimated to generate enough electricity to power over 172,600 homes and save over 957,800 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

Location Details

Bowmans Creek Wind Farm is located approximately 185km north of Sydney, near the sparsely populated rural localities of Bowmans Creek, Davis Creek, Goorangoola, Greenlands, Hebden, McCullys Gap, Muscle Creek and Rouchel Brook.

The onshore wind farm’s total development footprint, including road upgrades, is approximately 411 hectares (ha), out of which 280ha is native vegetation.

Bowmans Creek Wind Farm Background Details

In October 2017, Epuron commenced wind monitoring onsite using a portable SoDAR (sonic detection and ranging) device and has deployed additional SoDAR devices including two wind monitoring masts.

The Application for State Significant Development Consent and the project’s Scoping Report was submitted to the New South Wales (NSW) Government in May 2019.

In May 2022, Ark Energy Corporation completed the acquisition of Epuron Holdings (original proponent), after the sale agreement received regulatory approvals.

NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) completed its whole-of-government assessment of the project and referred it to the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) for determination in November 2023.

The NSW IPC approved the Bowmans Creek Wind Farm in February 2024.

The project involves a Community Enhancement Fund of A$3,842 ($2501) per wind turbine per year, from the start of generation to the end of life of the wind farm, indexed to CPI. Based on the proposed layout of 56 wind turbines and an estimated operational life of 25 years, the Community Enhancement Fund amounts to A$215,000 ($139965) per year to support local initiatives and projects.

Bowmans Creek Wind Farm Project Details

The project development plan includes 56 turbines with a generating capacity ranging between 5 to 7 MW and associated ancillary infrastructure, including two onsite substations and a new 330-kilovolt (kV) transmission line to connect to the Liddell substation.

The maximum height of the wind turbine generators (WTG) is 220m from ground level to the blade tip.

Each WTG) will be mounted on a reinforced concrete footing accompanied by a transformer and will be controlled remotely from the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) facility. The 45m tall towers will be spaced at intervals of 200 – 300m depending on topography.

The WTGs produce electricity at 690 voltage, which will be stepped up to 33 kV by the transformer within the WTG for more efficient reticulation within the site.

Power generated from the WTGs is sent to the substations via the reticulation cables and powerlines. Underground cables of approximately 40km will be installed in trenches approximately 2m wide and 1m deep. The approximately 17km overhead transmission line will be supported by single-pole steel or concrete structures.

The transformer in the substations will step up the reticulation voltage (33 kV) to (up to 330kV).

The generated green electricity will be exported to the existing TransGrid network via the Liddell substation through a new single or double-circuit 330 kV transmission line.

Contractors Involved

Green Bean Design (GBD) was engaged to undertake a Preliminary Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (PLVIA) for the project.

Sonus, an Australia-based acoustic services provider was contracted to undertake the Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment for the Bowmans Creek wind farm.

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GASCADE Gastransport GmbH is the owner and developer of the pipeline. The pipeline is the first marine section of the Baltic Connector Pipeline.

The OAL pipeline consists of four sections: the Lumbin land section, the sea section from Lumbin to Kilometre Point 26 (KP 26), the sea section from KP 26 to Mukran, and the land section in Mukran.

Each section requires independent approvals from the Bergamt Stralsund, the mining authority of Stralsund.

The Lumbin land section was approved by the Bergamt Stralsund in February 2023, the sea section from Lumbin to KP 26 in August 2023, the sea section from KP 26 to Mukran in October 2023, and the land section in Mukran received approval in August 2023.

The construction of the pipeline was completed in January 2024. The goal of enabling gas feed-in in the winter of 2023/2024 has been achieved.

The pipeline is expected to commence the transport of gas in February 2024.

Ostsee Anbindungsleitung Location Details

The Ostsee Anbindungsleitung Subsea Pipeline serves as an interconnection between the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal in the port of Mukran and the German Pipeline Network in Lubmin, Germany.

Ostsee Anbindungsleitung Subsea Pipeline Details

The 48-inch offshore Ostsee Anbindungsleitung Subsea Pipeline is a high-strength steel pipe with a diameter of 1.2m and a wall thickness of at least 26.8mm.

The pipeline is provided with a concrete casing of 90mm so that it is stable on the seabed and is buried with a covering of 0.50m*2.55m depending upon the local conditions.

The pipeline connects the LNG terminal located in the port of Mukran with the pipeline network of Germany located in Lumbin.

The LNG terminal in the port of Mukran is a planned project which will include two Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs).

The LNG terminal is being developed by Deutsche ReGas and is planned to be commissioned in the winter of 2024. GASCADE is the transmission system operator of the terminal and will connect the terminal to the gas transmission system of Germany.

The OAL subsea pipeline will strengthen the supply security of Germany by feeding the re-gasified LNG into the German Gas Grid.

The pipeline will also support the transport of green hydrogen in the medium term. In the long term, the pipeline can feed green hydrogen into the German Hydrogen Core Network through the entry point in Mukran.

The site at Lumbin will be an important point in the development of the German Hydrogen Network.

From Lumbin, the green hydrogen will be transported southwards around the Baltic Sea to the industrial consumption centres located in the eastern and southern Hesse and Baden-Württemberg.

Baden-Württemberg is a part of the Flow-Making Hydrogen Happen Project. The project is a part of the German Hydrogen Core Network.

The OAL pipeline, along with the EUGAL and OPAL long-distance pipelines, would provide substantial transport capacities from the Lumbin coast in the northeast to the main consumption centres in Germany and Central and South-Eastern Europe.

Key Construction Process Details

The process of laying the pipeline consists of three steps: construction of a pipe trench, welding and laying of the pipe string, and backfilling and restoration of the seabed.

For constructing the trench, the dredged material was transported on transport vessels called hopper barges to an underwater intermediate storage facility.

The individual pipes were welded together in a pipe string on a special vessel, a laying barge.

The pipe string was laid into the trench on the seabed in a controlled S-curve. This is known as the S-lay process.

The S-lay process is the method of laying large-diameter offshore pipelines over long distances at average water depths.

Through Above-Water-Tie-In (AWTI), a final laying step, all individual pipe strings are joined together. During the construction of the OAL pipeline, two AWTIs were conducted.

The pipeline was laid after the alignment of two pipe strings. This was followed by backfilling of the pipe trench with a sand-gravel mixture as the first layer and the original material from the trench as the second layer.

Contractors Involved

In February 2024, ABL successfully installed the OAL subsea pipeline. The installation was a part of the marine warranty survey contract awarded by GASCADE.

The scope of the survey also included transportation of the pipeline to the site.

The day-to-day management of the project was conducted by the ABL team in Hamburg, Germany.

The technical expertise was ensured by the consultants from ABL Germany, Norway, Holland, and France.

CMS Legal represented GASCADE in a proceeding before the Federal Administrative Court against the fast-track action brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe and NABU.

Deutsche Umwelthilfe and NABU pleaded against the approval granted by the Stralsund Department of Mining for the construction and operation of the pipeline.

In January 2024, the Federal Court delivered its judgement to continue with the construction and operation of the pipeline.

Deutsche Umwelthilfe also brought a petition against the project in September 2023.

The post Ostsee Anbindungsleitung Pipeline, Germany appeared first on NS Energy.

Known as the Mina Santa Elena, the mine commenced operations in 1977 and continued production till 2016 when it was put on maintenance. Historically, the project has produced concentrates of silver, lead, and zinc.

The underground development and reconditioning of the mine have been started by Kuya’s wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary Minera Toro de Plata (MTP) in January 2024. The mine is expected to resume operations in 2024.

Bethania Location and Site Access Details

The Bethania Silver Project is located about 70km southwest of Huancayo city, the capital of the Junin Department, in the high Andes of Central Peru.

The project lies about 316km from Lima, the capital city of Peru.

Covering an area of approximately 5,081 hectares, the project consists of 12 mining concessions lying near the borders of the departments of Junin, Lima, and Huancavelica.

The project can be accessed through the Pan American Highway South (Route 15) from Lima. The project site can be reached from Lima to Jauja via air followed by driving via Huancayo towards the southwest.

Bethania Ownership History

In colonial times, small-scale mining of silver veins was conducted by Spanish explorers at the Mina Santa Elena.

Modern operations commenced in 1977 and were suspended in the 1980s because of terrorism. The operations resumed in 2008 and continued till mid-2016.

In 1988, a technical report of the project was prepared by Minero Bank of Peru according to which engineer Heraclio Lopez was the owner of the mine.

S&L Andes Export SAC, owned by the Soria Family (Peru), purchased the project in 1989. S&L explored the project from 2008 to 2016.

In December 2020, Kuya acquired S&L Andes Export SAC, a Peruvian company which owned the Bethania Mine, and became the owner of the project.

Kuya renamed S&L to MTP and Aerecura Materiales S.A.C. to Kuya Silver S.A.C., a wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary of Kuya.

Currently, Aerecura Materiales holds some of the adjacent concessions included in the project.

The Santa Elena Concession of the project was not subjected to any surface exploration before Kuya purchased the project.

Bethania Geology and Mineralisation

The Santa Elena Concession of the Bethania Silver Project consists of tertiary volcanic rocks made up of andesite, dacite, and tuff. Mostly, the region is covered by vegetation and quaternary deposits.

The mineralised veins are hosted by dacite, andesite, and siliceous bodies of stockwork quartz-breccia.

The mineralisation of the project consists of volcanic and polymetallic intermediate sulphidation epithermal minerals with silver, gold, lead, zinc, and copper.

The dominant sulphide mineralisation includes silver sulfosalts, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and galena.

Mining Methods and Processing

The quantitative analysis showed that the Conventional Cut and Fill (OCF) and Shrinkage Stoping methods were the ones which proved economical for mining ores.

The OCF method showed the best economic results as compared to Shrinkage Stoping with a 54% higher economic margin.

The ores will be processed in a concentrator plant with 350 million tons per day (mtpd) of processing capacity.

The ores will undergo two-stage crushing, a single grinding and classification stage, one bulk flotation stage, one lead/copper separation flotation stage, and one zinc flotation and regrinding stage.

The flotation material will be thickened and filtered to produce lead and zinc concentrates. To recover water, tailing will be thickened in a tailing thickener facility.

The plant will produce lead and zinc concentrates with average gradings of 0.3% copper, 4% lead, and 3% zinc.

Project Infrastructure

The existing infrastructure of the Bethania Silver Project consists of dirt roads, waste dumps, explosive magazines, a generator group (500KWh capacity), fuel storage tanks, solid waste storage area, a water neutralisation pond, and administrative facilities.

The concentrator plant area will consist of a processing facility, a tailing storage facility, overburden storage areas, a substation, and a general substation.

Key Contractors

The 2023 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) of the Bethania Silver Project was prepared by Mining Plus.

Caracle Creek International Consulting, Atticus Geoscience Consulting, Envis, and Me Engineering & Technology supported the preparation of the 2023 PEA.

The post Bethania Silver Project, Peru appeared first on NS Energy.

The project’s offshore processing platform is located about 225km from the coast, at a water depth of 70m. The offshore component receives and processes gas and condensate from the Wheatstone, Iago, Julimar and Brunello gas fields, and supplies it to the onshore facility via a 225km trunkline.

Wheatstone project onshore facilities are located at the Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Area (ANSIA), 12km west of Onslow on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia.

The LNG project is a joint venture between Chevron Australia (64.14%), Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) (13.4%), Woodside Energy Group (13%), and Kyushu Electric Power Company (1.46%), together with PE Wheatstone, and part-owned by JERA (8%).

The plan to develop Wheatstone was first unveiled in 2008. This was followed by the final investment decision (FID) on the A$29bn ($19bn) project in September 2011.

The Wheatstone project shipped its first cargo in October 2017. It is estimated to have a lifespan of 30 years.

According to Chevron, Wheatstone created more than 7,000 direct employments during peak construction. Over its operational phase, it will generate around 30,000 direct and indirect jobs.

It will also add A$180bn to Australia’s GDP from 2009 to 2040 and contribute A$50bn in revenues over the same period.

Gas Supply

The Wheatstone LNG project receives approximately 80% of its foundation capacity from Wheatstone and Iago fields, which are operated by Chevron Australia in a joint venture with Australian subsidiaries of KUFPEC, Kyushu Electric Power and PE Wheatstone.

The Julimar and Brunello fields, held by Australian subsidiaries of Woodside Petroleum and KUFPEC, supplies the remaining 20% of project’s capacity.

Wheatstone Offshore Facilities

The Wheatstone offshore components comprise well infrastructure and subsea installations, a gas processing platform in a water depth of 73m, and an approximately 225km export pipeline.

The gas and condensate production from the fields will be transported to the processing platform via subsea gas gathering systems for dehydration, dewatering, compression.

Subsequently, it is transported onshore via the export pipeline.

Wheatstone Onshore Components

The Wheatstone LNG project’s onshore components at Ashburton North include a slug-catcher to separate the gas and liquids and a two-train LNG processing plant.

The facilities also include a domestic gas processing plant and a pipeline connected to the Dampier-to-Bunbury Pipeline, LNG and condensate storage unit, a shipping channel, turning basin, Materials Offloading Facility (MOF) and export jetty among others.

At onshore, the gas and condensate undergo further processing.

The LNG trains remove impurities and inert gases. The natural gas is cooled to -162°C and stored in insulated storage tanks for export via LNG tankers.

The two trains have a combined capacity of 8.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).

Wheatstone’s 200 terajoules (TJ) per day domestic gas plant delivers natural gas to an inlet point on the Dampier Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline.

The onshore processing facility comprises two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 8.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and a 200 terajoule per day domestic gas plant. The LNG facility is approved to produce up to 25 MTPA.

Wheatstone Offtake Agreements

Chevron has committed around 85% of its equity LNG from the Wheatstone project to Asian buyers.

The agreements are with JERA (4.1 MTPA), Kyushu Electric (0.7 MTPA) and Tohoku Electric (0.9 MTPA).

In June 2012, JERA signed an additional SPA for 0.4 MTPA of LNG from the Wheatstone Project.

Contractors Involved

US-based construction company Bechtel was engaged to provide the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning services for the downstream scope Wheatstone project.

In December 2009, Technip won the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract for the offshore processing platform for the project.

McDermott carried out key Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) works for the project. This included installation of 53 OSBL pre-assembled modules; 11 domestic gas (DOMGAS) unit modules; feed gas pipeline; slug catcher; gas turbine generator packages and BOG Compressor among others.

As part of the project, AGC won a supply and fabrication contract for offshore pipeline and subsea construction by Allseas.

Prysmian was responsible for the supply of onshore power, control, instrumentation and telecom cables, while DEME dredged the approach channel for the Wheatstone project.

ENTREPOSE Contracting and VINCI Construction Grands Projet offered engineering, supply logistics, and construction services for two LNG storage tanks and two storage tanks for condensates.

Bechtel awarded Van Leeuwen Pipe & Tube West Australia a blanket purchase order in September 2012, for the supply of carbon, low carbon, alloy, high alloy and stainless steel pipe, butt weld fittings, forged flanges and violets.

Since 2013, Ertech carried out construction works including general site services, roadworks and earthworks for the project.

Brunel provided manpower services for the Wheatstone LNG project. Brunel’s responsibilities included providing recruitment, contractor management, mobilisation and in-country support services to the operator and other joint venture partners in all project locations.

The Kiewit-Ertech joint venture was engaged to provide general construction services for the project.

As an engineering contractor, John Holland sub-contracted APC for the design, manufacture, supply and installation of storage tanks.

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I) assisted Bechtel in providing mechanical and piping construction work for outside battery limit modules for the Wheatstone project.

Downer provided the Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering projects for the downstream portion of the Wheatstone project.

Onslow-based NTC Contracting won a civil and earthworks contract at Wheatstone for up to five years, in February 2018.

The post Wheatstone Project, Australia appeared first on NS Energy.

The facility, which commenced operations in February 2024, serves as the only source natural gas supply in the region.

The 6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) (300 trillion British thermal units (TBtu)) facility helps in distributing LNG and natural gas in the north and northeast regions of Brazil, thereby benefitting a combined population of approximately 75 million.

US-based energy infrastructure company New Fortress Energy (NFE) owns and operates Barcarena terminal. The company is also constructing a 630MW power plant adjacent to the terminal.

NFE became the owner of the terminal following its acquisition of Hygo Energy Transition, a 50-50 joint venture between Golar LNG and a fund managed by Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, in April 2021.

Barcarena LNG Terminal Details

Located in Pará, Brazil, Barcarena LNG Terminal will help in bringing cleaner energy to the Amazon River basin by replacing oil-based fuels.

The project infrastructure includes an offshore terminal, and the Energos Celsius Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) on-site along with associated infrastructure, including mooring and offshore and onshore pipelines.

The Barcarena terminal can process up to 790,000 MMBtu/d (million British Thermal Units per day) and store up to 170,000 cubic metres of LNG.

It will supply LNG to several industrial customers, including Norsk Hydro’s Alunorte refinery. The project will also supply natural gas to the under-construction adjacent power plant.

It is estimated that the Barcarena Terminal to utilise approximately 92,000 MMBtu/d, which represents around 12% of the facility’s maximum regasification capacity, to service the power plant.

Energos Celsius FSRU Details

The vessel, Energos Celsius, was converted from an LNG carrier to a FSRU for deployment at NFE’s LNG terminal in Barcarena.

FSRU Energos Celsius is designed with a nominal regasification capacity of 750 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd), up to a maximum capacity of 1,000 mmscfd.

The FSRU is on long-term charter to NFE.

Offtake Agreements

In April 2021, NFE signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to supply natural gas to Norsk Hydro’s Alunorte Alumina Refinery for a period of 15 years.

Under the agreement, NFE will supply the alumina production facility with nearly 30 TBtu of natural gas annually.

The use of natural gas will trim the refinery’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 700,000 tonnes per annum. This will help Norsk Hydro in achieving its global commitment of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.

According to NFE, Barcarena LNG terminal will supply LNG to more than 2,200MW worth of power capacity owned by the company.

Contractors Involved

In December 2023, Energos Celsius FSRU was delivered by Seatrium, which provides engineering solutions to the global offshore, marine and energy industries. This was Seatrium’s fourth FSRU project for Brazil.

The vessel, owned by Energos Infrastructure, is on long-term charter to NFE.

In April 2024, NFE awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to a consortium of Mitsubishi Power Americas and Andrade Gutierrez for the power plant to be developed adjacent to the Barcarena LNG terminal.

The power plant is expected to begin operations in Q3 2025.

NFE’s footprint in Brazil

In January 2021, New Fortress Energy (NFE) entered into definitive agreements to acquire Hygo Energy Transition and Golar LNG Partners (GMLP).

The Hygo transaction carried a $3.1bn enterprise value and a $2.18bn equity value, while GMLP deal had a $1.9bn enterprise value and $251m common equity value.

The two transactions, which completed in April 2021, made NFE one of the leading gas-to-power companies in Brazil.

According to the company, NFE has four new LNG terminals in Brazil. These are Barcarena, Sergipe LNG terminal, one facility next to Suape, and Terminal Gas Sul LNG Terminal in Santa Catarina.

Under the GMLP transaction, NFE added a fleet of seven FSRUs and six LNG carriers among other assets.

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Owned by World Copper Ltd., the Escalones deposit was discovered by Ralph Fitch, former president and CEO of General Minerals Corporation, and Felipe Malbran, former Vice President of Exploration, South America, through greenfield exploration in 1996. 

World Copper filed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) of the project with an effective date of 15 February 2022 and an issue date of 22 March 2022. 

As per the PEA, the project has an average annual copper production of 124.7Mlb (56,520 tonnes) for the first five years and a life of mine average of 114.9Mlb (52,131 tonnes) and a 20-year mine life. 

Escalones Location and Site Access Details 

The Escalones Copper Project is located approximately 97km southeast of Santiago in Central Chile and 9km west of the Chile-Argentina border. The project lies near the headwaters of the Maipó River. 

The Los Pelambres to El Teniente porphyry copper belt hosts the project. The belt runs north to south through the Chile-Argentina border in the Central Andes Mountains. 

The underground El Teniente Copper Mine is located approximately 35km east of the Escalones site. 

Escalones is accessible by a paved road from San José de Maipó Town to Romeral and San Gabriel followed by a dirt road along the ECOGAS pipeline following the Maipó River to Quebrada Escalones. 

The base camp lies along the western edge of the project at an elevation of 2,400masl.  

Drill access roads totaling 46km were constructed between 1997 and 2000 by TMI Chile. The roads connect the base camp and the ECOGAS pipeline access road to the Meseta and the Escalones Alto portions of the project. 

Additional drill roads run along the eastern side of Escalones Alto from the Argüelles River. 

Escalones covers a total area of 161km2. Of the total covered area, 46km2 is covered by 19 exploration concessions subjected to an option agreement between Trimetals Mining Chile, a wholly owned and an indirect subsidiary of World Copper. 

The rest 115km2 is covered by TriMetals’ 40 exploration concessions. 

Escalones Ownership History 

Under the direction of Fitch and Felipe Malbran, the project was optioned by General Minerals SCM, Chile in 1996 after General Minerals became a wholly owned subsidiary of South American Silver. 

Currently, Pablo Caglevic, a representative of the Sociedad, is managing the Escalones option. 

General Minerals signed a joint venture agreement with ASARCO in June 1999 under which ASARCO could earn 60% equity in the project after completing additional payments to General Minerals and a bankable feasibility study. 

In 2001, South American terminated its interest in the project due to the low price of copper, poor economic viability, and high ongoing option payments. 

In 2004, South American acquired its interest back in the project. 2004 saw no exploration but many companies tried to find a joint venture partner for the project. 

South American signed a joint venture agreement with Minerva Aurex (Chile), a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corporation, in March 2005. 

As per the agreement, up to a 72% joint venture interest could be earned by Minerva in Escalones through payments to South American, exploration expenditures, and completing a feasibility study. 

The joint venture agreement was slashed by Minerva in May 2007. At the end of 2007, a total of 30 drill holes (12,666m) were drilled on the project. 

Southern American changed its name to TriMetals Mining in March 2014 and to Gold Springs Resource in November 2019. 

In May 2019, Wealth Minerals acquired the project from Gold Springs Resource by signing a share purchase agreement. In July 2020, Wealth Minerals became World Copper. 

Escalones Geology and Mineralisation  

The Escalones Project is located within the Pelambres-El Teniente porphyry copper belt of the Miocene to Pliocene age. 

The copper belt hosts El Teniente Copper Mine, the world’s largest underground copper mine, and other copper mines. 

The mineralisation of the project consists of two types: lithological skarn mineralisation and disseminated porphyry-style stockwork mineralisation. 

The lithological skarn mineralisation is hosted with altered shale/sandstone, sills, and intrusive dykes. 

The disseminated porphyry-style stockwork mineralisation includes underlying granodiorite and diorite. 

Gold, silver, and molybdenum are found associated with copper mineralisation as per the rock geochemistry. 

The skarn mineralisation consists of minerals like calcareous and feldspathic sediments, magnetite, and calcsilicate. 

The other minerals found in the skarn mineralisation are garnet, pyroxene, sandstone, carbonate, and calcareous shale with chalcopyrite and pyrite. 

The porphyry mineralisation consists of moderate to intense potassic alteration, granodiorite, and hornfelsed sandstone. 

Due to supergene weathering and copper mobilisation, a stratification has developed at the subparallel level to the current surface.  

The stratification is clear in the core where copper and iron oxides dominate the upper portion and sulphides in fractures. 

 Mineral Resource Estimate 

At a density of 2.69 tonne/m3, the total inferred mineral resource estimate of the project is 426Mt containing 3,447Mlbs copper at a grading of 0.367%. 

 Mining Methods and Processing of Ore  

For the Escalones Copper Project, the conventional open-pit mining method is selected to mine ores. 

A triple bench format was used by Ms. Lane of Global Resource Engineering for the open-pit area. The format consists of triple 10m*13m (vertical benches*horizontal catch bench) for three vertical benches. 

The haul roads and ramps are built using 227-tonne haul trucks and haul roads have a minimum width of 34m and a maximum gradient of 10%. The mine will produce 50,000 tonnes of copper ore per day (tpd). 

 The processing of ore will consist of conventional sulphuric acid heap leaching, solvent extraction, and electrowinning resulting in cathode copper. 

The processing will work for 365 days per year on a 24-hour basis. The targeted production is 50,000 tonnes per day of mineralised material producing Grade-A copper cathode at an average rate of 52,000 annual tonnes. 

The run of mine will be transported to a primary jaw crusher near the proposed open pit followed by a secondary crushing circuit to the heap through several conveyors. 

The heap leach will leach copper and transfer it to the copper recovery circuit in the form of pregnant leach solution. 

The pregnant leach solution will undergo direct processing in the solvent extraction (SX) plant resulting in a copper depleted weak raffinate which will be recycled to the raffinate pond.  

The copper rich electrolyte will enter the electrowinning circuit consisting of electrowinning cells with cathodes and anodes producing Grade-A copper cathode which will be ready for shipment in bundles. 

Escalones Infrastructure  

The existing infrastructure of the project includes a seasonal base camp of 50 persons accommodation lying along Rio Maipó River, re-opened three drill access roads (9km, 14km, and 22km), and power and other supply Queltehues Hydroelectric Plant through the right-of-way pipeline. 

The new infrastructure will consist of power supply, access and haul roads, process water supply, mine, and plant facilities, cathode storage and transport system, camp, and ground material transport. 

The power needed for the project is approximately 150MkW from the Queltehues Hydroelectric Plant located 53km downstream.  

The Queltehues Hydroelectric Plant will be connected to the project via high-voltage transmission lines. 

Contractors Involved 

The 2022 PEA of the project was prepared by Global Resource Engineering and Hard Rock Consulting. 

World Copper’s wholly owned Chilean subsidiary, TriMetals Mining, signed a letter of intent with Desaladora Rosario to construct pipeline meant to supply desalinated water for the project.  

Desaladora will construct a desalination plant of 2,000 litres per second design capacity in the Cardenal Caro Province. A pipeline will connect the plant and the project. 

For 15 years, the project will receive a part of the design capacity of the plant. 

In February 2022, World Copper signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Advanced Mining Technology Centre, Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, University of Chile to research, develop, and implement sustainable and innovative solutions for mining, exploration, and processing of ore for the project. 

A technical report of the project was filed by World Copper in October 2021 prepared by Hard Rock Consulting. 

World Copper selected Liviakis Financial Communications in September 2021 and signed an agreement to provide investor relations services. 

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The fuel-flexible power plant will be capable of running on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, or diesel.

The project is being developed by the Early Power Limited (EPL) consortium, sponsored by Endeavor Energy, Sage Petroleum and General Electric (GE).

Bridge Power is being developed in multiple stages (Stage 1a, Stage 1b and Stage 2). Net power generation capacities for each stage will be 145MW (Stage 1a), 57MW (Stage 1b), and 222MW for Stage 2.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held in April 2017. In December 2018, EPL issued full construction Notice to Proceed on Stage I of the multi-fuel combined cycle power plant.

The project, which is expected to have an operational life of at least 25 years, entails a total estimated investment of around $948.5m.

Once complete, Bridge Power Project is set to become Africa’s first LPG fired power plant delivering electricity to support operations at schools, factories, offices, other local businesses, hospitals, and households.

Bridge Power Project Location

Bridge Power Project is located on brownfield land within the Tema Heavy Industrial Area (THIA), in the industrial port town of Tema in Ghana.

The location is approximately 27km east of Ghana’s capital city of Accra.

The power plant facilities will be on two separate sites- Power Plant Site 1 (PPS1) and Power Plant Site 2 (PPS2).

Bridge Power Project Infrastructure

The development of the power project will encompass building plant facilities, a fuel storage tank farm, and fuel and water delivery pipelines.

PPS1 (202MW) is planned to be developed in two stages with the operation of five GE TM2500+ in open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) mode (Stage 1a) and one GE steam turbine in combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) generating mode (Stage 1b).

A spare gas turbine LM2500 G4 will be installed as a replacement unit.

The 222MW PPS2 (Stage 2), located to the north of PPS1 and west of the tank farm site, will include four LM6000 PC Sprint variant units operating in CCGT mode. A spare LM6000 PC gas turbine will be stored on-site to be used as a replacement.

Ancillary infrastructure will include a more than 9km long pipeline for transporting LPG; an LPG storage tank farm; and additional pipelines to carry raw water and diesel to the project site.

According to the project’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, the pipeline will transport LPG from the existing Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) jetty to the TOR plant site, via the new project tank farm and eventually to the PPS1 and PPS2.

The tank farm will store LPG before its use by PPS1 and PPS2, while diesel fuel oil (DFO) pipelines will transport it from the Quantum petroleum site to PPS1 and PPS2.

Bridge Power Project will primarily use LPG to generate electricity. The plant will aim to become a natural gas-fuel facility within five years of becoming operational.

In case gas becomes unavailable, diesel will be used as the backup fuel.

A new pipeline will be laid from a Ghana Water Company (GWC) municipal supply network connection to connect the municipal supply network to water storage facilities within the LPG tank farm.

Power Evacuation

In Stage 1a, power generated by the plant will be transferred at 33kV to the existing Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Station H substation through an underground connection. The substation is located adjacent to the Volta River Authority (VRA) Tema Thermal Power Complex (TTPC).

Stage 1b power evacuation is planned via a new 161kV spur into a new double circuit 161kV overhead line which will run adjacent to the existing overhead lines.

Stage 2 power is planned to be transported via a new substation into the new GRIDCO 161kV power lines.

Under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), EPL will supply power to the Electricity Corporation of Ghana (ECG). The PPA includes a five-year extension option.

Contractors Involved

The Bridge Power Project counts United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Clifford Chance, Senet Corporate Solicitors, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineering Services, Aurecon, Jacobs Consultancy, Associated Consultants, Trustee Services Limited (TSL) and Kina Advisory as private partners.

Jacobs Consultancy carried out an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the project.

In May 2017, GE announced that it would supply TM2500 gas turbine generator sets and steam turbines in a combined cycle (CC) configuration for the Bridge Power Plant.

METKA was selected as the project construction contractor and GuarantCo provided an EPC contractor payment guarantee for Stage 1 of the Bridge Power Plant.

Telic Engineering was engaged by Pro-Per Energy Services as a control and instrumentation engineer to support GE Power with commissioning activities for five TM2500 generation 8 units.

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The project, an open pit mine, is managed by the Schaft Creek Joint Venture formed in July 2013. The joint venture is formed between Teck Resources Limited (75%) and Copper Fox Metals Inc. (25%). Teck Resources is the operator of the SCJV.

In May 2004, a status and resource estimate of the project was prepared. It was followed by a preliminary assessment (scoping study) of the viability of the project in September 2004 and an updated resource estimate in June 2007.

In December 2007, a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) of the project was published followed by a Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) on the project development in September 2008.

The 2008 PFS was updated and published in May 2010 and was followed by an updated mineral resource estimate in July 2011.

A resource estimate of the project was published in June 2012 and a technical report with a feasibility study in January 2013.

The resource estimate was updated and published in January 2021 succeeded by a PEA in September 2021.

According to the September 2021 PEA, the project has a pre-tax payback period of 4.4 years and a post-tax payback period of 4.8 years for a 21-year life of mine.

The SCJV approved a C$17.2m ($12.78m) budget to advance the development of the project in 2023. The fund will be completely funded by Teck.

Schaft Creek Location and Site Details

Covering an area of 55,779.56 hectares (ha), the Schaft Creek Project is located on the eastern side of the Coast Mountains within the Cassiar/Liard Mining Division.

The project lies approximately 120km southwest of Dease Lake and 375km northwest of Smithers. Telegraph Creek is the closest population centre located approximately 61km to the north of the project.

The Highway 37 lies 45km east of the project. The project has an exploration camp 1km towards its southwest.

The project consists of 181 mining claims comprising a north block, a south block, and three isolated claims to the northeast.

The project can be accessed by a rotary or a fixed-wing aircraft through two gravel airstrips located adjacent to the project camp. The airstrips are approximately 770m long.

Schaft Creek Ownership History

BIK Syndicate, a consortium of companies incorporated as Liard Copper Mines Ltd. in 1966, staked the initial claims in 1957. The initial claims and subsequent additions were staked over the Liard Zone (Liard Property).

An option agreement was signed between Liard and Hecla Mining Company in 1968. Under this agreement, Liard earned a 70% interest in the Liard Property and retained a 30% carried Net Proceeds Interest (NPI) in the Liard Property.

Teck Resources acquired a 78% interest in Liard representing a 23.4% interest in the Liard Property.

The north claims (Paramount Claims) of the Liard Property were staked by Paramount Mining Ltd. Paramount Mining signed an option agreement with Hecla for the Paramount Claims in 1969. Subsequently, Teck acquired the tenure over an area comprising the Paramount Claims.

Hecla transferred its 70% interest in the Liard Property to Teck in 1978 and kept 5% NPI with itself yielding an effective 3.5% NPI on the Liard Property for Hecla.

Teck signed an option agreement with Guillermo Salazar in January 2002 under which Salazar received a 70% direct participating interest of Teck in the Liard property. Salazar also received 23.4% indirect carried interest of Teck in the Property by completing a positive bankable feasibility study.

The Paramount Claims were included in the agreement. Teck could acquire up to 75% interest through back-in right in the property.

In February 2003, the option agreement was assigned to 955528 Alberta Ltd. by Salazar. In 2004, Alberta merged with Copper Fox which conducted further work on the project from 2005 to 2012.

Copper Fox and Teck signed an agreement in July 2013 and formed SCJV. The SCJV included a 78% interest of Teck in Liard Property.

The SCJV entered into an agreement in December 2015 and acquired an additional 7.4% of the issued and outstanding shares of Liard Property. Thus, the total ownership of the Liard Property became approximately 85.5%.

Geology and Mineralisation

Predominantly, the Schaft Creek Project is underlain by rocks representing the Hickman Batholith and the Stuhini Group volcanic rocks (lithological domains).

The boundary of these domains is obscured by colluvial and alluvial covers in the Schaft Creek valley. The mineralisation hosts the boundary between the batholith and volcanic rocks within the deposit area.

From oldest to youngest, the types of rocks of the Hickman Batholith hosted within the project area are ultramafic dunite, clinopyroxenite, hornblendite, equigranular to weakly porphyric granodiorite to granite, porphyric monzonite to monzodiorite, and different feldspar-quartz porphyritic monzodiorite dikes.

The rocks of the Stuhini Group within the project area include augite, plagioclase phyric coherent volcanic flows, basaltic to andesitic volcaniclastic tuffs and breccias, gabbroic sills, and augite-phyric subvolcanic dikes.

The minerals are hosted within three zones: the Main (Liard) Zone, the Paramount Zone, and the West Breccia Zone.

The Liard Zone hosts various types of vein-hosted mineralisation: the copper-gold-molybdenum mineralisation, the overprinting copper-gold mineralization, and late molybdenum mineralization.

The Paramount Zone hosts different breccia cement minerals with different mineralization styles: the copper-molybdenum mineralization associated with K-feldspar-quartz-biotite-chalcopyrite-molybdenite ± bornite veins and breccias with potassic alteration.

The copper-gold-molybdenum mineralization associated with chalcopyrite-bornite-anhydrite ± molybdenite veins and associated albitic alteration, and the copper-gold-molybdenum mineralization associated with quartz-carbonate-tourmaline-chalcopyrite ± bornite ± molybdenite veins and breccias with associated silicic alteration.

The West Breccia Zone mineralization is similar to the Paramount Zone and dominated by low-medium temperature breccia mineralogy with three prominent mineralization styles.

The copper-molybdenum-gold mineralisation associated with molybdenite ± tourmaline-chalcopyrite-pyrite-carbonate veins and breccias with silicic alteration.

The copper-molybdenum mineralization associated with pyrite-calcite-chlorite veins and breccias with propylitic alteration and the high-grade copper-molybdenum-gold mineralization associated with calcite-tourmaline-actinolite-chlorite breccia cement.

Schaft Creek Mineral Resource Estimate

The measured mineral resource estimate for the Schaft Creek Project is 176Mt containing 1,262mlb copper at a grading of 0.32%, 1.28mtoz gold at a grading of 0.22g/t, 71mlb molybdenum at a grading of 0.018%, and 8.26mtoz silver at a grading of 1.46g/t.

The indicated mineral resources are 1,169Mt containing 6,503mlb copper at a grading of 0.25%, 5.69mtoz gold at a grading of 0.15g/t, 440mlb molybdenum at a grading of 0.017%, and 46mtoz silver at a grading of 1.22g/t.

The total (measured + indicated) mineral resource estimate for the project is 1,346Mt.

The inferred mineral resource estimate of the project is 344Mt containing 1.303mlb copper at a grading of 0.17%, 1.18mtoz gold at a grading of 0.11g/t, 96mlb molybdenum at a grading of 0.013%, and 9.28mtoz silver at a grading of 0.84g/t.

Mining Methods and Processing

A 20*20*15m block model has been used for the updated mine plan for pit shell generation, pit design, and production scheduling.

The plan of mining is based on a conventional open pit truck-and-shovel method.

Under the method, the electric rope shovels with 45m3 buckets will be used as primary loading units. Hauling will be conducted using 360t haul trucks.

The waste rock will be stored in the east and west Rock Storage facilities (RSFs) with a total storage capacity of 571.1 million m3. A portion of the waste rock will be used for the construction of the embankment.

The project will produce 1.03 billion tonnes (Bt) of waste rock and 1.03Bt of mill feed over the 21-year life of mine at average grades of 0.26% copper, 0.16g/t gold, 0.017% molybdenum, and 1.23g/t silver with an overall life of mine strip ratio of approximately one.

The ore will be processed in a proposed processing plant with a nominal throughput of 133,000 tonnes per day (t/d) and an availability of 92%.

The run of mine will undergo crushing in the primary crushing circuit resulting in the reduction in the particle size to approximately 80% passing 120mm or finer.

The crushed mill feed will be transferred to a stockpile of 120,000t live capacity and then reclaimed in two parallel lines to two SAG mills, four Ball mills, and three Pebble Crushers (SABC) circuits of the primary grinding circuit. The SABC circuits will further reduce the particle size to 80% passing 150μm.

The material from the primary grinding circuits will enter rougher/scavenger flotation circuits consisting of two trains of copper-molybdenum rougher/scavenger flotation. The circuits will produce a low-grade rougher/scavenger concentrate and a high-grade rougher concentrate.

Both concentrates will be reground separately and upgraded in three stages of cleaner flotation producing a copper-molybdenum bulk flotation concentrate.

The further treatment of the bulk flotation concentrate will produce a molybdenum concentrate containing approximately 50% molybdenum after leaching with chloride and a copper concentrate containing 28% estimated copper with gold and silver.

The final flotation concentrates will undergo thickening and pressure filtration to a moisture content of approximately 9%.

The molybdenum concentrate will undergo dewatering by drying to a moisture content of approximately 4% to 5%.

The dried molybdenum concentrate will be stored in bags before trucking to Fairview Terminals in Prince Rupert for international shipment to the smelter.

The copper concentrate will be stockpiled and trucked via Highway 37 to the Port of Stewart for storage and export to foreign markets.

Schaft Creek Infrastructure

The onsite infrastructure will consist of a Galore Creek access road linking the Schaft Creek turnoff, More Canyon Bridge, a network of site haul roads, and access roads, including the 40km new road, linking the Schaft Creek turnoff north via Mess Creek Valley to the project site.

The other onsite infrastructure will include a tailing storage facility, a water supply and distribution system, a sewage disposal plant, and processing and associated facilities.

The off-site infrastructure will consist of an upgraded Bob Quinn Lake Airport (BQLA) located approximately 120km from the site and a concentrate storage facility at Port Stewart in British Columbia.

The BQLA will be upgraded by installing a navigation/instrument landing system and a terminal.

Power Supply and Distribution

The site of the Schaft Creek Project will receive power from BC Hydro via a new private 95km and 287kV transmission line connecting the site to the BC Hydro Bob Quinn Substation.

The substation will include a main incoming disconnect switch, a main circuit breaker (SF6), four circuit breakers with line side disconnects, and four main stepdown transformers each with rated 60/80MVA, ONAN/ONAF, 287kV to 35kV nominal 10% impedance and high and low voltage delta with zigzag transformers with resistance grounding.

The 38kV switchgear will be located within the substation area. The switchgear will contain 33 feeder breakers which will distribute power to the site.

The oil-filled transformers to convert power from 35kV to 4.16kV will be located outdoor and adjacent to the electrical rooms on the side of the concentrator.

The dry type transformers to convert power from 35kV to 600V will be located indoor within the electrical rooms.

The remote loads will receive power via a 35kV overhead transmission line.

Important Contractors

A team of engineering consultants were commissioned by Copper Fox to prepare the PEA of the Schaft Creek Project in 2020. The team included the following companies:

Tetra Tech was selected for overall project management, mining methods, mineral processing and recovery methods, infrastructure, capital, and operating cost estimates with economic analysis.

Red Pennant Communications supported in preparing project description, location, accessibility, history, geological setting, deposit types, exploration, drilling, mineral resource estimate, and adjacent properties.

Greenwood Environmental prepared environmental studies, permitting, and social or community impact of the PEA.

Ruskin Construction/ Allnorth Consultants Ltd. was selected for preparing Galore Creek Access Road and More Canyon Bridge sections, McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. for Mess Creek Access Road, and

Knight Piésold for tailings and waste rock management and power transmission including capital costs.

Tetra Tech prepared the January 2013 FS and June 2012 resource estimate of the project.

The July 2011 mineral resource estimate of the project was prepared by AMEC Americas Limited.

Samuel Engineering prepared the amended PFS (May 2010), September 2008 PFS, and December 2007 PEA of the project.

Associated Geoscience. prepared the updated mineral resource estimate of June 2007.

Associated Mining Consultants and HATCH were selected to prepare September 2004 preliminary assessment (scoping study) of the project.

Giroux Consultants was engaged to prepare the resource estimate (May 2004) of the project.

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The Akpo West and Akpo Main fields are parts of the Akpo Field which was discovered in April 2000 by drilling of the first exploration well (Akpo 1) on the deepwater Oil Mining Lease (OML) 130 block.

The PML2 licence is operated by TotalEnergies. The partners in the license are China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) (45%), South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO) (15%), Prime 130 (16%), and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company  is the concessionaire of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) between the partners of the field.

Akpo West Field Location Details

The Akpo West Field is located 135,000m (135km) off the coast of Nigeria.

The Akpo Field is located within the OML 130 approximately 175,000m (175km) from Port Harcourt in water depths ranging from 1,100m to 1,300m.

Akpo West Field Development Details

The development of the Akpo West Field was planned for 2022 with three wells.

The Akpo West Field is developed with a tie back to the existing Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility of Akpo.

The Akpo FPSO commenced commercial operations in 2009. The FPSO produced 124,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2023.

The field will produce 14,000 barrels of condensate production per day. The production will be increased to up to 4 million cubic meters of gas per day by 2028.

The project will contribute towards the maintenance of the existing Akpo facilities by the development of the nearby resources.

The development will minimise greenhouse gas emissions and keep the costs of the existing Akpo facilities low.

The carbon intensity of the field is expected to be less than 5kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per barrel of oil equivalent (CO2e/boe) thereby, reducing the average carbon intensity of the portfolio of TotalEnergies.

Akpo Appraisal and Drilling Details

The development of the Akpo Field consisted of an appraisal drilling programme.

The drilling programme included four vertical wells, two side tracks, and detailed reservoir and development studies.

The drilling programme was followed by a Field Development Plan (FDP) of the field. The FDP was submitted to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) for approval.

Under the FDP, the proposed programme included 44 wells including two gas injector wells, 20 water injector wells, and 22 producer wells.

A network of flowlines, umbilical, and risers were also a part of the FDP. These connect the subsea production systems to the FPSO.

The development of the Akpo Main Field consists of 50 wells consisting of 44 FDP wells and six infill wells.

Transport

The condensate from the Akpo Field is exported through a buoy located 2,000m (2km) from the FPSO.

A portion of the gas is re-injected, and the rest is transported to Amenam/Kpono Platform via a 150,000m (150km) pipelines.

The pipelines deliver the gas to the Bonny Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Plant.

The Akpo Field commenced commercial operations in March 2009 with a peak production of 180,000 barrels per day.

The field produced a daily net production of approximately 38,000 barrels in 2022 due to natural decline.

According to the latest records, the field has produced more than 600 million barrels of condensate.

Contractors Involved

Dakotelin Nigeria was one of the contractors of the Akpo Field.

In March 2009, Capefront Energies was selected for rigging/rope access for Akpo FPSO. The scope of work included mooring, FPSO utilising mooring, NOV SCR pull in system, NOV mooring, and Righini chain jack system.

Marine Platforms was awarded a contract of delivering Offshore Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair (OIMR) services on the Akpo, Egina, and other exploration fields in January 2019.

The work scope included a 100-tonne vessel and a 150-tonne vessel both fitted with 200HP ROVs, experienced personnel, and onshore support.

Marine Platforms deployed its African Vision, a multipurpose offshore support vessel, for the execution of the contract. The vessel consisted of a 100-tonne AHC crane, a 60-man accommodation, and a 1000m2 deck space.

The company also deployed Maersk Inventor, a light construction DP3 vessel consisting of a 400-tonne AHC crane, a 120-man accommodation, and a 1,850m2 deck space.

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The facility is owned and operated by Ontario Power Generation (OPG).

The nuclear facility features eight operating CANDU reactors (CANadian Deuterium Uranium) pressurised heavy water reactors, out of which Unit 2 and Unit 3 were put under safe storage.

The PNGS project supplies approximately 14% of Ontario’s electricity needs, with zero emissions.

OPG was issued a ten-year licence to operate the Pickering NGS in September 2018, which expires in August 2028.

The current operating licence expires in December 2024, followed by safe storage activities to the end of 2028.

The reactors, Units 1 and 4 are planned to cease operations at the end of 2024.

In June 2023, OPG applied to extend the commercial operation of Units 5–8 until December 31, 2026.

The refurbishment of Pickering NGS is planned to be completed by the mid-2030s.

According to the Conference Board of Canada, the refurbishment of PNGS is expected to increase Ontario’s GDP by C$19.4bn ($14.5bn) over the 11-year project period.

Pickering Station Location

The Pickering NGS in Ontario occupies a land area of 240 hectares (ha). The total frontage of the Pickering NGS site along the shoreline of Lake Ontario is approximately 2,260m.

Background Details

The nuclear generation facility commenced operations in 1971 with a single reactor. An additional seven reactors were installed in the facility by 1986.

In January 2016, the Province of Ontario approved the plans to pursue continued operation of the Pickering Stations until 2024.

In August 2020, the Ontario government announced support for a proposed further operating extension of reactors in the plant until the end of 2024 and 2025.

In 2023, The PNGS facility generated a total of 21.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of carbon-free energy, enough to power more than two million homes in Ontario.

PNGS Project Details

The two generating stations are PNGS A (Unit 1-4) and PNGS B (Unit 5-8). Unit 2 and Unit 3 were shut down and defuelled.

The PNGS A calandria has 390 fuel channels while the PNGS B calandria has 380 fuel channels.

Each generating station includes four reactor buildings, a reactor auxiliary bay, main control rooms, Irradiated Fuel Bays, a powerhouse, an annex building, a screen house and standby generators and their oil tanks.

The reactor building comprises the reactor and twelve steam generators.

The reactor buildings are constructed using 1.2m thick heavily reinforced concrete to enclose the reactors and shield personnel from radiation during operation.

Each unit generator has one main output transformer to step up the voltage from the generator to the level required to deliver it to the bulk electrical power system via the switchyard.

Pickering Waste Management Facility

The Pickering Waste Management Facility (PWMF) is composed of two sites PWMF Phase I and II.

PWMF Phase I is located southeast of Unit 8 and includes Used Fuel Dry Storage (UFDS) for interim storage of used fuel in a Dry Storage Container (DSC), Retube Components Storage for interim storage of PNGS A irradiated reactor components in Dry Storage Modules (DSM).

PWMF Phase II is located approximately 500m northeast of the PWMF Phase I site and includes a security kiosk, DSC Storage Buildings (SB) 3 and 4 and the site for additional DSC SB.

Key Infrastructure

The project site lies within 3.5km from Highway 401, Highway 2 and the main Canadian National (CN) rail line.

A dock was constructed near PNGS A for the unloading of the major reactor components.

Refurbishment of Pickering Nuclear Generating Station

In January 2024, the Ontario government announced that it is supporting OPG’s plans to proceed with refurbishing Pickering NGS B units (units 5-8). The facility is expected to produce a total of 2,000MW of electricity post-refurbishment, equivalent to powering two million homes.

The project’s initiation of refurbishment is expected to last till the end of 2024.

The Ontario government is supporting OPG’s C$2bn ($1.4bn) budget which includes engineering, design work and securing long-lead components that can require years for manufacturing.

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