Exploring pumped hydro energy storage for the end of mine lifecycle

Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Energy Storage

What happens when mining sites reach their end-of-life cycle? Mt Rawdon, an operating open pit gold mine in Queensland is expecting its end of mine life around 2027. Our client and the mine owner collaborated to investigate the site’s potential for a pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) facility. One of the benefits? The opportunity to restore the areas of the mine to a safe, stable, and self-sustaining condition—reducing the environmental impacts of mining and changing the legacy of the site. 

The basic concept is to use the open pit void as the lower reservoir and to construct an upper reservoir in the vicinity. In partnership with Strategy Focused Innovation (SFI), we conducted an initial PHES scoping study to assess the viability of a pumped hydropower storage project at the site. The study identified a dozen prospective upper reservoir sites with between 150-megawatt and 600-megawatt installed capacity for eight hours of storage.

Further assessment of the identified sites during the pre-feasibility level study highlighted that the PHES potential could be expanded, resulting in a preferred upper reservoir site offering up to 20 gigawatt hours of energy storage with options ranging from 500 megawatts to 2,000 megawatts.

Stantec and SFI are now progressing the PHES opportunity to full feasibility level. Access tracks to the upper reservoir site have been established in preparation for the geotechnical investigations and further engineering studies, which will hopefully someday give this mining site a second life.