A high-density pumped storage power plant could be sited within a new mine in Anglesey.
Anglesey Mining is developing a polymetallic underground mine at Parys Mountain south of the town of Amlwch in north east Anglesey, Wales – an area with a history of copper mining. Now it has produced a ‘conceptual study’ for of a high-density fluid hydro-power energy storage project within the mine.
The study explores using RheEnergise’s High-Density Hydro® (HD Hydro) energy storage technology, using the mothballed underground workings and the Morris shaft excavated in 1989. Anglesey Mining and RheEnergise have elected to immediately commence a Pre-feasibility study (PFS), the first part of which will assess a range of deployment and sizing options, as described in the conceptual study.
Anglesey Mining says elements of the energy storage project scope fit with its incremental development approach for the mine. They include de-watering and refitting of the Morris shaft for material and personnel hoisting; dewatering of the workings emanating from the Morris shaft 280m below the surface; upgrading the power-line to site; environmental and social studies; and impact avoidance, mitigation and compensation strategies.
It says the energy storage project will initially market its products, which are energy storage and electricity grid stability services, to third parties. In the future the Parys Mountain mine may be in a position enter a long term energy offtake contract for the powering of the mine and processing plant, at that time mutually beneficial commercial terms will be explored as the energy storage supply and off-take will be in close physical proximity.
A key aspect of this study stage is to identify third party funders for the project including reviewing the range of government incentives available for R&D renewable energy storage projects, highlighting the link to the primary supply of critical minerals for the UK and the creation of jobs and associated economic activity. The structure of how the project is owned, managed and funded is not fixed at this time, so that a bespoke structure can be arrived at that facilitates the third party funding, once identified.
Among points identified in favour of the development, Anglesey Mining noted:
• Increasing justification for the deployment of on-site energy storage facilities at many mining sites because firm power supply is generally required not only to ensure environmental, health and safety controls continue to be in place but also importantly for processing operations
• This energy storage need is juxtaposed, at a typical mine site, with at least two physically unique advantages for deploying high-density hydro power storage: firstly, the core business of underground void creation, some portion of which may be re-purposed within the mining sequence as upper and lower fluid storage reservoirs and secondly, because the on-site processing facility normally generates waste fines in the form of tailings, which through an incremental process could be incorporated into the manufacturing of the high-density fluids required.
Parys Mountain is intended to be used for primary mining of copper, lead, silver and zinc.