Batteries in the Four Corners of the World: the Australian Desert

Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies for almost a decade, develops high-performance batteries that can withstand extreme conditions. From the freezing polar cold to scorching desert heat, the company's expertise has established it as a market leader. We take you to faraway places where Saft technology is helping its customers to decarbonize. Second stop: the Australian desert!

Infographics "Batteries in the four corners of the world n°2 Agnew" - see detailed description hereafter - open the PDF

Batteries in the Four Corners of the World
Episode 2 – Australia: Journey to the Middle of the Desert

When you're in the desert
Welcome to Agnew, Western Australia.
While sparse vegetation struggles to grow, the Agnew gold mine, operated by Golden Fields, is one of the largest in the world. It calls on Saft's services to help the mining industry decarbonize its activities.
To meet this challenge, Gold Fields turned to Saft, a TotalEnergies subsidiary specialized in high-performance batteries, with the objectives to reduce its carbon footprint and ensure a reliable power supply despite extreme heat.
Extreme conditions
40°C in the shade, and equipment under pressure.
In the Australian desert, temperatures regularly exceed 40°Celsius. Saft's batteries must cope with these extreme conditions without losing their efficiency.
Reducing site emissions
To reduce CO₂ emissions, operator Golden Fields has set up a microgrid, i.e. a localized electricity network to power the site. It is composed of solar and wind power capacities. Today, 60% of the electricity used by the site comes from renewable sources. This enables a reduction of 46 Kt of CO₂ per year.
The problem? Compensating for the intermittency of renewables.
The battery as an oasis!
Saft has designed a BESS (Battery Energy Storage System), spread across six containers, capable of absorbing fluctuations in the site's renewable electricity production.
The entire microgrid and battery system offers an electricity production capacity of 56 MW, including 13 MW from the BESS.
A reliable system tested on site
NMC Li-ion technology was chosen for these containers. They were assembled and tested on the final site before commissioning to ensure optimal operation.
Batteries designed for extreme heat
Saft's BESS has a humidity and heat control system to regulate the temperature inside the containers and ensure the integrity of the batteries. This also guarantees a long service life for this equipment.