Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) is investing in a 200 MW solar power plant designed to accelerate its decarbonization program in line with the Barrick Gold Corp.’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Roadmap. NGM is majority owned and operated by Barrick.

NGM is partnering with First Solar to manufacture all modules required to support the 200 MW construction, entirely in the United States. NGM has committed to a 20% carbon reduction by 2025. This will be achieved through the 200 MW solar array construction and the conversion of NGM’s coal fired power plant to cleaner burning natural gas.

NGM has commenced detailed engineering and expects to begin construction in the third quarter of 2022. The modules supplied by First Solar are expected to be delivered in the beginning of the second quarter of 2023 and will power both phases of the power plant. The project is scheduled to commission both phase I and phase II by early 2024.

“The project is the latest in a series of carbon-reducing initiatives across the group’s global operations,” says Grant Beringer, Barrick’s group sustainability executive. “The solar power plant will complement the transition of NGM’s coal power plant to a dual fuel process, which will enable it to generate electricity from natural gas, reducing carbon emissions by as much as 50 percent.”