Australian remote and off-grid power specialist Zenith Energy said its hybrid power plants are now consistently achieving renewable energy penetration rates above 80% at mine sites, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and putting to rest any concerns that high-renewable energy systems cannot reliably support energy-intensive industrial operations.
Perth-based Zenith said mining companies are increasingly investing in renewables-based hybrid energy systems as they seek to reduce exposure to diesel costs and logistics, improve energy security and support emissions reduction targets.
Zenith Chief Executive Officer Hamish Moffat said the hybrid power systems are now operating well beyond the pilot stage and achieving levels of renewable integration that exceed many grid-connected industrial operations while maintaining reliable supply in some of the country’s most demanding operating environments.
“These are not demonstration projects or research programs. They are critical industrial operations that require reliable power around the clock,” he said.
“What is significant is that these systems are now consistently achieving very high levels of renewable energy penetration while supporting continuous production in remote environments where there is no interconnected grid to fall back on.”
Zenith, which has more than 1.2 GW of contracted capacity across grid-connected and islanded power systems secured under long-term contracts, said Australian mining company Lynas Rare Earths’ Mount Weld operation in the state’s Goldfields region achieved a 95.7% renewable energy share in the March 2026 quarter.
The hybrid power station, that includes a 7 MW solar farm, a 12 MW / 12 MWh battery energy storage system and a 24 MW wind farm, backed by gas and diesel generation, reduced diesel use by more than 870,000 litres compared with the same period last year.
A 90 MW hybrid power plant at Bellevue Gold’s mine site in the northern Goldfields region delivered a record monthly renewable energy share of 93.8% in February 2026.
Zenith said the site, powered by 27 MW of solar, 24 MW of wind and a 15 MW / 30 MWh battery energy storage system, along with 24 MW of thermal generation, also achieved a record 155 consecutive hours of “engine-off” operations with the facility running entirely on renewable energy.
At Liontown’s Kathleen Valley lithium mining project in the northern Goldfields, a hybrid renewable energy system comprising 16 MW of solar, 30 MW of wind capacity, and a 17 MW / 19 MWh battery energy storage system, delivered an 82% renewable energy share in the six months to the end of June.
Moffat said the operational results challenge lingering perceptions that high-renewable energy systems can not maintain reliable supply for energy-intensive industrial operations in some of the country’s most demanding operating environments.
“The national energy debate is often focused on future targets and long-term pathways. What these operations demonstrate is that high-renewable energy systems are already operating today at commercial scale in some of the most technically demanding conditions in Australia,” he said.
“These sites have no tolerance for instability or interruption. If high-renewable energy systems can perform reliably in remote mining operations, it broadens the discussion around what is technically and commercially achievable across the wider economy.”
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