ATCO Clean Energy Innovation Hub

The Perth-located Clean Energy Innovation Hub​ incorporates the production, storage and use of hydrogen in micro-grid system applications, including blending with natural gas and in power use.

Project description

The Clean Energy Innovation Hub, which has been in operation since mid-2019 at ATCO's Jandakot Operations Centre in Perth, Western Australia, operates along the following lines:

• Electricity generated through 1,003 solar panels provides the energy required to run the Jandakot Operations Centre;
• Excess energy generated from the 300Kw of rooftop solar PV is used to charge the 500kWh (478kWh useable) of onsite battery storage for non-sunshine hours-usage;
• Once the batteries are fully charged, the excess energy is used to power a 260kW Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, venting the oxygen;
• The hydrogen gas produced is stored in a 30-bar high-pressure vessel;
• Thereafter, the hydrogen gas is distributed within the 'microgrid' in four ways:

1. As a direct fuel for appliance testing in a residential hybrid display home. The Jandakot site has a wide range of appliances able to undergo testing, which will inform how appliances operate under a range of hydrogen and gas blends.
2. As fuel for a 5kW hydrogen fuel cell that provides back-up power to the depot.
3. As a blended fuel with natural for use within the local Jandakot suburbs. ATCO is blending hydrogen at 10 per cent to domestic end users.
4. As fuel for passenger vehicles. Hydrogen Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) are used as pool vehicles for the business.

Dress requirements

Dress requirements – Enclosed shoes, business casual.

Rio Tinto Operations Centre

Innovation in our Western Australian Iron Ore operations.

Our integrated iron ore network is supported by our Operations Centre in Perth, a state-of-the-art facility that enables all the autonomous trucks, trains and drills at our mines, ports and rail systems to be operated from a single location. The Centre combines visualisation and collaboration tools to provide real-time information across our demand chain and allows us to optimise our mining,

maintenance and logistic activities across the Pilbara in a way never before possible.

In 2019, we launched the world's first automated heavy-haul rail network – named AutoHaul™ – capable of moving about one million tonnes of iron ore a day. AutoHaul™ improves safety by reducing risk at level crossings and through automated responses to speed restrictions and alarms, eliminating the need to transport drivers to and from trains mid-journey. This saves almost 1.5 million kilometres of road travel every year. It also improves cycle times by using information about network topography to calculate and deliver a safe, consistent driving strategy.

About 80% of our haul truck fleet across our Pilbara sites is also autonomous. These trucks, which use pre-defined GPS courses to automatically navigate haul roads and intersections, and which continuously track actual locations, speeds and directions of other vehicles, allow us to move more material, more efficiently and safely, increasing productivity.

We are a global industry leader in autonomous haulage and are the only organisation in the world to operate 2 different Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS).

We also continue to expand our Autonomous Drilling System (ADS) and now have a fleet of 32 production drills across 7 sites. ADS allows us to monitor multiple drills from different manufacturers across multiple sites from remote drill consoles in Perth.

Site Safety Requirements

• Visitors shall wear personal protective equipment in alignment with HSEQ standards
• The Operations Centre Control Room is considered to be a "Site" therefore the minimum dress requirements include long pants or knee length skirt (no shorts); collared shirt and fully enclosed footwear
• Visitors must be accompanied at all times by an authorised person
• Photography is not permitted

Read more by visiting the website to Rio Tinto Operations Centre​.

Australian Vanadium Project 

Australian Vanadium Limited (AVL) is a Perth-based company developing the Australian Vanadium Project in Western Australia. AVL is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and is backed by a strong executive team and Board. The Company's vision is to contribute to the global energy transition through the vanadium 'pit to battery' value chain.

The Australian Vanadium Project is located near Meekatharra, Western Australia and is among the highest-grade vanadium projects in the world. The Project is split into two parts, with the minesite, crushing, milling and beneficiation to be located at Gabanintha near Meekatharra and vanadium processing to be undertaken at Tenindewa, near the port city of Geraldton. In addition, AVL has established a wholly owned subsidiary known as VSUN Energy, which has a focus on developing projects using vanadium flow batteries. VSUN Energy provides AVL with opportunities for vertical integration through the use of vanadium electrolyte manufactured at the Company's vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility.