Pacific for Gwalia power job

Pacific Energy has been awarded a contract to install additional generation capacity at St Barbara's Gwalia gold mine as part of an expansion project.

Gnangara-based Pacific will install 6 megawatts of new gas-fired generation at Gwalia, extending the capacity to 20.7MW, all gas.

Work on the increase to capacity is expected to be completed by August 2019.

The contract is with Pacific subsidiary Kalgoorlie Power Systems and will form part of the Gwalia expansion project.

The $100 million expansion of the Gwalia mine will extend life to 2024 and take three years to build.

Pacific has provided power at Gwalia since 2008, and won an eight year contract extension in 2016.

Today's award was a variation under the 2016 contract.

Pacific Energy managing director James Cullen said gas generation was about a third of the company’s total capacity.

“This latest award increases our growing portfolio of gas generating assets to over 125MW, which, together with the 52MW gas power station currently underway at Wodgina, sees the group leading the market by way of expertise, experience and proven reliability in the remote reciprocating gas generator market,” Mr Cullen said.

The latest award is Pacific’s third win since June.

In August, Pacific subsidiary Contract Power was awarded a variation to install 17MW at Mineral Resources’ Wodgina lithium mine, taking generation capacity at that project to 52MW.

A further 5MW build, own and maintain contract was awarded to Pacific for Beacon Minerals’ Jaurdi gold project in June.

Shares in Pacific fell 1 per cent to be 53 cents each at the close of trading today.