TotalEnergies to help decarbonise New Caledonia nickel producer

French energy company TotalEnergies SE (EPA:TTE) today unveiled a 25-year renewable power purchase agreement (PPA) with Prony Resources New Caledonia to help the mining and metallurgy consortium decarbonise its operations.

The partnership will see TotalEnergies develop a series of ground-based photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage projects with a combined capacity of 160 MW and 340 MWh, respectively, in the 2022-2025 period to serve the New Caledonia group.

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Prony Resources New Caledonia chairman Antonin Beurrier said the transition to renewable energy will enable Prony Resources to ensure it supplies high environmental quality nickel and cobalt to its electric vehicle battery manufacturer customers.

The solar energy combined with energy storage will replace coal-generated electricity, advancing Prony Resources New Caledonia's goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2040.

Most of the projects will be built on property owned by the Grand Sud hydrometallurgical plant and ultimately cover almost two-thirds of its electricity consumption. The first solar installation will have a capacity of 30 MW and is expected to be in operation in 2023.