International law firm Bird & Bird has advised FTSE-250-mining group Centamin plc, on the engineering, procurement and construction contracts for the 36MW solar farm and 7.5 MW battery-energy storage system at its Sukari Gold Mine in Egypt.
The Sukari solar plant will be the largest hybrid solar project at an off-grid mining operation globally and is expected to reduce diesel fuel consumption at Sukari by an estimated 22 million litres per annum and lower carbon emissions by an estimated 60,000 tonnes CO2-e per annum. The project is scheduled to be commissioned late in H1 2022.
The Bird & Bird team advised on all the project contracts and included Energy & Utilities partner Elizabeth Reid as well as legal director Geraldine Laing and associate Hannah Roberts. Bird & Bird were well placed to advise on the project, combining its recognised international mining practice with its market leading expertise in renewables.
Francois Du Plessis, Legal Counsel at Centamin says: “It was a real pleasure to work with the Bird & Bird team on this ground-breaking project. We really appreciated the depth of their renewables expertise, understanding of Centamin’s commitment to responsible mining and the team’s focus on getting the deal done.””
Elizabeth Reid, partner in the Energy & Utilities group at Bird & Bird adds: “We were delighted to support Centamin on this exciting project to design, construct and operate the 36MW solar farm and 7.5 MW battery-energy storage system at the Sukari Gold Mine. It is a fantastic example of how co-located renewables projects can help mining companies reduce fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs. I look forward to working with the team at Centamin in the future.”
