Perseus Mining expects to pour first gold at its Nyanzaga gold project in north western Tanzania in January 2027, and 28 megawatts of emergency backup power now sits on site to protect that timetable. The system was supplied by Johannesburg headquartered power engineering firm USP&E in partnership with ECG, the Perth based electrical and automation engineering consultancy serving as engineering, procurement and construction management contractor on the project. Process plants, pumping, ventilation and safety systems cannot simply pause when grid supply fails, which is the operational problem the plant is built to solve.
The installation is a complete engineered emergency power system rather than a line of generators. It comprises 28 Cummins KTA50G3 containerised generator sets of 1 megawatt each, six 72,000 litre bulk fuel tanks, three pump skids and 28 day tanks, sized to give the site extended autonomy during grid outages.
Nyanzaga, in the Sukumaland Greenstone Belt in Igalula Ward, is one of East Africa’s most closely followed gold developments. ASX listed Perseus holds an 80 percent interest in the project. Once in production, the mine is expected to sustain output above 200,000 ounces a year for its first 14 years, placing it among the region’s next generation of major gold producers. With the backup plant in place, the project’s remaining path runs through commissioning to the first pour in early 2027, and the diesel based backup also makes fuel supply and cost part of the ramp up risk from day one.