Energy team weathers Tropical Cyclone Ilsa

On Thursday, 13 April, the Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Ilsa hit the Western Australian coast, leaving the Telfer gold and copper mine in its direct path. The site was predicted to receive the force of a Category 3 cyclone around midday on 14 April, leaving site owner Newcrest with a difficult decision to make.

Newcrest decided to evacuate the Telfer mine except for essential personnel. A small crew including four EthosEnergy personnel remained onsite until the cyclone passed and relief could be flown in.

Barry Shires, Operations & Maintenance Superintendent; Martin Robinson, Leading Hand; Dean Howell, OMT Electrical; and Liam Kendle, OMT Electrical, were the courageous personnel who stayed at the facility during the cyclone. EthosEnergy, along with the other essential crew members, stayed in a shelter where remote monitoring of the power stations had been set up.

The eye of the cyclone passed over the Telfer site at around 11:30 am on 13 April, with Telfer experiencing nearly 70 mm of rain and wind gusts of up to 126 km/h. After the eye passed, the wind rapidly returned and lasted for about an hour post the eye of the cyclone before reducing back to normal levels.

Despite the difficult circumstances, power, IT and mobile services continued uninterrupted throughout the cyclone, and all personnel remained in the shelter until it was safe to leave. Two gas turbines and one diesel generator ran through the duration of the event with no issues.

“The EthosEnergy power station team did a fantastic job under unpredictable and extreme weather conditions,” said Rowan Kerr, Superintendent for Newcrest.

“The team banded together so quickly and efficiently to ensure we had all the essentials to keep the lights on and keep each other safe.”

Image caption: The EthosEnergy crew. Image courtesy of EthosEnergy.