As South Africa speeds up its energy transition, a coal producer is looking to decarbonise its mining facilities in Mpumalanga province with a 155 MW wind farm. This investment is all the more paradoxical in that it has attracted three local banks.
It’s a paradox that sums up the urgency of the energy transition in South Africa. Seriti Resources, one of the country’s largest coal producers, wants to decarbonise its mine in Mpumalanga province. As part of this strategy, which can be summed up as a 900 MW renewable energy programme, the mining company, through its subsidiary Seriti Green, has just raised 4.5 billion South African rand ($243 million) for the first phase of 155 MW.
The funds were raised from Standard Bank, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and Venn Energy. Called Ummbila Emoyeni, the wind farm will be built between the towns of Bethal and Morgenzon in Mpumalanga. The electricity generated will be used to power Seriti Resources’ coal extraction facilities, via the transmission network of South African state-owned utility Eskom.
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“Seriti Resources is aware of the impact of fossil fuels on the environment and is committed to facilitating a just energy transition to a low-carbon economy while balancing South Africa’s energy needs,” says the company headed by Mike Teke. The Ummbila Emoyeni wind farm will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 5.1 megatonnes per year.
The wind farm, which is already under construction, is expected to deliver its first MW in the second quarter of 2026. Seriti Green will continue to develop its wind farms in South Africa by installing 84 MW near the small town of Bedford, in the local municipality of Nxuba, in the Eastern Cape province.
Jean Marie Takouleu
