Robex Resources is turning to solar energy. The Canadian mining company has just signed an agreement with the Dutch energy company Vivo Energy. The agreement covers the construction of a 3.9 MWp photovoltaic solar power plant at the Nampala gold mine in the Ségou region of Mali. The company, which distributes the products of the Anglo-Dutch company Shell, has already been working with Robex Resources for several years.
To date, Vivo Energy has been supplying fuel and lubricants for the operation of the thermal power plant that currently powers the Nampala gold mine. The new project represents an important milestone for Robex Resources and is in line with its climate policy.
“We are proud to introduce solar energy into our mining operations. It will enable us to reduce our carbon footprint by about 60,000 tonnes over 10 years, provide us with an additional energy source to stabilise our electricity production and reduce our production costs, which are already among the lowest in the world. This facility is expected to reduce the current cost of mining operations by $0.04 per kilowatt,” says Benjamin Cohen, President and CEO of Robex Resources.
Gradual solarisation of mining sites in Mali
Vivo Energy will equip the future solar power plant with a 2.6 MWh battery storage system which, “thanks to the energy management system, will be fully integrated into the existing thermal power plant to ensure a continuous supply of electricity to the mine at all times and at a lower cost”, stresses the company based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The company will sell the solar energy to the Nampala mine over a period of 5 to 15 years.
Through the partnership with Vivo Energy, Robex Resources joins mining companies operating in Mali that have decided to solarize their mines. Almost a year ago, the Australian mining company Resolute Mining signed an agreement with the British company Aggreko for the progressive installation of a 20 MWp solar system for its Syama mine in southern Mali. A few months earlier, B2Gold announced a 30 MW solar hybrid project for its Fekola gold mine in the south-west of the country.
Jean Marie Takouleu