Anglo American Platinum wants to reduce the environmental impact of its Mogalakwena platinum mine in South Africa’s Limpopo province. The mining company has appointed a consortium of EDF Renewables South Africa and Pele Green Energy as the preferred supplier for the construction of a solar photovoltaic plant at its platinum mine.
Anglo American did not require a permit for the construction of its solar plant, in line with legislation that has been in place in South Africa for some months. A new provision now allows companies to generate up to 100 MW of clean energy without prior approval from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). The Mogalakwena solar plant will have a capacity of 100 MWp.
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As part of the project, “Anglo American has included a 10% free-carry interest (no equity requirement for the shares) in the consortium that will build, own and operate the facility over its lifetime. This stake is designed to provide dividends directly attributable to our host communities over time,” the mining company explains.
The consortium is expected to begin construction of the solar plant in the fourth quarter of 2022 for commissioning in late 2023. Anglo American is including this project as part of its policy to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations by 2040. As part of this sustainability drive, the Mogalakwena mine will soon be able to run on green hydrogen.
This new energy will be produced by the French giant Engie, which is building facilities for the platinum mine. The experimental project is being implemented in partnership with Release by Scatec, the branch of Norwegian independent power producer (IPP) Scatec, which provides modular solar power solutions.
Jean Marie Takouleu