Seriti Green, the subsidiary of mining company Seriti Resources, will soon start construction of a 155 MW wind farm in South Africa's Mpumalanga province. The facility will power Seriti Resources' coal operations as South Africa seeks to move away from fossil fuels.
A new wind farm will soon be erected in South Africa. This is the essence of the power purchase agreement (PPA) recently signed between Seriti Resources, a South African company active in the coal industry, and its subsidiary Seriti Green, which specialises in renewable energy production. Seriti Green will build a 155 MW wind farm in the Mpumalanga province in the east of South Africa.
The project is already well advanced and has even received environmental clearance from the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment. This is an essential step in the construction of the wind farm, which will be connected to the state-owned Eskom grid to supply Seriti’s coal operations in Mpumalanga province. In Kriel, for example, the mining company led by Mike Teke operates an underground and open-pit mining complex. The complex, located 45 km south of eMalahleni, supplies coal directly to the 3,000 MW Kriel power station operated by Eskom.
227 million investment
Although the financial close of the wind project is expected in the second half of 2023, the construction of the 155 MW wind farm is supported by South African banks Standard Bank and Rand Merchant Bank (RMB). The plant, which is scheduled to come online in 2025, will require an investment of 4 billion South African rand, or just over $227 million. According to Seriti, the wind farm will be capable of powering 165 000 South African homes.
Read also- SOUTH AFRICA: Enel to sell 220 MW of wind power to Sasol and Air Liquide
More importantly for the mining operator, its project will reduce its CO2 emissions by 350,000 tonnes per year, “about half of its current emissions,” says Seriti. “This agreement is a significant step that further cements the importance of including renewable energy through Seriti Green in the group’s existing portfolio of high-quality coal assets to reduce its carbon footprint and ensure long-term sustainability as a diversified energy producer,” says Mike Teke.
According to Teke, the 155 MW wind farm is the first phase of the Ummbila Emoyeni project to develop 900 MW of installed renewable energy capacity between Bethal and Morgenzon in Mpumalanga province. It is a combination of 750 MW of wind power installations and 150 MWp of solar photovoltaic plants.
Jean Marie Takouleu
