Modern Mining May 2023

JUNIOR MINING

Ndalamo Resources on exponential growth

Mid-tier coal producer, Ndalamo Resources, which celebrates a decade in business, has many irons in the fire as it targets an aggressive growth path including diversifying into other energy related metals and expanding into the renewable energy space, executive head for energy, Nikash Rughubir, tells Modern Mining . By Nelendhre Moodley .

N dalamo Resources (Ndalamo) was established in February 2013 with a focus on coal mining. Its coal projects are located predominantly in the Mpumalanga province. The company’s growth path is focused on advancing its existing suite of assets through organic growth, consolida tion and acquisition of adjacent assets that have a strategic fit with the existing business, as well as new investment opportunities outside of coal into com modities such as iron ore, chrome, battery and EV minerals. Ndalamo’s recently established subsidiary, Ndalamo Energy’s, vision is underpinned by a three-pronged strategy focusing on primary energy generation, decarbonisation and energy verticals. According to Rughubir, the first stream will focus on primary clean energy generation to produce onsite power, not just to feed its current operations but to also supply emerging and junior miners that are in proximity. It is estimating a phased approach of generating 20 megawatts alternating current (MWac) as a start for self-consumption, with an ultimate resource potential of as high as 150 MWac. “The intension is to scale up onsite generation in anticipation of market liberalisation. Ndalamo Energy has identified a critical need to develop energy solu tions for emerging and junior miners that do not have the internal capacity to self-develop. In addi tion, this stream will also opportunistically look to expand its generation footprint into the Renewable

Ndalamo’s recently established subsidiary, Ndalamo Energy’s, vision is underpinned by a three-pronged strategy focusing on primary energy generation, decarbonisation and energy verticals.

Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPP) and commercial, industrial, and institutional (C&I) related projects,” Rughubir explains. The second stream targets decarbonisation ser vices and will see Ndalamo Resources developing a suite of return-based solutions that allow emerging and junior miners access to solutions that have been validated at Ndalamo’s current operations. The third stream will consider energy verticals, such as energy trading.

Trainees at NCC. Right: Fronted loader trainees.

20  MODERN MINING  May 2023