Modern Mining September 2022

energy projects

to immediate energy related infrastructure, energy security is the primary objective, which often means that energy is sourced at any cost. As such, miners factor the cost of energy into the development of the mining project,” explains Nivaash Singh. Apart from countries such as Botswana and Namibia, African countries generally don’t offer access to grid power, which means that the majority of mines in Africa rely on self-generated power. As such, solar energy solutions have become extremely popular for use during daylight hours with miners relying on diesel to power their operations for the remaining hours. “Although diesel is considered one of the most expensive sources of power generation that leaves a huge carbon footprint, it is the easiest and quick est power source for mines in remote locations. Containerised diesel is readily available so it’s a matter of plug and play and, while solar PV is gain ing in popularity, sunshine is only available during daylight hours and clear days and, as mines operate extended hours, miners are investing in a variety of energy solutions, including hybrid solutions.” According to Nivaash Singh, most mining majors operating in Africa have already invested in some form of renewable energy initiative with the expec tation that, by next year, there will be greater uptake of renewable energy initiatives by the mid-tier and junior mining sectors. “Already the majority of mining operations in Africa have installed mobile solar panels close to the mine sites.”

looking to roll out renewable energy solutions, including battery energy storage, solar PV, wind or hydropower. “As a ‘green’ bank, Nedbank has a huge appe tite for funding projects in this space and, given our expertise from both our mining and resource and energy finance specialist teams, we are able to offer holistic energy solutions to our mining clients. Where our mining team has an extensive network of clients and understands the nuances of the mining sector, the energy finance team is equipped with the exper tise associated with energy related financing and technical aspects including the intricacies of power purchase agreements.” Trends shaping the integration of renewable energy in mining operations The trends shaping the integration of renewable energy on the local front are significantly different from those experienced across the continent, which is primarily focused on energy security while South Africa, which has at its disposal a national power source, remains largely focused on the cost of energy. Resource rich Africa with its bounty of unexplored territory offers the opportunity to access shallow reserves and resources, and the absence of existing grid power is overcome by miners factoring the cost of self-generated power into the mine plan, explains Nivaash Singh. “In Africa, given that the majority of mines are remotely located, often with limited or no access

Most miners operating in Africa have already invested in some form of renewable energy initiative.

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