Mining giant goes solar for the planet – and because of load shedding

A new renewable energy venture involving Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) has once again put into sharp contrast the urgent need to move towards sustainable power.

Global mining group Rio Tinto has partnered with French sustainable energy producer Voltalia to provide photovoltaic (PV) power to the KwaZulu-Natal mineral sands producer, they announced in a media briefing on Thursday.

And in Voltalia’s opinion, renewable energy projects will soon be ramped up to rates much faster than expected.  

Decarbonising

Among other reasons, RBM’s sustainable energy future is owed to reaching their “ambitious” target of reducing 50% of their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

RBM managing director Werner Duvenhage said the Voltalia venture will cut emissions by at least 10% annually.

This, he said, equates to 237 000 tonnes of carbon emissions, or removing 50 000 cars from the road.

Duvenhage said the 148 megawatt (MW) Bolobedu PV plant in Limpopo was a significant step in RBM’s “low carbon future”, which will not only support the mining company’s power needs, but the lives of surrounding communities.

Roughly 700 people will be employed during the plant’s construction phase, and a further 50 people once operations are up and running by 2024. Construction is due to begin in 2023.

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Eskom issues

Another reason for the PV plant is due to RBM no longer being able to rely on Eskom for consistent power supply.

Duvenhage said at full kilt, RBM required 400MW from the national grid. But currently, they are limited to an output of 215MW.

The company produces between 550 tonnes and 600 tonnes of titanium slag per year.

“There is quite a significant impact on the curtailment of Eskom power on business.”

He said furnaces were running at much lower outputs because of load shedding.

Load shedding is creating significantly taxing business environments across the country, from small to global.

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Renewables underrated

Voltalia CEO Sébastien Clerc told The Citizen there was a critical need for more power on the national grid, and that this would come in the form of renewable energy.

This is not only for environmental consideration, but to alleviate skyrocketing energy costs.

“In South Africa, as much as other markets, renewables means electricity at lower costs, and therefore lower prices for the buyer, versus buying new gas or coal-fired plants,” Clerc said.

He said forecasts about the world’s reliance on renewable energy was “too pessimistic” 15 years ago. Specialists and companies like Voltalia also had a cautious outlook, he said.

However, the renewable sector is growing significantly faster than anticipated.

“For example, our revenues have been growing by more than 40% per year since we went into the Paris Stock Market in 2014.

“Renewables are needed for the planet, and for the electricity needed by it.”

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