Through a recently announced partnership agreement involving Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), international energy company Voltalia, and local Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) partners, RBM will be supplied with solar power by Voltalia for its operations in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.
In terms of the agreement, Voltalia will begin construction of the Bolobedu solar PV renewable energy project in 2023, at a site about 120 kilometres east of Polokwane in Limpopo. The power plant is scheduled to be complete by 2024 and will deliver an annual generation capacity of up to 300 GWh. It will feed into the national power grid to supply RBM’s smelting and processing facilities through a wheeling agreement, in line with the recent amendments to the Electricity Regulation Act.
With the shift to supply of renewable solar power, RBM expects to cut its annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10%, or 237 kt per year.
On announcing the agreement, RBM Managing Director, Werner Duvenhage said: “This marks a first step for RBM towards reducing our carbon emissions through the use of renewable solar power, so that we contribute to a net zero future. We look forward to working with Voltalia as it develops this solar power plant and delivers significant benefits for the surrounding communities.”
Voltalia CEO Sébastien Clerc said: “We are pleased to support RBM in its decarbonisation journey. The Bolobedu photovoltaic power plant will be our biggest project to date in Africa. We have built a number of other solar plants, for Voltalia or for clients, elsewhere on the continent – in Zimbabwe, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Mauritania and Egypt. This project is the first of our South African large solar-and-wind portfolio under development in areas with grid connection available. With this portfolio, we will be ready to support our clients to move beyond the energy crisis with affordable, clean and stable electricity.”
Voltalia will ensure the Bolobedu solar PV project creates local employment opportunities for the surrounding communities. A workforce of more than 700 people is expected during construction, and a workforce of around 50 people once the plant becomes operational.
The project will also provide skills development opportunities for members of the surrounding communities, and a bursary programme for young local learners. In support of South Africa’s growing renewable energy sector value chain, Voltalia will work to source goods and services locally.
The Bolobedu solar PV power plant will be 51% black-owned through BEE partners (to be named in due course), with a minimum 10% stake going to black women, and the host community will also participate.
Richards Bay Minerals is a world leader in heavy mineral sands extraction and refining and is South Africa’s largest mineral sands producer. RBM mines the mineral rich sands of the northern KwaZulu-Natal province and produces predominantly ilmenite, rutile and zircon – materials used in multiple goods from paint and smart phones to sunscreen and toothpaste. RBM is a joint venture between Rio Tinto (74%) and Blue Horizon – a consortium of investors and the mine’s four host communities (kwaMbonambi, kwaSokhulu, kwaMkhwanazi and kwaDube) – which owns 24%. The remaining shares are held in an employee trust.
For more information visit: www.riotinto.com/en/operations/south-africa/richards-bay-minerals#
