Exxaro mulls 84-MW solar project at S African coal mine - report

South African coal producer Exxaro Resources Ltd (JSE:EXX) is studying the possibility of building an 84-MW solar power plant at its Grootegeluk open-pit mine in Limpopo province, Mining Weekly reports, quoting top officials.

Roland Tatnall, the company’s newly-appointed managing director of energy, told the news website that Exxaro has been thinking about running its mines on renewables for some time now and that Grootegeluk is just one example.

Tatnall went on to say that the particular project is in fairly advanced stages of the concept study. It is estimated that such an installation there could cut electricity costs by at least 12% and lower the entire group’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by about 15%.

At the same time, CEO-designate Nombasa Tsengwa has shared that the company has been reducing the number of trucks used in the pits and targets a roughly 10% cut in the future. There is a plan to use hydrogen fuel cells too.

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