Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) has signed a 20-year energy offtake agreement (EOA) with Envusa Energy through its fully-owned Rustenburg Platinum Mines (RPM) subsidiary.
Envusa is a collaboration between EDF Renewables and Amplats’ parent firm, Anglo American, to create a renewable energy ecosystem in Southern Africa.
Envusa will provide RPM with about 460 MW of renewable energy from its Koruson 2 solar and wind facilities located on the border of the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape Provinces in South Africa.
This will be facilitated through the South African power utility, Eskom's electrical system, as per the EOA.
The Koruson 2 projects are set to commence construction this year, and all projects are anticipated to be operational by 2026.
“The conclusion of the EOA with Envusa to secure clean energy for our operations is a significant milestone in our journey towards our decarbonisation commitments, ensuring that our PGM metals, which are themselves critical to enabling the just energy transition, are produced in a safe and sustainable manner, supporting our environment, social, and governance leadership priority,” said Amplats chief executive Craig Miller.
"In addition, the generation of energy from these wind and solar projects will provide further resilience to Eskom’s national electricity provision and reduce our electricity costs.”
Amplats seeks to decrease its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 and attain carbon-neutral operations by 2040.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
