South African renewable energy developer and aggregator, NOA, entered into a renewable energy supply agreement with Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum Mine (SPBM), that will see the company supplying 288 GWh annually to one of South Africa’s leading black-owned platinum group metals (PGMs) producers.
The renewable energy will be supplied by a diversified fleet of NOA’s wind, solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage (BESS) facilities, delivered via wheeled energy solutions across the national grid.
With mining operations that are inherently energy-intensive, the sector continues to seek competitively priced electricity – a key element of operational resilience and long-term sustainability in the face of persistent increases in electricity costs over the last decade. This energy supply solution will enhance SBPM’s long-term cost certainty and advance its sustainability objectives.
“Energy is one of the largest and most difficult cost lines to manage in our business. At our scale, improvements in energy pricing and reliability directly strengthen our ability to sustain employment, invest in our people and continue developing the communities around us. This solution gives us meaningful cost relief, supply flexibility and a credible pathway to reducing our carbon footprint – all of which are critical to how we run our mine responsibly and sustainably,” comments Imraan Osman, CFO of Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum Mine.
“Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum Mine is precisely the kind of high-quality South African operation that exemplifies why a flexible, large-scale renewable energy solution matters – it delivers predictable price certainty and cost savings relative to existing alternatives, and contributes to decarbonisation objectives,” says Karel Cornelissen, Group CEO of NOA.
The agreement is structured for flexibility, commencing as a medium-term arrangement with an option to extend over the longer term, reflecting NOA’s commitment to tailoring energy solutions to each of its customers’ operational needs, production profiles and commercial objectives. SBPM was advised by specialised wheeling brokers, Solink Energy Brokers.
“Our ability to deliver 288 GWh per year through a combination of wind, solar and battery energy storage, on terms tailored to the mine’s operational and commercial requirements, is what we are built to do,” concluded Cornelissen.
