ENVUSA Energy, a joint venture between Anglo American and EDF Renewables, a unit of France’s EDF Group, has completed financing of three solar and wind energy plants with capacity to supply 520MW in electricity.
Known as the ‘Korusan 2’ cluster of projects, the facilities are located on the border of the Eastern and Northern Cape provinces and will supply energy to Anglo American’s Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Kumba Iron Ore, and De Beers. Each of Anglo’s businesses have each committed to 20-year offtake agreements.
Of these, Amplats will take the lionshare receiving 461MW while 11MW and 48MW will be supplied to Kumba’s Kolomela mine and Venetia, the De Beers mine respectively. Anglo said in an announcement that the inaugural phase of contracts would abate about 2.2 million tons per year of carbon dioxide.
“The successful project financing of these initial projects marks our first major step towards addressing Anglo American’s largest remaining source of Scope 2 emissions – our electricity supply in Southern Africa,” said Themba Mkhwanazi, Anglo American’s regional director for Africa and Australia.
Envusa Energy has targeted the rollout three to five GW of wind, solar and storage projects by 2030. “We expect that energy availability to help catalyse extensive socio-economic activity, playing a critical role in unlocking South Africa’s economic development and growth prospects,” said Mkhwanazi.
The projects are the Umsobomvu Wind project supplying 140MW of power, the Hartebeesthoek Wind project (140MW), and the Mooi Plaats Solar project (240MW).
