SIBANYE-Stillwater said it had procured 178MW of renewable power from two projects taking total wind and solar power supplied to its South African mines to 267MW, about 45% of its total target.
Both projects – the R3.4bn Witberg wind project and a R2.8bn solar project – will be commercially operational in third and fourth quarters of 2025 respectively. The independent power producers behind them are financing the projects with Sibanye-Stillwater buying the energy in a wheeling agreement with Eskom
Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater said the company was continuing to look for additional power supply from renewable projects. The company has targeted another 600MW in energy procurement ahead of a 2040 carbon neutrality target.
Witberg, which is being developed by Red Rocket near Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape, is at 103MW South Africa’s largest private wind power project following the 89MW Castle wind energy project announced by the miner in May. The power purchase agreement with Witberg, is for 15 years, said Sibanye-Stillwater.
The 150MW solar project situated in the Free State is being financed by SOLA Group, a South African IPP. Sibanye-Stillwater will procure 75MW of the plant’s capacity over a 10-year power purchase agreement. The project will be the first to sell power to multiple buyers across the country on flexible terms, the group said.
Combined, these projects will enable a 15% reduction in Sibanye-Stillwater’s Scope 2 emissions, or about 921,000 tons CO² per year from 2026, and will materially contribute to alleviating the South African electricity crisis, the group said.
South African mining companies are developing a combined 6,500MW of renewable power, said Reuters in June citing the country’s Minerals Council. They are expected to generate 2,294MW of their own power by 2025, with more expected onstream by 2030.
Mines and their processing facilities, which account for up to 30% of the nation’s power consumption, are routinely asked to reduce their use with major implications for their mineral output.
