[miningmx.com] – GOLD Fields is to embark on a six month study to test the feasibility of sourcing some of its power requirements from solar power, said BDLive citing the gold firm’s CEO, Nick Holland.
“We are about to start a study to potentially do between 20MW and 50MW of solar,” Holland told BDLive mining journalist, Allan Seccombe. Gold Fields operates the South Deep mine west of Johannesburg.
“Are we going to have security of supply from Eskom going into the future? Eskom is looking at double-digit cost increases every year. Look at the exponential effect of that,” Holland said.
“This study may trigger a decision to do something. It will always be a hybrid plan. We’ll never take Eskom completely out of the equation,” he said. “These solar plants are easy to install, the lead time isn’t long and you could have it up and running in two or three years.”
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