Large-scale solar plants are often considered a viable solution for decarbonisation in emerging markets, ensuring emission reductions and offering secure electricity supply.

Simultaneously, they present an opportunity for mining companies to save on electricity as an input cost, and, importantly, leave behind a positive legacy for mining communities.

In JSE-listed Impala Platinum’s (Implats’) case, large-scale solar plants also offer the potential to produce green hydrogen as an energy storage medium, and by extension drive platinum group metal (PGM) use in electrolysers for hydrogen generation and in fuel cells for energy storage.

Implats sustainable development executive Tsakani Mthombeni, during an Energy and Mines World Congress 2021 presentation, this week, unpacked the company’s approach to meeting sustainability and production goals.

The PGMs producer is headquartered in South Africa and has operations in Canada, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

“We see a near perfect storm when it comes to the application of renewable energy in mining, which is being driven by reductions in costs to acquire these technologies and the increasing recoup ability of these costs,” he pointed out, referring to the 97% reduction in lithium-ion battery costs, for example, between 1991 and 2018, and solar and wind now being the cheapest sources of new energy generation for the majority of the world.

“Additionally, in most cases, mining operations are based on vast open pieces of land, which offers prime space for renewable energy development, particularly for solar power. Renewables are also offering a solution to job creation and positive social impacts that can be created in communities,” he added.

Renewable energy forms part of Implats’ environmental pillar of its environmental, social and governance framework.

Implats’ energy use comprises 30% fuel and 70% electricity, with 80% of emissions comprising Scope 2 emissions.

The company’s Canadian operation already sources electricity from a hydropower plant, with no associated Scope 2 emissions, which has shown the viability of the renewable energy model to be pursued in the company’s sub-Saharan African operations.

Implats has invested R25-million in targeted fuel cell development in South Africa, in collaboration with government and academic institutions, to help promote local technology and skills development.

In 2016, Implats successfully implemented the first hydrogen fuel-cell-powered forklift and hydrogen refuelling station in Africa, at its base metals refinery, in Springs, Gauteng.

The project showcased novel metal hydride technology for on-board hydrogen storage and compression.

This motivated investigations into the use of fuel cell technologies within other material movement equipment. Implats continues to review the viability of commercialising this technology.

Implats in July announced its intention to build 185 MW of solar power plants at its Zimbabwean operations, with 105 MW planned at Ngezi, where Implats has two mines and two concentrators, and the balance at Selous, where the company has a smelter and concentrator.

The company has, for some time, been considering a 10 MW solar plant at its Marula mine, in South Africa.