Platinum group metals (PGMs) and chrome producer Tharisa is accelerating the transition to renewable energy at its South African operations as part of a broader strategy to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2030 while also improving operational resilience.

The company planned to significantly diversify its electricity supply between the financial year ended September 30, 2023 and the financial year ended September 30, 2025 – reducing its reliance on Eskom in favour of solar generation and wheeled renewable energy.

According to Tharisa, the company’s electricity mix has already started shifting from complete dependence on Eskom in the 2023 financial year to the point that by the fourth quarter of the 2024 financial year, the company’s power supply comprised 63% Eskom while the remaining 37% was derived from solar energy.

By the fourth quarter of the 2025 financial year (September 30, 2025), the mix was escalated further in favour of renewables, with 9% of the company’s power coming from Eskom, alongside 37% from Tharisa’s onsite 40 MW solar PV plant and 53% from wheeled renewable energy.

The transition forms part of the company’s sustainability strategy, which it says is integrated into the way it operates rather than being treated as a standalone objective.

Renewables Uptake

Tharisa’s intention to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2030 is driven by using defined performance indicators, including energy consumption and Scope 1 emissions to measure progress and identify opportunities for improvement.

Tharisa says energy remains one of the most important areas where sustainability and operational resilience intersect, particularly given the constrained electricity environment in Southern Africa, where supply reliability, limited generation capacity and rising costs continue to place pressure on energy-intensive mining operations.

To support its changing energy mix, Tharisa has secured a 15-year power purchase agreement with electricity trader Etana Energy, which will supply renewable electricity through the national grid from this year onwards. Tharisa says this wheeling agreement will introduce a significant new renewable-energy source while reducing dependence on a single electricity supplier.

In addition to wheeled renewable power, Tharisa continues to expand on-site solar generation, providing a direct source of electricity that supports more stable operations and reduces reliance on the national grid.

Tharisa is also advancing energy storage through its “mine to megawatt” initiative in partnership with battery technology company Redox One. The initiative centres on the development of a chrome-based redox flow battery designed to store excess solar energy, enabling renewable electricity to be used more consistently and improving overall energy reliability.

The combination of renewable generation, diversified electricity supply and energy storage is intended to strengthen Tharisa’s energy security, improve cost predictability and support long-term operational resilience.

Tharisa says its sustainability approach is built around measurable targets, continuous monitoring and practical operational initiatives, with environmental performance embedded into day-to-day business management rather than treated as a separate corporate objective.

In a sector where operating conditions are volatile and resource intensity is high, this approach ensures that sustainability is not treated as an abstract goal but as a disciplined way of managing the business.