Mining group Exxaro Resources is planning to significantly grow its energy generation projects up to 2030, Exxaro Growth Energy manager Thomas Garner said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Southern Africa Energy Week conference, Garner said that the group was aiming to become a cleaner energy independent power producer (IPP) in the Southern African region.

The group has set itself a target of growing its renewable energy power generation capacity to 2 000 MW by 2030.

It had already initiated a number of projects, including a 50 MW wind farm on South Africa's West Coast, a 40 MW wind farm in Tsitsikamma, a 210 MW solar plant in Lephalale and a 200 MW solar plant in Upington.

Garner noted it was currently working on a prefeasibility study (PFS) for the west coast wind farm and a concept study for the Tsitsikamma wind farm project.

A PFS for the Lephalale thermal and photovoltaic solar project would likely be completed by June, said Garner.

Further, the group planned to provide up to 1 000 MW of on site power generation capacity by 2020, as well as 1 800 MW of base-load IPP capacity in the Waterberg region by 2016.

The base-load IPP project would start ramping up in 2015 and reach full output by 2016.

Meanwhile, Garner noted that the resources group was also looking at coal-bed methane possibilities in Botswana. It was already exploring two large areas in this Southern African country.

Prefeasibility studies for this energy source in Botswana would likely be completed in 2010, with the construction of wells and plants to start in 2011. The projects would start ramping up from 2012 onwards.