Name of the Project
Zondereinde smelter solar photovoltaic (PV) project.

Location
Limpopo, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
Platinum group metals mining company Northam Platinum.

Project Description
Northam is designing and plans to build a 10 MW solar energy plant to provide electricity for the Zondereinde smelter facility.

The plant is expected to operate at significantly lower electricity costs than what is currently paid to State-owned power producer Eskom.

Northam Platinum CEO Paul Dunne has said that the development of PV solar has lowered the cost of solar power to such an extent that if the company does a self-build, it will generate electricity at about 30c/kWh, compared with the R1/kWh paid to Eskom.

However, Dunne has said that the company is “reliant on Eskom, and that is unlikely to change”, but that Northam can supplement Eskom with PV at quite an attractive cost.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start/End Date
Construction is expected to start towards the end of the first half of the 2022 financial year and commissioning early in the 2023 financial year.

Latest Developments
Northam has approved the development of the PV plant to supplement the electricity supply to the Zondereinde smelter facility.

The design and implementation phase is in progress.

Initial small-scale solar installations are also in progress at Northam’s Eland and Booysendal operations, with expansion plans being investigated.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
R&A Strategic Communications, on behalf of Northam Platinum, tel +27 11 880 3924 or email northam@rasc.co.za.