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In February 2021, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) approved Gold Fields’ application for the construction of a 40MW solar power plant at South Deep. In June 2021, the South African Government announced an increase in the embedded generation threshold to 100MW. Following the announcement, South Deep carried out a further optimisation study. The results indicate that upgrading the solar plant by an additional 10MW would unlock maximum value within the mine’s ability to make us of additional power.
Taking this into account, the scope for the development of the solar plant will increase its capacity from 40MW to 50MW and will allow for future expansion to 60MW within the existing environmental authorisation.
The design of the solar plant has been revised taking into account maximum output and allows for future upgrades. The 50MW solar plant will comprise 101,000 x 550W solar panels and will increase power generation from 94GWh per annum to 103GWh per annum or 24% of South Deep’s annual electricity consumption.
It will further reduce the mine’s carbon footprint by an additional 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year to around 110,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.
The solar plant will be built and operated by South Deep at an estimated capital investment of R715 million.
The solar plant will reduce South Deep’s carbon footprint by around 110,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, not only enhancing the sustainability of our mine, but also contributing to Gold Fields’ long-term commitment to carbon neutrality.
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