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South Africa will be well represented at the upcoming Shanghai Platinum Week 2024, which takes place from July 8 to 11, Minerals Council South Africa VP Paul Dunne has highlighted.

This major event will occur amid the growth in demand for platinum group metals (PGM) applications in China being extremely high, which makes detailed access to the Chinese market hugely advantageous for South Africa.

"There'll be a strong contingent of South African miners in Shanghai," Dunne, who is also CEO of Northam Platinum, assured.

"While it's called Shanghai Platinum Week, in many respects it'll be the hydrogen metals that we'll be looking at - and South Africa, as well as Minerals Council South Africa, will be well represented," said Dunne, in response to a question put by Mining Weekly during the media conference that followed the council's 134th AGM in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Mining Weekly: At this week's South African-organised London Indaba, Barrick Gold Corporation chairperson John Thornton put major emphasis on the Western mining industry needing to see the future faster, an insight which, he pointed out, China, in particular, is able to offer. Is Minerals Council South Africa intent on assuring an East-West balance to enable South Africa's mining industry - which needs to take urgent steps to enter a crucial new growth phase - to see the future faster?

"Economies in the East are very, very important to the success of our industry," was another of Dunne's affirmative response comments.

In his response, Minerals Council CEO Mzila Mthenjane noted that, in addition to South Africa's need to have quicker access to what lies ahead, particularly in the case of critical minerals and metals, it is also vital that South Africa positions itself to be able to view the changing future from a South African perspective, taking into account the opportunities and the risks of the shifting geopolitical landscapes as they present themselves.

"We're in the very fortunate position of being potential suppliers of these commodities and our look to the future also needs to be considerate of ourselves, our needs, and what we can get out of these minerals from a developmental perspective, as well as how we can help to ensure that the rest of the world is able to climate transition competently and competitively."

Mthenjane is in full agreement with the need for East-West balance: "We need to look to both the East and the West," he stated unequivocally.

WORLD'S LARGEST PGMS CONSUMER

The Shanghai event - sandwiched between the London Platinum Week that took place in May and the New York Platinum Week that is scheduled to take place in September - will be conducted with simultaneous translation at a time when China is reinforcing itself as the world's largest PGMs consumer and South Africa being the largest PGMs supplier.

The crucial event will also unfold for the fourth time in an emerging new era where vehicle manufacture in China is increasing beyond that of the US, making the Asian country's market extremely important from a palladium, platinum, and even rhodium perspective, World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) CEO Trevor Raymond commented in a Zoom interview with Engineering News & Mining Weekly earlier this year.

Moreover, platinum is integral to China's commitment to global decarbonisation by 2060, with the country's strong interest illustrated by last year's Shanghai Platinum Week attracting more than 1 200 in-person delegates from more than 400 different organisations, as well as 180 000 online attendees.

Confirmed attendees include the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, the Bank of Montreal, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Japan's JPX, and many financial, recycling and industrial organisations within China.

Although roughly a third of all PGMs go into China, the country is one of the more opaque markets for non-Chinese market participants, which the week sets out to re...

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South African mining needs what is often referred to as a one-stop shop to ensure that an applicant is not sent from one department to the other but goes to one place where the application is submitted and the applicant receives communication from one source.

"That's a process that needs to take place as quickly as possible," Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane highlighted during a media conference that followed the council's 134th AGM in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

"That will make the cadastral system much more efficient and from that I think we'll begin to see growth in terms of investment in existing operations, as well as investment for growth into the future," added Mthenjane.

The questions Mining Weekly put were:

What steps does Minerals Council South Africa intend taking to rebuild South Africa's shrinking mining industry?

What mistakes have been made that have caused the mining business to diminish in size?

Regarding the mistakes that have caused the decline, he said: "We do need to rethink the role of mining and the role of mining going into the future.

"It needs to be firmly placed as one of the key drivers of South Africa's economy and, as I outlined in my speech, the multiplier effects are uncontested and these can be realised."

Outlined during his speech is that a R1-million increase in mined output results in 2.5 economy-wide job opportunities, which means that seven to ten people live with dignity and escape the clutches of poverty that prevails in the country, based on household dependency of three to four individuals per employee.

"The mistake of not categorically listing mining as one of the key drivers of our economy needs to be addressed, and we need to put mining up there as the number one and number two item to discuss for future economic growth.

Regarding the steps the council intends taking to rebuild South Africa's shrinking mining industry, he said what the industry is doing currently in terms of addressing the challenge of the need for enabling infrastructure is really the first step, because that's going to give confidence then to invest into the future.

"When it then comes to what we need to do for long-term growth, that's where a significant amount of effort needs to be placed on exploration.

"The cadastral system has been a huge focus but one area for me that is a concern, even before the cadastre, is the legislative arrangement, not only in so far as the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is concerned, but how that DMRE engages with other departments," he said, citing the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, which need to be part of the single point of entry and exit imperative and application streamlining necessity.

DEVELOPMENT OF ALL SOUTH AFRICANS

South Africa's mining industry can unlock the potential inherent in the industry for the development of all South Africans, with outgoing Minerals Council president Nolitha Fakude emphasising that the attention-getting catchwords, #Mining Matters to South Africa, have never been more relevant than they are today.

Over the past decades, the mining sector has worked progressively to help to create an inclusive socioeconomic future for South Africans going forward.

Management of the industry has transformed, with 83% of management being historically disadvantaged South Africans.

Also, on the mine ownership front, transformation since 1994 has yielded top-ranking black-owned and -managed companies such as African Rainbow Minerals, Exxaro Resources, Seriti Resources, Kalagadi Manganese, Siyanda Resources and Thungela Resources, "to name a few", Fakude said.

Moreover, the industry has many small black-owned and black-women-owned and -led junior companies included in the membership of the Minerals Council. Of the 38 junior council member companies, 12 are wholly black-own...

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Given its far-reaching multiplier effect, mining is the epicentre of South Africa's economy and social wellbeing and has been at the heart of its economic progress and development for much of this country's history, Minerals Council South Africa 134th annual general meeting (AGM) attendees heard in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Simply put, a R1-million increase in mined output results in 2.5 economy-wide job opportunities.

One the basis of household dependency of three to four individuals per employee, seven to ten people are able to escape the clutches of poverty that prevails in the country.

Moreover, the mining industry leads in investment that is not directly mining related, in this case private-sector energy investment.

For example, mining has a pipeline of about 90 projects renewable energy projects. These total some 15.8 GW, are worth R275-billion and account for 70% of the total project line-up.

The decline in recent years in mining output performance because of infrastructure constraints are thus a tragedy that is manifesting in undesirable employment losses, Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane told the council's AGM, covered by Mining Weekly.

"A thriving industry is characterised by investment and growth. We need the lifeblood of fresh mineral deposits, which will be found by energetic prospectors and vibrant exploration sector.

"These deposits will lead to investments in new mines and expansion of operating mines. The cadastral system is important to improving investor sentiment, but so is a holistic and investor friendly legislative environment.

South African mining currently employees 480 000 people - with increased investment and growth, the possibilities for job creation and poverty reduction are significant.

"It is critical for the sustainability and unfettered contribution of the mining industry to the economy that exploration is revitalised so that South Africa can enjoy the benefits of its mineral endowment as it plays its part in supplying the metals it is known for and the critical minerals the world will need in the just transition journey to a lower carbon future.," Mthenjane emphasised

"Mining matters to South Africa. This is an industry that has made fundamental changes to the way it engages and shares the benefits of the nation's mineral wealth," outgoing Minerals Council president Nolitha Fakude, who served three terms, highlighted.

"For much of our country's history, mining has been at the heart of its economic progress and development," she added.

Dr Nombasa Tsengwa, CEO of Exxaro Resources, has been elected as president of the

Minerals Council and Mpumi Zikalala, CEO of Kumba Iron Ore, and Richard Stewart, Chief Regional Officer of Sibanye-Stillwater, have been newly elected as vice-residents.

Paul Dunne, CEO of Northam Platinum, and Themba Mkhwanazi, Anglo American Africa and Australia Regional Director, were re-elected as vice-presidents.

"The very high calibre of leadership of women and men who are willing to step forward and play key leadership roles is one of our greatest strengths.

"These leaders have a profound impact on the future direction of the mining industry and the country," Mthenjane noted.

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Platinum-based hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) received a major boost on Wednesday with the announcement of an initiative to deploy new fleets of zero-emission FCEV taxis in Europe.

With nearly 500 000 pilot project passenger journeys across six million kilometres taking place as part of a pilot project that began in 2023, a strong thumbs up is now being given to FCEVs, which are particularly well suited to vehicle fleets such as taxis and buses.

Underpinned by the European Union's Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation implemented in April, momentum round the provision of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure is now proceeding at pace.

Fittingly, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange- and London-listed Anglo American is collaborating with the world's largest FCEV taxi operator Hype, which is the official taxi provider to the upcoming Paris Olympics. Two new fleets of zero-emission FCEVs are being deployed, 250 in Paris and 50 in Brussels.

This is all part of H2 Moves Europe, which is designed to encourage the adoption of FCEV technology as a contributor to globally essential clean transport.

"Hydrogen powered FCEVs are expected to play a significant role in the mix of clean drivetrain technologies needed to effectively decarbonise transport," Anglo executive market development head Benny Oeyen stated in a release to Mining Weekly.

The fleets will include a mixture of fuel cell powered Peugeot e-Expert and Citroen e-Jumpy vehicles adopted for wheelchair users, as well as Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo cars.

H2 Moves Europe is building on the success of the trailblazing H2 Moves Berlin project propelled by the contributions of Toyota Germany and SafeDriver Group-ENNOO.

Through H2 Moves Europe, and the new collaboration with Hype in Paris and Brussels, Anglo hopes to demonstrate still further the many range and refuelling benefits of FCEV technology to wider audiences of car buyers,

This will build on the success of existing FCEV deployment initiatives in Berlin, China and South Africa. Earlier this year, vehicle manufacturer BMW launched a fleet of hydrogen-fuelled cars on South Africa's roads, supported by a green hydrogen refuelling infrastructure at its campus in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Of crucial importance to the economy of South Africa is that the transition to 6% to 7% of FCEVs globally could see a potential for two- to five-million ounces of platinum demand.

The outcome of BMW, Anglo American Platinum and South Africa's long-standing hydrogen producer Sasol finding common ground was the launch on Valentine's Day of the heavenly BMW iX5 Hydrogen passenger car, which Engineering News & Mining Weekly can confirm infinitely outstrips the 'sheer driving pleasure' slogan of the already top-rated BMW mobility brand.

Tested by enthusiastic media on local South African roads, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen combines long-distance capability and short refuelling stops with emission-free driving - an absolutely necessary advance to save Mother Earth from climate change catastrophe.

The BMW iX5's 6 kg of hydrogen allows for a 500 km range, with the car's platinum-based fuel cell turning green Sasol hydrogen into perfectly clean electricity that powers the quiet drive train.

It is no coincidence that South Africa, with its superior sun, prime wind and abundance of platinum group metals (PGMs), is one of only ten countries currently traversed by BMW's latest green hydrogen masterpiece.

What the car world loves about hydrogen is that it is not only the planet's most abundant energy source but that it is also a transport vector with a storage magnitude that ensures that renewable energy can be offered even when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing.

Growing the market for hydrogen-fuelled mobility solutions has been declared a key pillar of the South African government's green hydrogen economy strategy, which will lower carbon emissions meaning...

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New power, the managing and directing of currents towards a goal, is needed by the Western mining industry, which is still functioning on a trailing old power business model.

This was highlighted at Tuesday's London Indaba, where a spotlight was shone on the urgent need of Western world mining companies to pay attention to the benefits that could emerge by working with far great cognisance to the far-reaching strides that have been taken by the Eastern world.

While miners are mining and manufacturers are making things with metals and minerals, China in particular is beneficiating in between in a way that brings very significant competitiveness.

A slide displayed by London Indaba chairperson and South African mining luminary Bernard Swanepoel showed China's nigh-overwhelming contribution the world's clean-technology supply chain, for example. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Over the past two decades, China has transformed the macro environment for the global mining industry, Swanepoel noted in introducing John Thornton, an early mover in recognising the seismic shift that has resulted in China advancing very rapidly into the middle ground of adding value indispensably to mined products.

Besides being Barrick Gold Corporation non-executive chairperson and a director and professor of global leadership at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, where he has been seeking to develop deep partnerships, Thornton is also lead director of the Ford Motor Company, and the single most important reason for Ford being in China is to be able to see the future faster.

"In general, the Chinese companies are hungrier, more tolerant of failure, much faster and, most important, they are looking at the long-term success," Thornton outlined at the event covered online by Mining Weekly.

As the discussion between Swanepoel and Thornton was billed as a fire side chat, Thornton drew attention to the fire side chat that former Franklin Roosevelt gave to save America from catastrophe during the financial crisis of 1933.

One sensed from this that Thornton is alerting the world to the need to treat the inability of the West, including the mining industry, to match the strong forward momentum of China's advances as being a crisis that needed a Roosevelt approach to making this beneficial for the world as a whole by way of Western-Eastern partnership.

"I go for this long story because I think a theme that we're going to get to is the mining industry and mining companies and how they do or do not engage with the people as a whole," said Thornton, who also placed major emphasis on the need for personal trust between Western and Eastern leaders as well as between mining company leaders and African leaders.

"Personal trust is, in a sense, the whole thing. If you can't build the trust, you're not going to have any success, and it has to be genuine trust," he stated.

Swanepoel noted that China has done more than any other country to reduce the dependence on nickel and cobalt.

"You can agree or disagree with the need for that but it is China's moving away from high nickel and cobalt that has really moved the whole world's supply chains into a much better position, he said while displaying an infographic that illustrated the significant decline in the prices of batteries.

"This, if nothing else, is a clear megatrend and the cheaper batteries become, the higher their application should be throughout the world and certainly in battery electric vehicles, among other things.

Swanepoel: What lessons do you think Western-based mining companies could learn from the way China has expanded its global investment and organic capability in the natural resources industry?

Thornton: My passion for more than two decades has been the rise of China and the relationship of the rise of China to the world in general and the United States in particular. You can make a strong case that A...

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Johannesburg- and London-listed Jubilee Metals has acquired two opencast Zambia copper mining operations.

"The strategic acquisition of the two opencast operations is an example of our ability to leverage our process capability to secure significant near-surface copper resources already in operation," Jubilee CEO Leon Coetzer said of the continually advancing diversified metals producer, chaired by former Mpumalanga Premier Mathews Phosa.

The AltX- and AIM-listed Jubilee, which specialises in the recovery of metal from previously overlooked resources, such as unprocessed historical waste rock, run-of-mine materials and tailings in South Africa and Zambia, is also progressing the roll-out of its integrated copper strategy in Zambia.

"Zambia holds numerous similar resource opportunities which we are actively pursuing," Coetzer highlighted in Monday's stock exchange news service release covered by Mining Weekly.

While commissioning activity has begun at the upgraded and expanded Roan in Zambia, Jubilee has concluded a further offtake agreement for stockpiled low-grade mined material in support of the expanded Roan operations.

Moreover, preprocessing of targeted feed material destined for Roan has begun in preparation of an accelerated commissioning and ramp-up during July.

Meanwhile, the latest acquisition of two operating opencast copper mines supports of the expansion of Jubilee's Sable refinery to target 16 000 t of copper a year.

A combination of $0.25-million in cash and $1.5-million in shares will pay for the first, which is targeting 25 000 t/m of 3% to 4% copper.

The second, which is targeting a ramp-up to 20 000 t/m at the same 3% to 4% grade range, will be settled by $2.1-million worth of shares.

Each mine has a life expectancy of more than eight years.

"It has taken a concerted effort by the team to reach this critical point in the commissioning of the Roan Upgrade. I look forward to the team completing an accelerated commissioning and ramp-up of operations during the coming month," Coetzer outlined.

The Roan upgrade and Sable refinery are described as offering Jubilee processing flexibility that affords the company the opportunity to pursue copper resources that are unlocked by this capability.

The strategic acquisition of the two opencast operations is seem as an exemplification of Jubilee's ability to leverage process capability to secure near-surface copper resources already in operation.

The offering to the resource partners incorporates a sustainable approach to mining and recovery of metals and may drive Jubilee's future copper production beyond the initial 25 000 t/y target.

INTEGRATED COPPER STRATEGY

Jubilee's ability to extract value from materials often regarded by the industry as either waste or too complex to extract economically through the traditional methods is what underpins its integrated copper strategy in Zambia.

The copper resources sought are tailings and partially processed discarded low-grade materials, stockpiled low-grade material, and near surface copper reef accessible through opencast mining.

All three categories are held in vast quantities within Zambia, offering Jubilee the opportunity to upscale its operations through targeted acquisitions of these resources.

The success in securing these targeted resources has afforded Jubilee the opportunity to transition Sable into a refiner for the processing of material from opencast operations, while the upgraded Roan will be processing mainly low-grade material and previously processed materials.

Sable and Roan are destined to operate as independent operations. With Sable at full capacity from opencast operations, Roan will either trade its copper-bearing concentrate on the open market or, subject to capital allocation, expand to incorporate downstream refining of its concentrate. The targeted combined processing capacity of 25 000t/y of copper is achieved by an ex...

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses South Africa becoming one of the world’s most compelling short-term investment stories, which is good news for Orion Minerals; Thungela Resources being poised to spend R3.9-billion worth of capital in South Africa going forward; and Richards Bay Minerals looking to on-site renewables, storage & aggregation.

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The University of Fort Hare, where the offspring of mineworkers were the first graduates, has agreed a R12.5-million, initial ten-year academic partnership with a gold mining major AngloGold Ashanti, which no longer mines in this country and is now domiciled in the London.

Fort Hare is the university where the globally illustrious Nelson Mandela began his incompleted studies for a Bachelor of Arts degree.

On Thursday, the historic university announced the establishment of the AngloGold Ashanti chair in dairy science and technology, a project designed to sustainably improve yields for small-scale farmers in one of South Africa's poorest provinces.

Fort Hare's main campus lies adjacent to Alice, a small town in rural setting with a fertile valley.

The new chair will drive research activities that contribute to new knowledge production in dairy science, both nationally and regionally and provide research to support rural small-scale farmers in the Eastern Cape and elsewhere in South Africa over an initial ten-year period.

University of Fort Hare Vice-Chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu described the university's first endowed research chair as ushering in a new dawn for knowledge production to support industry growth, food security, shared prosperity, inclusivity, socio-economic development and upliftment of stakeholders in the dairy sector value chain and rural communities.

"This grant sets us on a new strategic trajectory by helping the establishment of a Faculty of Veterinary Science, and it ensures a lasting legacy for rural development in the Eastern Cape," Buhlungu stated in a media release to Mining Weekly.

The multi-million financial endowment is part of a larger investment in legacy projects in education and agriculture that AngloGold Ashanti will carry out over the next five years to honour its commitment to South Africa, its employees and its communities.

"We remain committed to supporting communities with deep links to the country's mining industry," AngloGold Ashanti CEO Alberto Calderon, a Colombia-born former International Monetary Fund luminary.

"This is why we have deliberately targeted the province from which a significant proportion of our workforce was drawn for many decades," added Calderon.

The poorest of South Africa's nine provinces, the Eastern Cape has a significant agrarian economy with a large population of subsistence farmers.

The research chair position aligns with South Africa's National Development Plan, which emphasises the untapped potential of rural agriculture.

The chair's impact is expected to contribute to several United Nations Millennium Development Goals, including:

• Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger;

• Promoting gender equality and empowering women;

• Reducing child mortality;

• Improving maternal health;

• Ensuring environmental sustainability; and

• Being part of the global partnership for development.

Ionically, Fort Hare was founded in 1916 on the site of an earlier British military stronghold.

UPBEAT NEW INVESTMENT OUTLOOK

The announcement comes shortly after South Africa is showing bright new signs of being more internationally favoured.

Indications of a more positive new outlook on South Africa beginning to arise have been evident this week in international investment events.

For example, speaking to an Australia/South Africa online audience, an upbeat Orion Minerals CEO Errol Smart spoke of "the sun is finally shining on us" when he outlined how South Africa has become one of the world's most upbeat investment stories.

Boksburg-born Smart, who heads a base-metals exploration and mine development company that is primarily listed in Australia with a secondary listing in Johannesburg, drew attention to international investment management company JP Morgan upgrading the investment status of South Africa on rand strengthening and the optimistic Government of National Unity outlook.

Smart also re...

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Green copper and clean smelting and refining is envisaged at Orion Minerals' quickly advancing base metals mines in South Africa's well-endowed Northern Cape province, which has historically 2.5-millon tons of copper until base metal mining ceased there several decades ago.

The fully permitted and already reviving Prieska mine will begin producing its first saleable copper and zinc 12 to 18 months after finalising its total funding requirement, which is estimated at from R3-billionn to R4-billion.

"First focus was to prove the ore. We've done that. Second focus was do the bankable studies; we've done that. Third is build the mines and produce concentrates that are saleable, and then the fourth one will be putting those concentrates in a local smelter or refinery," Orion CEO Errol Smart said during a South Africa-Australia webinar covered by Mining Weekly.

Regarding Orion putting up a smelter, Smart said: We would lean away from smelting. We've done a lot of work on metal vapour refining. We're doing a lot of work on hydrometallurgical leaching.

"We would prefer to go away from energy-intensive smelting. It's difficult to build an environmentally friendly smelter, but it is quite viable to build an environmentally friendly metal vapour refinery or leach plant, and that's what we will probably look at in the future. We've got a whole team working on that. We're looking at the optimised case," he said during question time.

Renewable energy is on the cards: "We're in advanced discussions with a few renewable energy power producers and one is offering 90% certified renewable energy at a cost 20% lower cost than the Eskom supply cost.

"So, essentially, we will be producing certified green copper on our side. That's a huge opportunity and when speaking to the offtakers and debt financiers that green, ESG, credibility is very important," he emphasised.

Power utility Eskom is scheduled to turn on the mine's 15 MW of electricity input next Wednesday.

Trial mining has been under way for some time, with drilling and blasting taking place daily and about 30 000 t of on ore is already on surface.

The existing shaft, which descends to 1 100 m, has multiple underground roadways that reach down to the deepest ore at 1 250 m.

Orion has been conducting bankable studies since 2019 and is putting the finishing touches to updated versions.

Mine chambers at Prieska, which were blasted in the 1970s, have held their ground and no meshing and lacing nor rock anchors are required.

"This ground is standing fantastically well and what we've proven that in the area where we're going to mine, we can put in big machines, we can get economies of scale, and we can get the mining happening," said Smart.

"We can run 4.5 m by 4.5 m development ends, and we can get efficiency in scale of mining.

"We've also proven that we can handle events of nature, a one-in-100-year rainfall event.

"We've put flood control measures in place, and we've shown that there will not be no unplanned flooding.

"The nine billion cubes of water in the mine must be pumped out and the pumps to do this have been put in place," said Smart.

The construction of a water retention dam will be completed in the next few months and the reverse osmosis plant is scheduled to be in place next year as an additional water control measure.

A 15 MVA grid power supply system has been constructed and 4 km dual water and tailings pipeline has been established to the tailings facility.

Besides Prieska, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange- and Australia Stock Exchange-listed Orion is also advancing the Okiep copper project, which has produced nearly two million tons of copper historically under previous Newmont and AngloVaal ownership.

These projects are gaining strong momentum at an ideal time in a district that has produced at an average grade of 1.9 % copper. For many decades, it produced more than 20 000 t of copper a year from ...

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Energy-intensive Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), which consumes an average of 1.8 terawatts of power a year, was able to secure its latest 140 MW wind energy power purchase agreement (PPA) in six months.

When operating at full capacity, RBMs, power consumption across its mining and smelting operations can reach up to 400 MW and this month's quickly concluded wind PPA was, in fact, the second renewable-energy project of this Rio Tinto company.

The first, launched in 2022, was Bolobedu solar PV plant with Voltalia in Limpopo and being looked at now are on-site renewable energy and energy storage options, as well as how it may partner with other companies to halve emissions in 2030 and get to net zero by 2050.

"As a business and as a group, we've come a long way in understanding the markets," RBM GM for growth strategy Bradley Reddy outlined to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

"We do see the markets evolving and with the number of aggregators likely to come up in the next six to 18 months, there'll be further opportunities where there could be shorter offtakes as well," Reddy added.

The aggregation procurement model involves many energy projects selling to one buyer, who in turn sells to many mines, which is being viewed in some circles as a key financial tool to accelerate the energy transition of South Africa's mining industry.

This heavy mineral sands extraction and refining company produces materials used in a wide range of everyday products from paints to smartphones.

Its principal product is titanium dioxide in the form of an 85% pure titanium dioxide slag and it also produces the higher-purity 95% titanium dioxide product rutile as well as pig iron and zircon.

Electricity consumption, besides being one of its largest cost elements, also makes up about 80% of the company's carbon emissions.

Being part of Rio Tinto has enabled RBM to leverage on the areas of expertise across the globe.

Parties to this month's 20-year wind energy agreement include African Clean Energy Developments (ACED), The IDEAS Fund (managed by African Infrastructure Investment Managers), investment holding company Reatile Group, and Rand Merchant Bank. In addition, Energy Infrastructure Management Service (EIMS) Africa is responsible for asset management for the project.

Once constructed, the latest Khangela Emoyeni Wind Farm arrangement involves the production of 460 GWh/y of renewable energy, which, through a wheeling agreement with State power utility Eskom, will help to power RBM's operations.

The project, with an export capacity of 140 MW, is scheduled to reach commercial operation within 28 months.

Combined, the wind and solar projects will supply 42% of RBM's existing energy needs and present opportunities for job creation, skills development, and knowledge transfer within local communities surrounding the project sites during both the construction and operational phases.

Mining Weekly: At the media briefing earlier this month, ACED GM James Cumming said your latest wind farm PPA was completed in what he considered to be record time. How was this concluded in only six months when you've taken more than double that time for other deals that you've worked on?

This was successful by having like-minded partners who share the same values. The level of trust and the frank open discussions allowed us to be able to conclude the PPA negotiations with a much more pragmatic approach. Having our lenders there as well enabled us to knock out a deal within a very short space of time, including getting financial close.

What are some of RBM's most important considerations when going into a PPA, to ensure long-term value?

RBM, as part of Rio Tinto, wanted to ensure that, as an energy-intensive company, which consumes an average of 1.8 terawatts of power per annum, we effectively were able to mitigate, to a large extent, our carbon emission...