Kuvimba Mining House’s gold unit, Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, intends to establish a solar plant after partnering with an independent power producer to develop a solar power plant that will supply roughly 30% of the mine’s current power requirements.
The solar plant, to be installed nearby, is expected to generate around 6 megawatts of power, a significant contribution to the mine’s total energy needs while this won’t meet all of the power requirements, it marks a substantial stride towards sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Managing Director of Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, Patrick Maseva-Shayawabaya, told the Environment on the sidelines of a visit to the gold mine this week, “The solar project—what we’ve done is we’ve entered into an off-take agreement with an IPP. Essentially, what we’ve signed with the IPP is an off-take agreement that whatever power they supply, we will get.
“We use about 20 megawatts of power. The solar project will produce about 30% of that, which is about 6 or so megawatts.”
He added that, following the signing of the off-take agreement, the IPP is seeking financing to develop the solar plant, which is scheduled to be operational within the next 24 months, demonstrating the mine’s commitment to sustainable energy solutions.
“We are confident that within the next 24 months, the solar plant that will be installed not far away from here will be able to supply some of the power that we need,” he said.
This innovative project is expected to have a significant influence on the mine’s operations by lowering dependency on traditional energy sources. Freda Rebecca Gold Mine’s forward-thinking strategy not only reduces its environmental footprint, but also helps to ensure a more sustainable future for the mining sector as a whole. When the solar plant begins to generate power, it will be a watershed event for the mine, representing a big step towards a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future.
In accordance with their commitment to environmental responsibility, Freda Rebecca Mine prioritizes continuing environmental rehabilitation initiatives. This goes beyond simply complying with regulations. The company is constantly working to regenerate the land it uses. For example, they have a major program underway to re-vegetate their tailings storage facility.
This entails planting seeds and creating conditions that will allow trees to grow organically in places formerly damaged by mining activities. This proactive approach ensures that the land does not become barren once the mine reaches maximum capacity, but rather has the time to heal and revert to a more natural state.
“Rehabilitating the environment is something that we do on an ongoing basis. If you go to our tailing storage facility, for instance, there’s a major drive to re-vegetate the land so that forests will grow naturally where mining used to happen. That’s, as I said, that’s an ongoing basis that we try and rehabilitate so that we don’t wait until the mine has reached the end of its life,” he added.
