Independent power producer Enernet Global has signed a power purchase agreement to build, own, operate and maintain a 12MW DC solar photovoltaic plant with Vedanta Zinc International’s Black Mountain Mining operations in the Northern Cape.
INDEPENDENT power producer Enernet Global (Enernet) this week announced it had signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to build, own, operate and maintain a 12MW DC solar photovoltaic (PV) plant with Vedanta Zinc International’s (VZI) Black Mountain Mining operations in the Northern Cape.
The plant will generate 29 gigawatt hours of electricity annually, substituting a portion of the current Eskom supply. This will reduce carbon emissions by circa 12 244 tonnes per annum compared to Eskom supply.
Construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2024 and take roughly nine months to complete, it said in a statement, adding that the project would also generate direct and indirect employment within the Khâi-Ma municipal area and Namakwa District, both in the construction and 25-year operational tenor of the plant.
Pushpender Singla, VZI executive director and chief financial officer, said: “ESG is the key focus at VZI. In line with our agenda to transform the planet for the greater good, we have committed to reducing carbon emissions by 35 000 tons and installing 76% renewable energy by 2027. Our goal is carbon neutrality by 2040. We are excited to partner with Enernet as this 12MW solar energy project, which will reduce emissions and enhance energy reliability and security.”
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