Lionel Coetzee, Namdeb’s Head of Strategic Projects has confirmed that as part of the carbon neutrality journey, Namdeb commenced with early investigations into a potential wind energy facility in 2020 which resulted in the successful installation of wind measurement masts to ascertain potential.
Subsequently, the outcomes of this work led to the identification of a site approximately 45km north of Oranjemund within the Southern Coastal Mine (Mining License 43) for a wind energy facility (WEF) with the capacity of replacing up to 50% of the current high-carbon electricity footprint with renewable wind energy.
“The work has progressed to a point where Namdeb will now seek to obtain an environmental clearance certificate for a 34MW wind energy facility from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT),” Coetzee said last week.
Aligned with its values, Namdeb maintains that it shares the Namibian government’s concern of the negative impacts of society on the environment, in particular the impact of carbon emissions on climate change.
“In addition to supporting national decarbonization efforts in maintaining global temperature rise to below 2°C as called for by the Paris Agreement, our sustainability commitment is further extended to achieving De Beers Group’s Building Forever sustainability goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. Renewable energy options such as wind and solar power are some of the solutions considered to be viable in achieving carbon neutrality,” the diamond miner says.
The recent Namdeb life-of-mine extension ensures that Namdeb can continue to contribute to Namibia’s prosperity whilst providing employment to approximately 2600 employees and business partners.
The miner notes that this extension has furthermore paved the way for the establishment of the WEF, which not only expands Namdeb’s carbon reduction ambitions but will also contribute to the socio-economic development of Oranjemund town and the surrounding communities in the //Karas region.
Riaan Burger, Namdeb’s Chief Executive Officer, stated that: “This project will significantly benefit local businesses through the construction and operational phases and enable local renewable energy skills development.”
The WEF, which is currently envisaged to be an embedded system providing electricity to Namdeb, will further contribute to Namibia’s overall ability to generate renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions and become less dependent on imports.
Envusa Energy, a new independent power producer formed by the leading global mining company, Anglo American Plc, and EDF Renewables, a global leader in renewable energy technology are currently leading the development of the WEF which will form part of a planned regional renewable energy ecosystem for all Anglo American mining operations in the southern African region The WEF is anticipated to become operational by the end of 2025 pending permitting and relevant approvals.