JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The first megawatt-hours of green electricity have been successfully fed into South Africa’s national grid by a newly commissioned solar farm in Limpopo for supply to a mining company in KwaZulu-Natal.

The mine is Richards Bay Minerals, which is part of the Rio Tinto group, and the newly commissioned power plant is Bolobedu Solar Farm, which has been developed by international renewable-energy company Voltalia and its empowerment partners.

The heavy mineral sands miner and refiner produces materials used in everyday products that range from paints to smartphones.

Following the agreement signed in 2022, Voltalia and its local black empowerment partners have constructed the plant with a total installed capacity of 148 MW, which once fully operational, will reduce the annual baseline greenhouse-gas emissions of Richards Bay Minerals by a minimum of 10% or 237 000 t a year.

This clean energy supply is a step forward in the commitment of Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) to sustainable mining into the future as part of its recently approved Zulti South project.

The renewable power is supplied through a wheeling arrangement on the transmission network of South Africa’s State-owned power utility, Eskom.

Richards Bay Minerals MD Werner Duvenhage described the solar commissioning as a defining moment for the company as it celebrates 50 years of operation in South Africa.

“This initiative is not just about energy security, it’s about the long-term sustainability of the business. As we break ground on Zulti South, this initiative paves the way for a cleaner energy future, contributing to both the national power grid and our global decarbonisation targets,” added Duvenhage in a release to Mining Weekly.

This initiative is part of RBM’s broader portfolio of renewable-energy projects, including wind power purchase agreements, which together are expected to reduce the operation’s scope 1 and 2 greenhouse-gas emissions by around 60% compared to a 2018 baseline.

Voltalia CEO Robert Klein said: “The delivery of the first megawatt-hours from Bolobedu illustrates our commitment to accelerating the decarbonisation of industries and supporting inclusive energy transition in South Africa involving local communities.”

Reflecting a shared commitment to transformation and local development, the project distinguishes itself as the first large-scale renewable-energy initiative in the region to feature exclusive local female investors, ensuring that the transition to green energy creates direct equity and wealth for the host communities.

Beyond its technical achievement, the Bolobedu Solar Farm is already delivering strong benefits for the broader community.

During construction, around 800 residents from the three host communities were employed, including 56% youth and 21% women.

Local workers received on‑the‑job training in engineering support, solar panel installation and health, safety and environment awareness, providing many with their first formal employment opportunities.

The project has also stimulated a growing local value chain, supporting transport cooperatives, women‑led catering services and handicraft initiatives.

These socioeconomic impacts, combined with long‑term skills development programmes, illustrate Voltalia’s commitment to an inclusive and sustainable energy transition in Bolobedu, Richards Bay Minerals commented.

As reported by Mining Weekly last year, a total of 500 MW of renewables generation capacity has been secured for Richards Bay Minerals, which consumes 1.8 TWh of power a year.

On the way is also 140 MW from Anthem and 230 MW Red Rocket, both Western Cape wind power producers.