Harmony Gold, South Africa’s largest gold miner, is exploring options to reduce its dependence on state utility Eskom, which relies on coal-fired power plants that often break down, putting pressure on the miner to find alternative energy sources.
Harmony is therefore considering using hydrogen and natural gas to generate power for some of its mines.
The CEO of Harmony, Peter Steenkamp, told Reuters on the sidelines of a mining investing conference recently that the company is interested in hydrogen power, but it is only carbon-neutral if produced using renewable energy.
Harmony is also investigating the use of natural gas, although this will not contribute to its goal of net zero emissions.
Harmony needs an alternative source to Eskom for baseload generation; however, renewable power sources, including wind and solar were intermittent, Steenkamp clarified.
The company is carrying out a feasibility study and aims to achieve at least 30% of its power consumption from renewables by 2026-27, and reduce its carbon emissions by 20%.
The gold miner has a target of achieving net zero by 2045.
Source: Reuters
Image Source: Harmony’s Mponeng Gold Mine