Rockwell Automation and Energy Drive have partnered to create an innovative energy-savings-as-a-service business model that has helped reduce emissions and deliver significant annual energy savings at the Sibanye-Stillwater Driefontein mine in South Africa.
The new approach has provided a more manageable resource and personnel model, resulting in energy savings and emission reductions. The system at the mine, designed by Energy Drive, is central to the new optimized control solution for the mine’s ventilation architecture, delivering annual energy savings of over 55 GWh, and helping Sibanye-Stillwater address some core goals of its ESG activities.
The ventilation system’s operational parameters have been remodeled to leverage the advanced capabilities of Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 6000T variable-frequency drives. Through optimized control of fan speed and air circulation, this new approach has resulted in an average energy saving of 62% in one shaft and 48% in the other, with another shaft soon to be commissioned.
Engineers anticipate that the three upgrades will eventually deliver a total energy saving of about 360 GWh over the term of the contract, equivalent to removing 5,000 South African homes from the grid every month, and will save 379,000 tons of carbon over the period, while significantly reducing water and coal consumption.
Source: CISION PR Newswire
Image Source: Sibanye Stillwater