Otjikoto Gold Mine is going green after the owner, B2Gold, agreed to buy power from Sustainable Power Solutions’ 10MW Maxwell Solar Power Plant.
The N$200m plant, to 26,360MWh of clean, renewable energy annually, will be set up at Maxwell Farm and should be operational by the end of 2024.
The energy will be fed into NamPower’s brand-new Eldorado substation, from where it will be allocated under the Modified Single Buyer (MSB) framework to Otjikoto Mine.
The plant is part of NamPower’s projects implemented under the Modified Single Buyer framework.
The solar plant will not be connected behind the customer’s meter but at a different location on NamPower’s grid, and the clean energy generated by the solar plant will be allocated or ‘wheeled’ to the customer.
The Modified Single Buyer framework is NamPower’s way of empowering Independent Power Producers to produce and sell electricity directly to regional electricity distributors, large industrial and mining companies, and municipalities.
Sustainable Power Solution is a leading Sub-Saharan African funder, developer, and asset manager of solar PV & and battery storage plants in the commercial & industrial market.
Sustainable Power Solutions is partnering with the farm’s owner, the Oelofse family, and Fortitude, a multidisciplinary property developer.
The Oelofse family, known for their wildlife conservation work in Namibia, will fund the project.
Fortitude will play an integral role in the engineering, value-engineering, and quality control processes during the power plant’s construction phase.
B2Gold’s climate strategy is to achieve a 30% reduction in Greenhouse gas emissions by 20203 and progress toward a net zero operation at the Otjikoto mine.
B2Gold country manager John Roos said the solar project embodies the company’s unwavering commitment to sustainable mining practices.
Sustainable Power Solutions CEO Francois van Themaat thanked NamPower and the Electricity Control Board for their investor-friendly approach and assistance in making the project a reality.
Oelofse family member Alex Oelofse said the partnership exemplifies their commitment to sustainable energy and innovation.
“The solar plant’s development marks a milestone in our collective pursuit of greener, more efficient energy solutions,” Oelefse said.
Fortitude’s Sven Patzner said providing solar energy to one of Namibia’s most respected mining operators in B2Gold, together with the Oelofse Family and Sustainable Power Solutions, is both a remarkable opportunity and an example of what can be achieved through critical collaborations and partnerships in the long-term interest of all stakeholders as well as Namibia’s clean energy ambitions moving forward.
