Orion Minerals and juwi to Investigate Renewable Energy Supply for the Prieska Zinc Copper Project

juwi Renewable Energies (Pty), the Cape Town based subsidiary of international project developer juwi AG, and Repli Trading No 27 (Pty), subsidiary of Orion Minerals Limited (ASX/JSE: ORN) entered a collaboration agreement to investigate renewable energy generation for the Prieska Zinc Copper Project. The primarily scope of the agreement signed on the 27^th of February 2019 is to investigate the feasibility of generating and supplying 35MW of electricity from a hybrid power system using integrated wind and solar technologies. The renewable energy generation site will fall within 20 kilometers of the project site, making the establishment of a dedicated feed via overhead power transmission line possible.

Commenting on the agreement juwi’s Managing Director Greg Austin said: “We are pleased to have this opportunity to work with Orion Minerals and to advance the use of renewable power in the mining industry. Hybrid systems are at the forefront of transforming the remote power generation sector and the resource industry into one with a sustainable future as they offer emission-free low-cost energy.”

juwi’s award winning solar hybrid project Degrussa/Sandfire in Australia set the standard and blueprint for a reliable and sustainable energy supply for remote mines and industries. The off-grid solar hybrid project has saved the mine several million litres of diesel fuel.  The project was voted Project of the year 2016 by Energy and Mines Magazine at the World Congress in Toronto at the end of 2016. With more than two years of operational data and 100% uptime this successful project has established juwi as leaders in hybrid power supply solutions for mines.

Orion’s Managing Director and CEO, Errol Smart, commented: “The agreement is in line with our strategy to make best use of our geographic advantages. The region has the highest irradiance levels in the country and is very well-situated for wind farms. It is already a well-established renewable energy generation region with 190MW of solar power plants in operation and 240MW of wind power under construction adjacent to our Prieska Project. The opportunity can only improve our power supply security, whilst lessening the burden on the national electricity grid and reducing our carbon and water footprint.”

The investigations into renewable energy will complement the bankable feasibility study (BFS) for the Prieska mine of Orion Mineral. Developing the renewable energy potential of the region is also a strategic goal of the local government, as communicated in their Integrated Development Plans. juwi works closely with local governments to maximise the employment and enterprise development in the local communities and will use this local experience on projects for the benefit of the community.