Power for mining

Mining is a highly energetic activity - blasting, digging, loading, scraping, hauling, crushing and continuously wrestling the treasures of the earth out of the ground. It requires all sorts of power, and not least importantly, electricity.

Electrifying mines in Namibia is essential to the local mining industry, and where multimillion-dollar operations employing hundreds of people get their charged sparks from is in flux. Namibians mines take a leading role to ensure that they always have the current flowing and the power necessary to keep on mining.

The Electricity Control Board (ECB) of Namibia regulates the national electricity industry and awards licences for the generation, transmission, distribution, supply, import and export of electrical power in the country.

In June, the ECB released an update list of 74 licenced independent power producers' (IPPs) generator sets, modified single-buyer licencees, rooftop systems and NamPower power plants.

These electricity generators include a number of operational electricity sources dedicated to the supply of power to mining-related operations. For example, Namibia Marble and Granite in Karibib is licenced as an IPP to operate its 350 kilowatt (KW) solar photovoltaic power plant for own consumption.

According to the update, the plant is operational. Ohorongo Cement is also a licenced off-taker for the Sun EQ Four Invest solar plant on farm Sargberg near Otavi, which boasts installed capacity of 6 574 megawatts (MW).

Many more mining operations are licenced to operate stand-by generator sets on site. These include Langer Heinrich, which has an operational diesel generator plant with 16.5 MW installed capacity.

At the Ongopolo Mine in Tsumeb, a 3 MW diesel generator is licenced and operational, according to the ECB.

Ohorongo Cement has a 7.5 MW diesel generator installed for own consumption, as well as on Farm Sargberg.

Swakop Uranium’s massive Husab mine has a licenced diesel generator set, capable of delivering 9 055 MW of electricity. Namib Lead and Zinc also has a 1 MW diesel generator set.



Hybrid system

B2Gold employs an embedded hybrid generator system, combining heavy fuel oil and solar photovoltaic technologies to generate up to 30MW for its own consumption at the Otjikoto gold mine in the Otjozondjupa Region. Whale Rock Cement is licenced to operate its embedded thermal waste heat generator system of 4.5 MW capacity just outside of Otjiwarongo, while Swakop Uranium uses the same technology for its own Husab embedded waste heat electricity generator.

The licenced generator at the desert Uranium mine can kick out 15 MW of electricity.

Using the relatively new modified single-buyer model, several mining operations intend to bring more solar photovoltaic power plants into play. The modified model allows electricity consumers and IPPs to transact with each other directly for the supply of electricity.

Mining customers can therefore buy a portion of their energy requirements directly from a private generator.

Specifically, Rosh Pinah Zinc Mine is licenced to get up to 5 682 MW from the Rosh Pinah Solar Park, according to the ECB licencing update.

Meanwhile, Swakop Uranium’s Husab mine is licenced to get 12 MW from CGN Energy, although the operation was not operational in June.

Sunchem Alpha Investment is licenced to supply Cheetah Cement with 2 MW while ISPS Solar Operations (Namibia) is licenced to supply B2Gold’s Otjikoto mine with 13 MW of solar powered electricity from its farm Maxwell Number 82 plant in the Otjozondjupa Region, once operational.



Wind-powered electricity

Sorexa Sun Energy is licenced to provide almost 61.6 MW to Orano Mining at Trekkopje in the Erongo Region once in operation, and #Oab Energy is also licenced to generate wind-powered electricity for the Elizabeth Bay mine deep in the south, although the wind farm is not yet operational.

The biggest local supplier of electricity remains NamPower, which ultimately services all Namibian mines connected to the national grid. NamPower has valid generation licences from the ECB to operate its mainstay Ruacana hydro-electric power station in the Omusati Region, which can generate 347 MW for the nation.

The Van Eck coal-powered power station in Windhoek is licenced to generate up to 120 MW, wile the Anixas I heavy fuel oil-powered facility at the coast can add another 22 MW to the grid.

Anixas II was not operational in June as its three main power generation units only arrived in Walvis Bay on 21 July, but once operations begin, the expansion will add 54 MW to the electrical power generated from the harbour town's heavy fuel oil-driven complex.

According to the ECB website, diamond giant Namdeb also has a licence to distribute and supply electricity, as does the Ongopolo mine at Otjihase and the Roshskor Township, which is a joint venture set up by Skorpion Zinc and Rosh Pinah Zinc Mine to administer the southern mining town of Rosh Pinah.