There has been a surge of activity in big renewable projects being built mainly for mining companies.

For starters, there was the public launch of Seriti Green’s 155MW Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Farm in Mpumalanga. Seriti (not its subsidiary Seriti Green) supplies coal to Eskom’s power stations in Mpumalanga.

The wind farm is phase one of a much bigger project that will eventually comprise five wind farms, one solar photovoltaic (PV) facility and a battery storage facility, says Seriti Green. All are placed in a part of the country that definitely doesn’t have grid access problems.

A third of the electricity generated will power Seriti’s mining operations; the rest will be traded via energy traders.

Then there’s Exxaro Resources, which, through its renewable energy subsidiary Cennergi, developed the 68MW Lephalale Solar Project in Limpopo to supply its Grootgeluk coal mine.

Cennergi is also developing the 140MW Karreebosch Wind Farm in the Northern Cape to supply Northam Platinum.

The 520MW Koruson 2 energy cluster – the Usobomvu and Hartebeesthoek wind farms and the Mooi Plaats solar facility – will supply Valterra Platinum, Kumba Iron Ore and De Beers.

The 148MW Bolobedu Solar Project in Limpopo has a power purchase agreement with Richards Bay Minerals.

Another big industrial buyer of renewable energy that’s not a mine is Sasol and Air Liquide in Secunda, which have power purchase agreements for the power to be generated by the 300MW Naos 1 solar project, which will also have 660MWh of battery storage, as well as the 330MW Impofu Wind Farm Complex (three wind farms in the Eastern Cape).