Sibanye Gold power station
{{#badges: CoalSwarm|Navbar-SouthAfricaCoal}} Sibanye Gold power station is a proposed 200- to 600-megawatt (MW) coal-fired station sponsored by Sibanye Gold for Waterberg District, South Africa.
Contents
Location
The map below shows Waterberg coal field, the approximate location where the plant would be located.
Description
In February 2015 Sibanye Gold Ltd., the biggest gold miner in South Africa, said it plans to build its own coal-fired plants of 200 megawatts to 600 megawatts to reduce reliance on “inconsistent and increasingly expensive” electricity from Eskom. Sibanye will aim to finance the plants in part through loans from development banks that focus on infrastructure projects.[1]
Investment with Waterberg falls through
In September 2015 Sibanye Gold agreed to invest in the Waterberg Coal Group to secure coal supplies for its proposed coal plant. Sibanye will buy a convertible note from Waterberg’s lenders for A$22.5 million ($16 million) and inject A$8.5 million of working capital into the mining project.[2]
However, in February 2016 Sibanye advised its shareholders that the parties had been unable to agree on terms for the investment and, accordingly, all discussions had been terminated.[3]
As of December 2018 there have been no further developments, and the projects appears to be shelved. It does not appear in the country's 2018 draft Integrated Resource Plan, released in August 2018.[4]
As of June 2019, with the company having terminated its attempt to build a coal plant and instead directing its planning toward solar power, the project is clearly cancelled.
2016 Sibanye energy strategy emphasizes solar
In July 2016, Sibanye released an energy strategy that emphasized its 150 MW solar PV initiative tentatively located between the company's Driefontein and Kloof operations. The project would be operational in 2018 and would be designed for expansion to 193 MW. Costs were judged to be lower than buying electricity from Eskom. The energy strategy also states, "Other base load alternatives include gas- and coal-fired power stations to supply between 200MW and 600MW are being explored." It notes that "Coal, gas and energy partner (IPP) strategy evaluation underway" among its "short term: 0-3 years" plans. Under "Medium to long term: >3 years" plans it states: "Supplement portion of Eskom demand with self-generated/controlled/Eskom independent baseload power at a discount to expected Eskom tariffs" and "Take opportunities to invest in targeted coal/gas assets that complement this strategy."[5]
Project Details
- Sponsor: Sibanye Gold
- Parent company: Sibanye Gold
- Location: Waterberg District, Limpopo Province, South Africa
- Coordinates: -23.666667, 27.516667 (approximate)
- Status: Cancelled
- Capacity: 200-600 MW
- Type: Subcritical
- Projected in service:
- Coal Type:
- Coal Source: Waterberg coal field
- Source of financing:
Articles and Resources
Sources
- ↑ "Sibanye Gold Plans Solar, Coal Plants to Stem Power Cuts," Bloomberg, Feb 18, 2015
- ↑ "Sibanye Gold Secures Coal Supply Before Building Power Plant," Bloomberg, Sep 17, 2015
- ↑ "Sibanye and the Waterberg Coal Group terminate discussions," Sibanye Stillwater, February 25, 2016
- ↑ "Draft Integrated Resource Plan," South Africa Dept. of Energy, August 2018
- ↑ "Energy Strategy by John Wallington, Executive Vice President: Corporate Affairs and Sustainability," Sibanye
