Kumba Iron Ore has signed an agreement that will see its Sishen mine supplied with electricity from a new on-site solar project as mining companies increasingly add renewable energy projects alongside Eskom supply.The agreement is for an embedded solar photovoltaic project to be developed by Envusa Energy, a renewable energy joint venture between Anglo American and French utility EDF, within the Northern Cape mine. Unlike wheeled renewable energy, which is generated elsewhere and transmitted over Eskom’s network, embedded generation produces electricity at the site where it is consumed, allowing the mine to draw power directly from the solar plant.The on-site solar project will supply 63MW of electricity to the mine and is expected to begin operating in the fourth quarter of 2027.The agreement marks the latest step by South Africa’s mining sector to secure electricity from dedicated renewable energy projects after reforms opened the electricity market to greater private participation. Mining companies have increasingly combined Eskom supply with wheeled renewable energy projects to decarbonise their operations.For Kumba, the Sishen project will complement the 11MW of wheeled renewable electricity supplied to its Kolomela mine in the Northern Cape through Envusa’s Koruson 2 renewable energy projects since March 2026. The Sishen project marks Envusa’s first embedded, or on-site, renewable energy project. It follows the development of the Koruson 2 renewable energy cluster, comprising the 240MW MooiPlaats solar PV project and the 140MW Umsobomvu and Hartebeesthoek wind farms, which supply renewable electricity to Anglo American operations through wheeling arrangements.Envusa Energy was established in 2022 to develop renewable energy projects for Anglo American’s operations in southern Africa. The venture was created to help supply the mining group’s operations with renewable electricity through a combination of on-site generation and power transmitted via Eskom’s grid. Envusa is targeting between 3GW and 5GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.Business Day