Sishen mine near the town of Kathu in the Northern Cape province is Anglo's flagship operation and one of the largest open pit mines in the world – some 14km long. The bulk of Anglo's iron ore production comes from Sishen mine, with most of it being exported.
Kumba Iron Ore has taken another step towards decarbonising its operations after signing an energy offtake agreement with Envusa Energy for a 63MW embedded solar photovoltaic plant at its flagship Sishen mine in the Northern Cape.
The agreement, announced on Thursday, will see the on-site solar facility begin supplying electricity to the mine in the fourth quarter of 2027.
Kumba said the project would displace about 35% of Sishen's current Scope 2 carbon emissions once fully operational, supporting the company's target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2030, based on its 2020 emissions baseline. The initiative also contributes to parent company Anglo American's 2030 climate commitments.
The project is the first embedded renewable energy development to reach this stage under the Envusa Energy programme, a joint renewable energy venture established to help power Anglo American's South African operations.
