South African Miners Accelerate Renewable Energy Transition

South African mining companies are expanding their use of renewable energy to reduce electricity costs, improve energy security, and meet climate targets, moving away from decades of dependence on struggling state utility Eskom. Anglo American’s renewable joint venture, Envusa Energy, currently produces 520 megawatts from wind and solar, covering about 30% of Anglo’s mining energy consumption. Envusa has a pipeline of 1,500 megawatts and a target of 3,000 megawatts by 2030. Sibanye-Stillwater has taken a different approach, securing 835 megawatts of renewable capacity through supply agreements rather than owning assets, with plans to source 64% of its energy from renewables by 2028. Even coal producers are embracing the shift: Exxaro’s renewable subsidiary Cennergi targets 1,600 megawatts of capacity by 2030. Still, executives stress that Eskom’s baseload power remains essential given the intermittent nature of wind and solar and the limitations of current battery storage technology.