AMN - BURKINA FASO: Solar power for Nordgold mines

Internationally diversified gold producer Nordgold SE has entered into an exclusive agreement with Total Eren, Independent Power Producer (IPP) specialised in renewable energies and Africa Energy Management Platform (AEMP), its strategic development partner, to construct a 13 MW Solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant.

The new power station will provide 100% renewable energy to Nordgold’s Bissa and Bouly mines in Burkina Faso.

Construction of the power plant will begin shortly, with completion expected in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The new Solar PV will provide Bissa and Bouly with power for both mines’ daily operational needs, thereby significantly reducing reliance on the existing thermal power plant.

In addition to significantly enhancing the environmental sustainability of the mines, the solar plant will increase security of supply, and reduce costs at both mines.

Under the terms of the agreement, the consortium will develop, finance, construct and operate a solar PV plant complemented by a Battery Energy Storage System, reducing the mines' fuel consumption by around 6.4 million litres and CO2 emission by about 18,000 tonnes per year.

The new Solar PV will also create a number of fulltime roles for local employees in addition to over a thousand currently employed at the mine sites.

Nordgold chief executive officer Nikolai Zelenski said: “At Nordgold, we are deeply committed to our role as a responsible miner and constantly strive to minimise the impact that our operations have on the local environment.

"By building this new solar power plant, not only will we improve the efficiency of our mines by creating a more secure power supply at lower cost, but we are also helping to make our Burkina Faso mines far more sustainable while minimising our carbon footprint.

"We already have in place a number of important environmental initiatives aimed at protecting biodiversity around our mines.

"The installation of a solar power plant at Bissa and Bouly, Nordgold’s key assets in terms of production, is in line with our strategy of implementing the best environmental standards across our operations.”

www.nordgold.com