Blanket solar plant generating more power than anticipated
Victoria Falls Stock Exchange-listed gold-focused miner Caledonia Mining Corporation has announced that its 12 MW ac solar plant which was connected at Blanket Mine last year in November is operating better than expected and is generating slightly more power than was anticipated.
Rudairo Mapuranga
According to Caledonia CEO Mark Learmonth recognising the economic, environmental, and logistical challenges of running large-scale diesel generators for extended periods, Caledonia constructed a 12 MWac solar plant which is generating slightly more power than was anticipated, it currently provides approximately 27 per cent of Blanket’s average daily electricity demand.
He said in recent months there has also been a substantial improvement in the supply of power from the Zimbabwe grid which has substantially reduced the amount of diesel consumed and has reduced the frequency of interruptions to production.
“The completion of the solar project coincides with an improvement in the supply of power from the Zimbabwe grid which has substantially reduced the amount of diesel consumed. As an initial early-stage indicator, in January 2023, Blanket consumed 18,000 litres of diesel, which compares to approximately 120,000 litres per month for the whole of 2022. Whilst we can’t be certain that this quantum of improvement will be fully maintained as they ear progresses, we are confident that we will continue to see an ongoing meaningful reduction to our diesel us age month on month, fully justifying our investment in solar power and delivering on our ESG strategy,” Learmonth said.