CASE STUDY: SOUTH DEEP MINE

Gold Fields implemented a 40 MW solar PV project at its South Deep Gold Mine in South Africa to mitigate rising electricity costs from the utility Eskom and reduce its carbon footprint. Developed with assistance from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and DNV GL, the project utilizes a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with an independent power producer. The installation is expected to offset 15–20 percent of the mine's energy consumption and achieve a 114 percent lifetime benefit-to-cost ratio.

• The South Deep Gold Mine faces significant energy challenges, including a peak electricity demand of 60 MW and annual consumption of 500 GWh, with energy expenses reaching 13 percent of total operating expenses due to Eskom's coal-heavy generation and tariff increases averaging over 11 percent since 2014.
• Technical assessments by RMI and DNV GL determined that 40 MW of solar PV was the optimal capacity for the site, as a 20 MW interconnection between the mine's two shafts acted as a constraint for larger installations.
• Gold Fields selected a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with an independent power producer (IPP) for on-site generation, following a vendor selection process involving 28 IPPs and nine compliant bids.
• The solar PV deployment is forecast to offset 15–20 percent of the mine's energy consumption from Eskom and is projected to have a 114 percent lifetime benefit-to-cost ratio based on 2016 net present value.
• Although storage was initially considered, Gold Fields decided not to install energy storage because pricing remained prohibitive and the mine is grid-tied to Eskom.

APA

RMI (n.d.). CASE STUDY: SOUTH DEEP MINE. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/09/RMI_South_Deep_Mine_Renewable_Energy_Case_Study_2017.pdf

Chicago

RMI. CASE STUDY: SOUTH DEEP MINE. n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/09/RMI_South_Deep_Mine_Renewable_Energy_Case_Study_2017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=CASE STUDY: SOUTH DEEP MINE |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/09/RMI_South_Deep_Mine_Renewable_Energy_Case_Study_2017.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmindcase, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{CASE STUDY: SOUTH DEEP MINE}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/09/RMI_South_Deep_Mine_Renewable_Energy_Case_Study_2017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }