Mining Mirror July 2019 | Page 24

Mining in focus continent, where there is still a significant energy shortfall. Many of the larger African economies need to have affordable and reliable power, and South Africa is thus ideally positioned to take advantage of regional demand that will be driven by countries north of its borders. With more and more world funding organisations scaling down on financing coal fired power stations, it might be in the interest of the entire coal mining sector to work towards genuinely cleaning up its act. According to Sporton, there are several technologies being developed that will ensure coal mining becomes more environmentally friendly. “The best way to reduce emissions is supercritical or ultra-super-critical plants, also called high efficiency low emissions. Compared with older plants these ultra- super-critical plants will emit close to 30% less CO2. Thus, with a 1% increase in efficiency, there will be a 3% reduction in CO2 emissions,” said Sporton. South Africa’s two controversial power stations, Medupi and Kusile, are both high technology super-critical plants, although if the country, and probably any other country in Africa, ever considers building more coal-fired power stations, they will have to be ultra-super-critical plants incorporating the best high-end technology available. Sporton said it would be a challenge to upgrade existing power stations but not impossible. “You can upgrade the boiler to become more efficient. China has been able to this, but it is not easy,” he said. If South Africa intends on transforming its energy sector to be more reliant on renewable resources, the transition needs to be carefully planned and managed. According to Ndavhe Mareda, CEO of Black Royalty Minerals, one of the up and coming junior coal miners in South Africa, reliable, cost-effective electricity is vital, not only to improving people’s lives but to the economy’s ability to attract investment and create jobs. “A rapid and aggressive transition away from coal will put the entire economy at risk. We need to strike the right balance,” Mareda told Mining Mirror recently. “It is important to recognise that coal provides 76% of South Africa’s energy at present, and the country is still investing large amounts of money in new coal-generation. In addition, the country has large reserves of coal. It is thus important that the nation gets a proper return on its investment in this technology,” he added. Mareda recognises the important of renewable energy but questions its ability to provide the all-important base power that any economy depends on. “Renewables are subject to the vagaries of unpredictable weather patterns, which means that energy generation will usually not coincide with energy demand. Energy [22] MINING MIRROR JULY 2019 Unpredictable renewables Coal mining has been a bedrock of the South African economy for many years. www.miningmirror.co.za