Rio Tinto signs groundbreaking renewable energy agreement in Madagascar
July 26 2021 - 7:14AM
Business Wire
Rio Tinto has signed a power purchasing agreement for a new
renewable energy plant to power the operations of its QMM ilmenite
mine in Fort Dauphin, Southern Madagascar.
This project, which uses solar and wind energy, will
significantly contribute towards Rio Tinto’s operations in
Madagascar achieving its carbon neutral objective by 2023. The
project is part of a broader initiative to reduce the ilmenite
mine’s environmental footprint which includes programmes that focus
on emissions reduction, waste and water management, carbon
sequestration, ecological restoration and reforestation.
The renewable energy plant, to be built, owned and operated by
independent power producer, CrossBoundary Energy (CBE), over a
20-year period, will consist of an 8 MW solar facility and a 12 MW
wind energy facility to power mining and processing operations.
There will also be a lithium-ion battery energy storage system of
up to 8.25 MW as reserve capacity to ensure a stable and reliable
network.
It will supply all of QMM’s electricity demand during peak
generation times, and up to 60 percent of the operations’ annual
electricity consumption. QMM will replace the majority of the power
it currently supplies to the town of Fort Dauphin and the community
of around 80,000 people with renewables.
The renewable energy plant will comprise more than 18,000 solar
panels and up to nine wind turbines located in the Port Ehoala Park
area. Construction is expected to begin this year with the solar
plant scheduled to start operations at the beginning 2022. The wind
power plant is planned to commence construction early 2022 and
become operational by the end of 2022.
QMM President Ny Fanja Rakotomalala said: “This project is a
strong example of our commitment with the Government of Madagascar
to the sustainable development of the region. On a sunny and windy
day, all the electricity needed by QMM and the Fort Dauphin
community will be generated by the Malagasy sun and wind. It is a
major step forward on our journey towards a truly sustainable mine,
that protects and promotes the uniqueness of Madagascar’s
environment and benefits the community with reliable and clean
electricity.”
Secretary General, Ministry of Energy and Hydrocarbons of the
Republic of Madagascar, Andriatongarivo Tojonirina Andrisoa, said:
“The Government of Madagascar is committed to the energy transition
and to setting up Madagascar to be energy independent, as stated in
the President’s Initiative pour l’Emergence de Madagascar (IEM).
QMM’s renewable energy project, technically ambitious with two
installations dedicated to solar and wind, is fully aligned with
that vision. It makes Madagascar a global reference point for the
use of renewable energy to supply clean, reliable power in the
mining sector and other industries, and to the community.”
Rio Tinto Minerals Chief Executive Sinead Kaufman said: “With
this flagship project, QMM is leading the way at Rio Tinto and in
Madagascar in utilizing renewable energy to power mining operations
and reduce carbon emissions.”
CrossBoundary Energy Co-founder and Managing Partner Matt
Tilleard commented: “Emissions from electricity use in mining is
estimated to account for around 1% of all greenhouse gases
globally. Rio Tinto is leading the way in demonstrating how mines
can seize a huge opportunity to reduce these emissions. We are
focused on delivering cleaner power to businesses and were
therefore able to offer Rio Tinto a flexible, fast, all-equity
funding approach, combined with our reliable track record as one of
Africa’s largest distributed renewable utilities.”
About QIT Madagascar Minerals
QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM), is a joint venture between Rio
Tinto (80%) and the government of Madagascar (20%). It is located
near Fort Dauphin in the Anosy region of south-eastern Madagascar,
and primarily produces ilmenite which is a major source of titanium
dioxide, predominantly used as a white pigment in products such as
paints and paper.
QMM also produces zirsill used in the manufacturing ceramic
tiles and digital screens, and monazite, a rare earth element, used
in renewable energy technologies like high-powered permanent
magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicles.
QMM includes the deep-water Port d’Ehoala, where the raw
material is shipped to the Rio Tinto Fer et Titane plant in Canada
and processed into titanium dioxide.
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