Page 16 - AfrElec Week 30 2022

AfrElec HYDROGEN AfrElec

World’s first hydrogen-powered

mine vehicle enters service at

Anglo American mine in SA

SOUTH AFRICA AN enormous, hydrogen-fueled haulage truck targeting to build between 3GW and 5GW of
being built by Anglo American Platinum renewable power.
(AngloPlats) of South Africa is due to begin AngloPlats is examining natural topog-
work at the company’s platinum group metals raphies at some of its operations with a view
mine (PGMs) in the country in August. to using them to generate renewable energy.
The prototype that can produce 2MW At Mototolo, one of its PGMs mines in South
of energy and haul a 290tonne payload, was Africa, the topography permits the building of
unveiled on May 6, 2022. AngloPlats will deploy a dam on top of a mountain and another at the
the world’s first and largest hydrogen-powered bottom. The company can invest in a system to
machine at its Mogalakwena PGMs mine as part pump water up the mountain-top dam when it
of its broader green strategy. has additional energy and “then to drive energy
“It’s important to recognise that as we were generation on its way down, and that’s obvi-
driving to get the first prototype out to market as ously a very clean way of generating and storing
soon as possible, we used existing components renewable energy,” Voljoen explained.
and retrofitted them into an existing truck,” said If South Africa invests in its full solar, wind
AngloPlats chief executive officer, Natascha Vil- and other renewables potential, she said, it can
joen according to a South African publication, become an exporter of clean energy in the future.
Mining Weekly on Wednesday (July 27). However, strategic partnerships will be key
“The next prototype is already learning some for the country to attain energy security. To that
of the engineering design and also the layout. end, AngloPlats is working with EDF Renewa-
All of that is happening, as we speak. Then we’re bles of France to generate renewable solar, wind
targeting to have our full fleet replaced, as well as and water power.
the broader Anglo American fleet, by the end of “You can’t over-emphasize the importance of
the decade. It’s a truck fleet of just over 400 trucks public-private partnerships,” Viljoen told Min-
if we look at Anglo American’s full truck fleet, ing Weekly.
with 40 of those at our Mogalakwena operation.” “Thinking about society and our commu-
The piece of machinery is part of Anglo nities, it’s important for us to work closely with
American’s nuGen™ Zero Emission Haulage government and Eskom, with government cre-
Solution (ZEHS). nuGen™ provides a fully inte- ating the environment with the necessary policy
grated green hydrogen system, consisting of frameworks to allow us to generate, like they
production, fuelling and haulage system, with have with the independent power producers,
green hydrogen to be produced at the mine site, and supporting us and Eskom in developing the
the company says on its website. required transmission lines, which are all a very
Viljoen stressed the need for the company important part of what we need to work closely
and South Africa as a whole to invest in and together with government on.”™
utilise more renewable energies. The miner is

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