Rustenburg, North West
A platinum group metals mining operation in Rustenburg engaged SOCO ENERGY to reduce the fuel and electricity cost of its surface operations — including processing plant, administration, and auxiliary services — while maintaining the supply reliability required for a continuous mining operation.
The site operated a mixed supply arrangement combining Eskom grid power with diesel generation for backup and peak shaving. Diesel costs had become a material operating expense, and Eskom supply quality at the remote substation was inconsistent. NERSA and DMRE compliance requirements for generation at mine sites added regulatory complexity to the project design.
SOCO ENERGY designed a 1.2MWp ground-mounted solar array integrated with a 2.4MWh LFP BESS and the existing diesel generation set via a hybrid controller. The system was engineered to operate in island mode during grid outages, with automatic transfer to diesel for extended outages. NERSA registration and DMRE compliance documentation were managed by SOCO ENERGY as part of the EPC scope. Asset-backed debt financing allowed full Section 12B deduction in year one.
Diesel consumption for non-emergency generation reduced by over 80%. Combined electricity and fuel costs reduced by 58%. The system achieved NERSA and DMRE compliance sign-off without delays to commissioning. The client has commissioned SOCO ENERGY to assess three further mine sites in the Northern Cape for similar hybrid deployments.
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