As the world enters a new future led by the decarbonization of the energy sector, Voltalia and IFC, or the International Finance Corporation, have announced their plan to electrify Africa’s mining industry to accelerate decarbonization goals in the region. Africa has relied on conventional mining operations that rely on traditional fuel generation methods like coal and gas, but the new partnership will enable African mines to shift towards the renewable energy sector. Africa has stagnated in its embrace of the potential of solar and wind power, leading to calls for more work to be done to modernize operations.
Africa’s mining sector has relied on carbon-intensive energy sources for generations
That reliance on conventional carbon-intensive energy sources has led to inconsistent energy supply in the African continent. Many underdeveloped nations in Africa have struggled to adopt the potential of the renewable energy sector due to several mitigating factors, like a lack of investments, corruption on an incomprehensible scale, and inconsistent water resources, leading to a slow adoption of the sector.
Mining relies on the old-school, carbon-intensive forms of energy to enable the sector to operate and deliver essential minerals to the world’s markets. However, a new partnership announced by Voltalia, a renewable energy company, and the International Finance Corporation aims to assist the African embrace of the renewable energy sector.
Africa’s mining sector relies on conventional diesel generators and coal-fired plants, for now
The mining sector is inherently reliant on high levels of energy from traditional resources like diesel generators and coal-fired plants to provide enough electricity for efficient operations. The new partnership between Voltalia and the IFC will fast-track the adoption of the solar and wind power sectors, enabling the continent to reshape its mining sector to align with international calls for decarbonization.
The new partnership has a specific purpose and outlined plans to invest in renewable energy
The collaboration is designed to identify and promote “Power-to-Mine” projects across the African continent. The plan would be to enable these new projects to utilize hybrid energy systems that combine a variety of solar power, wind energy, battery storage, and advanced grid technologies.
This would allow the underdeveloped African nations to fast-track the implementation of the renewable energy sector into their operations, marking a significant step towards decarbonizing the mining sector.
The two companies have noted that the plan enables Africa to replace diesel and coal with the untapped potential of solar and wind power. This would allow mines to fully commit to decarbonization, demonstrating their understanding that the mining sector needs to evolve beyond the previous reliance on fossil fuels.
With the world’s longest heated pipeline nearing completion in East Africa, the horizon of the energy sector on the continent is shifting towards a new future that fosters cooperative projects that were previously thought to be a stretch too far for the continent. If Africa aims not to be left behind in the embrace of the renewable energy sector, it will need to lean on the new partnership between Voltalia and the IFC to fast-track the end of conventional energy on the continent.
The new partnership allows mines with little-to-no experience in the renewable sector to benefit from its expertise
The understanding is that the mine operations in Africa will lean on the vast expertise of Voltalia in the renewable energy sector, as well as benefitting from the substantial financial investment from the International Finance Corporation. The renewable energy sector has been growing in Africa, exemplified by the recent progress at Egypt’s El Dabaa nuclear plant. However, the progress is selective and not represented across the entire continent. The new Voltalia and IFC collaboration aims to enable the efficient embrace of the renewable energy sector.
