• Exxaro buys majority stakes in 138-MW wind and 75-MW solar plants
  
  
• Acquisitions lift Cennergi’s capacity to 317 MW, supporting mining power needs
  
  
• Moves advance Exxaro’s 2030 renewable target amid stricter export standards

South African mining group Exxaro said in late November it had acquired majority stakes in a 138-megawatt (MW) wind farm and a 75-MW solar plant to expand its renewable energy portfolio.

The transactions for the Gouda wind facility in the Western Cape and the Sishen solar plant in the Northern Cape are valued at between 1.7 billion and 1.8 billion rand (over $100 million). Both plants supply power to state utility Eskom under 20-year power purchase agreements.

The acquisitions will raise the operating capacity of Exxaro’s energy subsidiary, Cennergi, from 200 MW to nearly 317 MW. The move complements projects intended to power the group’s mining operations directly, such as the 68-MW Lephalale Solar Project, which will supply electricity to the Grootegeluk mine.

These initiatives support Exxaro’s target of operating 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of net renewable capacity by 2030. The company, long known as a mining firm, is accelerating its push into renewables even as its core business remains fossil fuel extraction.

The shift mirrors a broader trend in South Africa, where mining companies are developing renewable projects both for self-supply and as independent power producers. It also comes as environmental requirements for exports become more stringent, as shown by the European Union’s carbon border adjustment mechanism.

Abdoullah Diop