RENEWABLE ENERGY IS KEY TO IMPLATS’ DECARBONISATION AMBITIONS

Energy and climate change are deeply interconnected. The energy sector plays a pivotal role in both driving and mitigating climate change. Weather patterns are shifting, prompting the need to accelerate the global journey to decarbonisation.

Impala Platinum Holding Limited (Implats), a leading platinum group metals producer, is uniquely positioned to have a long-lasting and positive impact on a global and local scale - we produce the metals critical to ensuring a low-carbon transition and we assist local communities to build resilience against climate change.

While our metals are needed for the global transition from fossil fuels to greener technologies, we also ensure that our mining and processing activities are conducted in an environmentally and socially acceptable way. Implats is decarbonising its operations to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, with a shortterm target to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2030, against 2019 as a base year.

Electricity supply shift

A key focus of the Implats Group’s energy strategy is to strengthen the security of electricity supply in South Africa, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and long-term input costs, by integrating renewable electricity into its electricity supply options. Our energy activities include site-based projects and strategic contracts to deliver renewable energy at our operations, shifting our grid electricity supply to renewable electricity.

Latest reports indicate that some 17% of South Africa’s grid electricity is from renewables. Grid-based renewable electricity supply is classified as locationbased, while our projects and strategic contracts are market-based. By the end of FY2024, total renewable electricity accounted for 37% of our total electricity consumption (2023: 30%), with market instruments accounting for 53% of our renewable electricity mix. This marked a historic cross-over point for Implats.

A pipeline of renewable energy projects

To further bolster our energy initiatives, in January Implats signed a five-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Discovery Green to supply wheeled renewable electricity to its Impala Refineries operation, which is based in Springs, east of Johannesburg. The strategic renewable electricity contract will significantly reduce Impala Refineries’ Scope 2 GHG emissionsby more than 852 000 tonnes CO2e over the initial five-year period of the PPA - and yield cost savings.

We also continue to develop a pipeline of projects towards our 2030 decarbonisation targets. At Impala Rustenburg in the North West province, we completed a bankable feasibility study for a 140MW solar project which will generate some 9% (319 000MWh) of the site’s electricity needs and reduce our carbon emissions by approximately 344 000tCO2e per year. At our Marula operation in Limpopo, we have completed a bankable feasibility study for a 30MW solar project at the site, which will generate some 30% (70 000MWh) of green electricity and reduce our carbon emissions by approximately 74 000tCO2e per year. The Group has also already implemented several rooftop solar solutions (<1MW) at our South African operations.

Further afield, we completed construction of a US$37 million, 35MW solar photovoltaic plant at Zimplats, the first of such scale in our Group and the first and largest utility scale solar power plant in Zimbabwe. The second phase at Zimplats, a 45MW solar project, has been approved by the board and once completed will generate about 103 000MWh of green electricity and reduce our carbon emissions by some 64 000tCO2e per year.

Looking ahead, in our energy and decarbonisation policy, we have committed to at least a 30% renewable energy mix for all new mines.