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Gold Fields Granted Approval for 40 MW Solar Plant at South Deep

  • South Deep is the miner’s only remaining asset in South Africa
  • Reliable power supply is key to mine’s profitability
Miners walk through an underground tunnel at the South Deep gold mine, operated by Gold Fields, in Westonaria, South Africa.

Miners walk through an underground tunnel at the South Deep gold mine, operated by Gold Fields, in Westonaria, South Africa.

Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg
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Gold Fields Ltd. said regulators approved its plan to build a 40 megawatt solar power plant at its remaining mine in South Africa.

The solar plant will satisfy about 20% of the South Deep mine’s electricity needs and help curb operational losses from frequent power outages, the Johannesburg-based producer said in a statement. The company will update its cost estimates and then start work on the project “as soon as possible.” Securing reliable power supplies is pivotal to Gold Fields continuing a successful turnaround at South Deep, which sits on the second-biggest known body of gold-bearing ore.