Centamin has announced that the full commissioning of its solar plant located at Sukari Gold Mine is expected in Q4 2022.

In a statement, the company elaborated that the plant is delivering savings ahead of expectations. The plant fuel consumption has been reduced leading to less costs with Consistent delivery of 36 MWDC (nameplate capacity), converting to 30MWAC of power since early September.

Furthermore, the plant is expected to have less exposure to volatile fuel pricing with commissioning saving up to 70,000 liters of diesel per day in addition to a reduction in diesel consumption of 22 million liters per annum

Additionally, there is a potential of saving $20 million in annual costs at current diesel prices. When starting operation, the plant is also expecting a reduction in Scope 1 GHG emissions by 60,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per annum and a subsequent reduction in the volume of diesel trucked to the site.

According to the statement, initial proposals to supply 30- 50MWAC of grid power to Sukari have been received and an internal evaluation is underway for potential integration in 2024.

It added that continued progress has been made to assess the opportunity to utilize Egyptian grid power at Sukari.

Martin Horgan, Centamin CEO, commented: “Delivery of this critical project is instrumental to our ongoing commitment to reduce our reliance on diesel fuel, minimise greenhouse gas emissions and realising material cost-savings. The solar plant and potential to integrate grid power will contribute materially to our environmental stewardship philosophy and our strategic objective of maximising returns for all stakeholders.”