It would seem unthinkable that an SME could enable a billion dollar mining company cut a staggering electricity bill. But, indeed, this did happen.
Parabola Mining Company has its relationship with a Ensight Energy Solutions, a small business, to thank for taking off R95 million from its R500 million annual electricity bill. The mine produces about 60 000 tonnes of copper a year for international markets.
Expressing delight at the feat, Kobie Naude, a GM at the Palabora Mining Company said: “Mother earth gives you what it has to mine. We cannot control the market or the prices. All we can control is costs. With energy being the second-largest cost in our business, we had little option but to take action on this front.”
In the coming months. Palabora Mining Company is looking forward to total savings of close to R200m over the next three years.
The relationship between Ensight and Parabora has been of a win-win nature. Parabora gave the Ensight the freedom to devise the best possible plan that could enable it take off a big eight figure off its annual electricity bill. The SME become involved in delivering projects and results.
Parabora is not Ensight’s first big client, according tor Rod Welford, CEO of Ensight Energy Solutions. “We work for companies that generally have energy costs of around R500m to R1.5bn a year. Our objective is not only to save energy, but also to improve the environmental outcomes of the mining companies concerned.”
