Tailings retreatment major DRDGOLD has undertaken several high-impact initiatives to stabilise operations, enhance recovery and secure energy supply.

These projects include renewable-energy development and integration, as well as the development of new tailings storage facilities (TSFs).

At the company’s Ergo operations, on Gauteng’s East Rand, it has commissioned a 60 MW bifacial solar PV plant and a 160 MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) – a first for South African tailings retreatment, says CEO Niël Pretorius.

The project includes 42 containerised BESS units, 11.2 km of new 22 kV overhead power lines and a self-built 88 kV switching station integrated into the national grid.

The PV plant and BESS was engineered as a fully integrated power and data platform, allowing for real-time monitoring, load-shifting and remote diagnostics through DRDGOLD’s centralised supervisory control and data acquisition environment.

The PV plant and BESS supply about half of Ergo’s demand, offsetting consumption from State-owned power utility Eskom and enabling wheeling across DRDGOLD’s operations.

The solar PV and BESS complex is now fully operational and connected to the grid, with measured output of about 47 GWh generated between June 2024 and February 2025.

“We expect [a yearly] carbon abatement of about 182 000 t of CO₂-equivalent, supporting DRDGOLD’s Responsible Gold Mining Principles alignment and IFRS S2 climate disclosures.”

The BESS provides stability for tailings reclamation, processing and deposition operations, reducing exposure to Eskom volatility and securing long-term sustainability, adds Pretorius.

It also allows for tariff-based load-shifting and peak-hour reduction, while the new 88 kV and 22 kV infrastructure enables power distribution and reduced losses.

The system’s smart inverters and digital relays allow for two-way data flow between plant operations, energy management and financial systems, improving visibility across production and cost variables, he adds.

The company’s electricity consumption intensity from Eskom also decreased significantly in the 2025 financial year, primarily as a result of the aforementioned systems.

These combined measures have lowered energy costs by an estimated R9/t to R15/t of material processed.

Tailings Storage Facilities

As a legacy TSF reminer, new TSF development is an important consideration and key operational dynamic for DRDGOLD, with the company constructing the Withok TSF, in Ekurhuleni, and the regional tailings storage facility (RTSF), near Fochville, both in Gauteng.

Construction of the RTSF has started, with the facility designed for a total capacity of about 800-million tonnes and a deposition rate of 2.4-million tonnes a month.

These initiatives, part of DRDGOLD’s Vision 2028, aim to lift consolidated throughput to three-million tonnes a month and yearly production of 6 t of gold.

Under Vision 2028, the company is investing about R8-billion over three years in five large projects to extend their operating lives by up to two decades, as well as to significantly increase throughput.

At its Far West Gold Recoveries (FWGR) project, Phase 2 of the expansion continued throughout this year, including detailed engineering for the DP2 plant and a proposed carbon-in-leach circuit. The plant is being expanded to reach a throughput of 1.2-million tonnes a month, sourcing tailings from the Driefontein 3 and Libanon tailings dams.

At Ergo, DRDGOLD is preparing to resume deposition at the Daggafontein TSF and developing the Withok TSF to systematically replace the Brakpan TSF, with the latter operating at a reduced rate of 1.65-million tonnes a month.

To mitigate risk, the company stages its construction schedules, maintains engineering completion above 90% before major capital drawdown and funds projects from in-house cash flows – a strategy Pretorius says has insulated the company from cost escalation and financing risk.

As for its environmental impact and footprint, DRDGOLD continues to address dust, water and rehabilitation compliance through progressive TSF reclamation and satellite monitoring.

It is also conducting prefeasibility investigations into international expansion, targeting Africa and South America for gold, and potentially copper, tailings retreatment projects.