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De Beers Group announces that Namdeb, the 50-50 diamond mining joint venture between De Beers Group and the Government of Namibia, and NamPower, Namibia’s national power utility, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate collaboration on the development and integration of renewable electricity projects into Namdeb’s mining operations and the Namibian national grid.
The proposed development site is located in Kerbehuk, approximately 45km north of Oranjemund, where Namdeb is developing a 34MW Wind Power Plant, with Namdeb being the sole off-taker of the electricity generated. Building on the capacity of both parties, an opportunity has been identified to potentially upscale the project and connect it to the NamPower grid.
Riaan Burger, CEO of Namdeb, said: “This MoU signifies more than a partnership; it is a statement of intent to power progress – responsibly and sustainably. Our focus on climate is backed by tangible actions. We introduced Namibia’s first battery-electric bus in 2023 to start electrifying our vehicle fleet. Ultimately, we intend to electrify as much of our mobile equipment as possible so that our fleet operates on renewable energy. The Kerbehuk Wind Facility is a key milestone in this journey with the potential to enable the use of renewable energy for nearly half of our electricity needs. Moreover, we are proud that this collaboration with NamPower not only supports our operational goals but also strengthens Namibia’s energy independence and climate resilience.”
Al Cook, CEO of De Beers Group, stated: “Today’s consumers want to know that the diamonds they wear are sustainable. This Memorandum of Understanding with NamPower is a major step towards our ‘Building Forever’ ambition to become carbon neutral. Namibia is already at the forefront of Africa’s energy transition, and I am delighted that the new wind farm would bring clean power not just to our own operations but to communities across the country.”
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About De Beers Group
Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining, marketing and retailing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of De Beers Group’s strategy as it develops a portfolio of offers that span the diamond value chain, including its jewellery houses, De Beers London and Forevermark, and other pioneering solutions such as diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives Tracr and GemFair. De Beers Group also provides leading services and technology to the diamond industry in the form of education and laboratory services and a wide range of diamond sorting, detection and classification technology services. De Beers Group is committed to ‘Building Forever,’ a holistic and integrated approach to sustainability that underpins our efforts to create meaningful impact for the people and places where our diamonds are discovered. Building Forever focuses on three key areas where, through collaborations and partnerships around the globe, we have an enhanced ability to drive positive impact; Livelihoods, Climate and Nature. De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. For further information, visit www.debeersgroup.com.