CrossBoundary Energy has announced that its solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage system (BESS) facility for Kamoa Copper has reached commercial operation, supplying 30 megawatts (MW) of baseload power to the site.
Kamoa Copper is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN) (39.6%), Zijin Mining (HKG:2899) (39.6%), Crystal River Global (0.8%), and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (20%). It operates the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, the largest copper mine in Africa.
Kamoa Copper signed a power purchase agreement with CrossBoundary in April 2025 to supply at least 30MW of baseload power to the site. Similar power purchase agreements typically take around 29 months to reach commercial operation, making this not only the first operational solar/BESS baseload power project in Africa, but also the fastest.
CrossBoundary says renewable energy costs have fallen by around 50% over the past five years, making solar-plus-storage cheaper than conventional thermal baseload generation.
CrossBoundary Project Development Director Gracia Munganga says that this milestone with Kamoa Copper is a ‘significant step’ toward advancing mainstream round-the-clock renewable power.
“It proves how quickly clean, stable energy can be deployed — and the great potential of renewable energy solutions to support the mining sector’s ambitious growth,” Munganga says.
Kamoa-Kakula commenced production in July 2021, and went through an expansion project with the commissioning of the phase three concentrator in August 2024. In 2025, the complex produced 388,838 tonnes of copper and generated US$3.28 billion ($4.58 billion) in revenue.
Independent consultants from Skarn Associates of London have suggested that the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex has among the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per tonne of metal produced globally, as well as the lowest of any major copper mine.
Mining’s net zero ambitions
In October 2021, the Minerals Council of Australia outlined its ambition for the industry to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Its strategy includes actions across energy efficiency, renewable energy adoption, carbon capture and storage, flaring and gas capture, flaring of underground emissions, and electrification.
Likewise, the World Bank has outlined a roadmap to 2050, detailing methods to achieve net zero value chains across copper and nickel. The report notes that growing demand for critical minerals is also increasing GHG emissions from mining operations. It says companies need to find ways to reduce these emissions and ensure the minerals driving electrification are produced without adding further to global GHG burdens, aligning growth with genuine decarbonisation.
The World Bank used copper and nickel value chains in the study, noting that many of these reserves are located in high water-risk and high-biodiversity areas, requiring a greater focus on proactive and responsible management. The report notes that its findings also apply to other metals, particularly critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition.
While majors like Ivanhoe and Zijin are leading the charge on net zero ambitions, a new generation of junior explorers and developers is also embedding net zero strategies into their growth models. These companies are positioning themselves as partners in the sector’s broader decarbonisation drive.
ESGold (CSE:ESAU) is advancing the Montauban Project in Québec, Canada, toward near-term cash flow, reprocessing historic mine waste and tailings that contain recoverable gold and silver. The company’s tailings-to-cash model will act as a revenue generator to fund additional exploration across the project area.
While reprocessing the historic tailings, ESGold is also focused on environmental remediation, stabilising, and neutralising the mine waste. The company is also helping local communities around Montauban through job creation and the restoration of tailings sites to their natural states.
EQ Resources (ASX:EQR) is a tungsten mining company focused on sustainable mining and processing through the circular economy process at its Mt Carbine tungsten mine in Far North Queensland.
The company says this approach combines the reuse of waste rock with advanced X-ray transmission sorting and processing technology. Clean tailings are stockpiled for beneficial reuse through quarry sales of manufactured sand, while responsibly recycled rock is converted into saleable quarry aggregates.
In addition to Mt Carbine, EQ Resources is also advancing the Barruecopardo Tungsten Project in Spain through an expanded exploration program.
Hawsons Iron (ASX:HIO) is advancing green steel production through its ‘high-grade’ magnetite concentrate while prioritising emissions reduction and positioning itself as a global leader in sustainable steelmaking.
The company’s dry processing circuit, located in New South Wales, is designed to materially reduce process water use, avoiding the need for traditional tailings dams and complex water management systems. Its chemical-free approach also underscores Hawsons’ commitment to safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible processes.
High Tide Resources (CSE:HTRC) is also focused on green steel with the Labrador West Iron Project in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Similarly to Hawsons, High Tide is taking an environmentally focused approach to steel production, using direct reduced iron and electric arc furnace techniques. Its use of natural gas in place of coal results in a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of up to 70% per tonne of steel produced.
The mining sector’s decarbonisation drive is no longer confined to the majors. As juniors and mid-tiers embed net zero strategies into their growth models, they’re proving that innovation and sustainability can go hand-in-hand.
Net zero strategies such as onsite renewables, tailings reprocessing, and green steel initiatives are showing how environmental restoration, resource efficiency, and cash flow generation can align. Together, these approaches mark a decisive shift towards mining that supports both global supply chains and climate ambitions.
Write to Amy Rotman at Mining.com.au
Main Image: Kamoa Copper
