Rising electricity costs affects the profitability of South African deep level mines.
Compressed air systems are some of the largest energy consumers on conventional deep …

The demand for electricity in South Africa has grown faster than the increase in generation
capacity. However, it is expensive and time consuming to commission new power stations …

The ever-growing human population, limited energy resources and the effect of greenhouse
gas emissions have become major global concerns for the energy sector. This includes the …

Compressed air is an energy intensive utility that is frequently used in the deep level mining
industry. Most compressed air networks are designed to ensure ample compressed air …

The global gold mining industry is currently on a growing trend, while the local gold mining
industry in South Africa has been experiencing a decline in gold production. This is due to a …

The platinum price has decreased nearly 42% since 2010, forcing platinum mines to reduce
expenses in order to remain profitable. Electricity consumption is a large capital expenditure …

Mine compressed air systems are energy intensive with the potential for optimisation and
electricity cost savings. However, funding for energy saving initiatives has reduced …

Leak detection is an important aspect in optimising a compressed-air network. To eliminate
all the leaks in the system is not practical. A 10% leak rate is considered acceptable. The …

Compressed air generation consists of approximately 19% of a mine's total electricity
consumption. It was found that manually operated compressed air networks are controlled …

Demand side management (DSM) initiatives have been introduced by Eskom to reduce the
deficit between the electricity generation capacity and the electricity usage within the …