PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF A SOLAR PV FACILITY AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE SISHEN IRON ORE MINE
13 March 2026 | Client: Sishen Iron Ore Company (Pty) Ltd
Sishen Iron Ore Company (Pty) Ltd (SIOC), an Anglo American company, owns the opencast Sishen Iron Ore Mine (SIOM), located near Kathu within the Gamagara Local Municipality (GLM) and the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality in the Northern Cape Province. SIOC Solar SPV (Pty) Ltd proposes to develop, own, and operate a solar photovoltaic (PV) facility and associated infrastructure within the SIOM Mining Right area, referred to as the SIOC Solar PV Project. The Project will be constructed on the existing G80 waste rock dump, situated on Portion 2 and the Remaining Extent of the Farm Sacha 468, as well as Portion 1 of the Farm Sims 462.
SLR Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd (SLR), an independent firm of Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs), has been appointed by SIOC Solar PV to manage the EA Amendment Process required in accordance with the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (No. 107 of 1998) (NEMA) Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations [Government Notice Regulation (GN R.) 982 of 2014] (EIA Regulations, 2014) for the Project.
The original EA for the Project (NC/BA/14/JTG/JKAM/KAT2/2022) was issued to Sishen Iron Ore Company (Pty) Ltd (SIOC) by the DAEARDLR, on 27 March 2023. The SIOC Solar SPV subsequently sought a Part 1 non-substantive amendment of the EA to transfer the permit from SIOC to SIOC Solar PV, which was undertaken in accordance with Regulation 29 of the EIA Regulations, 2014 and NEMA (Part 1 non-substantive amendment process) (Regulation 29). This second Amendment application of the EA in terms of Regulation 29 is primarily to update the site layout of the Overhead Head Line Corridor and the water pipeline routing.
In this regard, please refer to the attached notification letter for further detail.
Contact
Telephone: 0114670945
Status
Status:
Notice is hereby given that on 27 February 2026, the Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform (DAEARDLR) granted and issued an Amended Environmental Authorisation (EA) to SIOC Solar SPV (Pty) Ltd for the proposed development of a Solar PV Facility and Associated Infrastructure, however a copy was only received by the applicant on 02 March 2026. A copy of the EA Amendment is enclosed in this letter and outlines the reasons for the decision.