GHG Emissions, Industrial, Solar  -  January 31, 2023

B2Gold Sets 2030 Goals, Expands Solar Plant

B2Gold announced that the company has set a target to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 30% by 2030 against a 2021 baseline.

The mining company is also pursuing initiatives to increase the proportion of renewable energy sources, electrify operations and improve energy efficiency, according to a statement. B2Gold’s Otjikoto and Fekola operations both maintain fully autonomous hybrid power plants consisting of 5.8 megawatt (“MWac”) and 30 MWac solar installed capacity, respectively.

B2Gold announced the expansion of its Fekola solar plant, which is currently in the detailed design stage. The Fekola solar plant expansion is expected to increase solar power capacity by 22 MWac, reduce GHG emissions by approximately 24,000 tons per year and reduce heavy fuel oil consumption by an average 7.6 million liters per year. Construction of the Fekola solar plant expansion project is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2023 and is estimated to be complete in the third quarter of 2024.

The company will also report progress against science-informed emissions reductions targets, including maintaining an updated GHG emissions inventory (Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions) and improving its disclosure on the company’s climate risk management performance to align with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.