Sustainable land use is a significant issue within the context of climate change adaptation and socio-economic resilience. As such, re-thinking degraded land rehabilitation in underdeveloped areas offers an opportunity in combining energy generation, soil restoration and social upliftment. This could effectively address development objectives and build climate resilience in communities. A case study in the Merafong Local Municipality found that there is a dynamic synergy between land restoration, renewable energy and community upliftment. The study looked at mine land rehabilitation and the use of this land for renewable energy as a strategic opportunity to benefit local mining communities. Developing the synergy between land, communities and energy will result in an economic alternative for impacted and/or degraded land that can provide sustainable economic alternatives for local communities. It also links strongly to the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the supply of renewable energy to South Africa. These objectives contribute effectively to local climate change adaptation by reinventing our thinking around land rehabilitation and renewable energy.

1. FROM CHALLENGE TO CHANGE:
Achieving climate action and community
resilience through renewable energy options
on degraded land
Presented by: Karien Erasmus, Senior Climate Change Advisor
Company: Promethium Carbon
Date: Thursday, 3 August 2017
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2. Presentation structure
• Background
– Land as a central role-player in the context of climate change and
development needs.
– A changing South African context impacting land use.
• Understanding the synergy: Land, communities and energy.
• The role of land restoration in creating sustainable land use
scenarios.
• The Merafong Case Study
• Taking the concept forward
– Special under developed zones (SUZs)
• Conclusion
• Final Message
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3. 5th Annual Conference
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Land is central to sustainability
Goal 2 addresses poverty and food insecurity
through enhancing agricultural productivity and
sustainability

4. The South African context
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
estimates that the amount of arable land in South Africa is
declining rapidly.
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Impacts on land
• Population growth
• Mining
• Infrastructure
• Land use change
• De-carbonisation
• Land classification

5. The South African context
The economic landscape in South Africa is changing –
leading to a constant downward trend in some parts of the
mining sector.
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Employment in the South African gold
mining industry

6. 5th Annual Conference
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A need for change:
Unlocking synergies
Synergies between unlikely partners can turn legacy
challenges into unique prospects.
CommunityLand
Renewable
energy
options
Post Mine Life
Sustainability
Community
based
renewable
energy
project
Legacy of 150 years’ mining in South African
Solution offered by using mine impacted land for sustainable renewable energy supply
Legacy of mining and other land degradation
An integrated solution: Using degraded land for renewable energy supply

7. The Merafong Case Study:
Harambe Merafong Bio-Energy Project
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8. Project location
Project sites are located in
Merafong Local Municipality,
to the west of Johannesburg.
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9. Project overview
Extended Renewable Energy Toolkit
Detailed Feasibility Study
Site selection Soil analysis
Biomass
supply plan
Financial Model
Technology
assessment
Sustainability
Assessment
Project capacity
Electricity 2 MW
Biochar 2 000 tons per year
Carbon credits 16 000 tons per year
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10. Biomass production
Land productivity goal Land productivity objectives
Maximise the natural
productive capability of
the land towards achieving
a sustainable land-use
alternative
Create a system that can naturally sustain its own
productivity, with limited artificial inputs.
Protect loss of the soil resource.
Improve soil moisture retention through use of high
water-use efficient plants.
Reduce the uncertainty of land outputs, as the
productivity of the land improves.
Impacts Restore
Increase land productivity through restoration agriculture
Land
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11. Project Technology
• Biomass differentiates this renewable energy project and the
value proposition.
• It ensures high availability, in that power is delivered when
the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing.
• The production system combines an internationally sourced
Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbine generator set with a
South African developed and demonstrated,
pyrolysis/combustion process.
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12. R0
R100
R200
R300
R400
Rand(Million)
Cash flow cascade
(Net present value of cash flows)
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Financial outcomes of the study

13. The power of two Megawatts
2 Junior schools2 High schools2 Clinics
1600
Households
Municipal
water pump
2 Megawatt plant can power the following for a day:
• Job creation – app 120 jobs
• Skills transfer
• Upskilling
• Resilient communities
• Improved livelihoods
• Socio-economic upliftment
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14. Further opportunities
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Special Underdeveloped Zones:
(Half of population lives below poverty line)
Promethium Carbon, 2016
Derelict and Ownerless Mines:
Department of Mineral Resources, 2009

15. Conclusion
• Land restoration is vital to enable:
– Sustainable land use; and
– Optimising land to the economic benefit of communities
and municipalities alike.
• Integrating land restoration with renewable energy:
maximise available resources.
• The Merafong Bio-Energy feasibility study shows:
– Financial viability (with grant funding);
– Community benefits; and
– Long-term land improvement and beneficiation.
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16. Final Message
Degraded land can be changed from a liability
to a socio-economic asset.
Promethium Carbon’s project shows
potential positive impacts in terms of social,
economic and environmental contexts.
This practical and step-wise approach to
land restoration will achieve much needed
integrated benefits. (RE Toolkit)
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17. Thank You
www.promethium.co.za
0861 CARBON
www.facebook.com/PromethiumCarbon
@robbielouw
@harmkeimmink
@erasmuskarien
www.retoolkit.org.za
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