Tharisa, a UK and South African-listed platinum group metals and chrome producer, has started testing three Liebherr mining machines with efficient engines and fuel systems at the Tharisa mine in South Africa as part of an effort to improve ESG-practices.

The company said the machines comprise of two T 236 mining trucks with a capacity of 100 metric tonnes and one 72-tonne PR 776 dozer, both of which use the latest generation diesel engine technology with the T236s using Cummins QST 30 engines and the PR 776 utilising the Liebherr D9512 engine.

The tests aim to ensure the trucks reduce diesel consumption and costs while testing the machines' ability to deliver a minimised environmental footprint.

Tebogo Matsimela, head of ESG at Tharisa, said the company is committed to cutting its carbon footprint by 30% by 2030 and becoming net carbon neutral by 2050.

"Liebherr has been a partner to Tharisa, and like all our other partners, we constantly challenge them to come up with innovative, cost-saving, and environmentally friendly solutions that ensure our materials, which themselves are necessary for a more sustainable world, are produced sustainably," Matsimela said.

"Investing in the next generation of mining equipment will reduce our carbon footprint and costs, allowing us to deliver enhanced and sustainable returns to our shareholders."

In February 2021, Tharisa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Total Eren, a renewable energy Independent Power Producer, and Chariot, an Africa-focused energy company, to supply solar power to the Tharisa mine.