Nafasi Water Technologies (Pty) Ltd (“Nafasi Water”), a water technology and water utility service company, aims to develop, build, finance, operate and maintain a series of water treatment plants several mining operations in South Africa.

Climate Investor Two (CI2) is considering equity investment, through a partnership with Nafasi Water, in a pipeline of projects aimed at treating wastewater from a number of mining operations in South Africa. The first of these projects is a water treatment plant to treat decant water from the closed Arnot mining area (“the Arnot project”) in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

Our Development Partner

Nafasi Water Technologies (Pty) Ltd.

We Invest

USD $7.2 million

CEF 2

Estimated Project Impact

6m3 / Day Volume of wastewater treated per day (m3)

CI2 E&S Rationale

This opportunity to invest in the Nafasi Waste Water Treatment DevCo, and the construction and operation of the Arnot Project has been classified as Category B in accordance with CI2’s E&S risk categorisation; this is equivalent to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) E&S risk category B. Adverse E&S risks and/or impacts are limited, generally site-specific and largely reversible which can be effectively managed in line with available international standards. IFC Performance Standards (PS) 1-4 are applicable at a DevCo level, with PS 5-8 applicability being determined on a project by project basis. For the case of the Arnot Project, IFC PS 1-4, and 6 are applicable, and the key E&S impacts and risks relate to the management of E&S risks, and protecting and conserving biodiversity at the project site.

The project does not require any resettlement, and there are no indigenous peoples in the project area of influence. IFC PS5 and 7 are therefore not applicable, and IFC PS8 (cultural heritage) is not triggered beyond the standard requirement for a “chance finds” procedure.

Funding Objective

The CI2 investment will be used for the construction and operation of the Arnot project, which aims to treat contaminated wastewater from a closed coal mining operation in order to mitigate pollution of nearby water resources and increase potable water supply. The Arnot project is projected to treat 6ML/day of which an estimated 2ML/Day will be made available to the local municipality with the remainder discharged into a local watercourse, thereby increasing access to potable water for local communities and improving water quality.

Region

Africa

Country

South Africa

Environmental & Social Category

B

Sector

Wastewater Treatment

Project Location

Why Climate Investor Two Wants to Invest in This Project

CI2’s investment will contribute to the South African government’s efforts to improve local water resources and increase water supply. South Africa is identified as a water scarce country, which will only be exacerbated by climate change. The National Water and Sanitation Master Plan identifies acid mine drainage as one of the five top priority water quality issues in the country and the National Water Resources Strategy (2023) identifies mine decant water (acid mine drainage) as both a significant source of pollution of water resources and an important source of water to increase water supply in the country. Treating decant water from the closed Arnot colliery to potable standards will not only improve the quality of water resources and aquatic ecology, but also provide potable water to communities. The investment represents an attractive opportunity for CI2 to contribute positively to climate change adaptation through increased access to water and protection of water resources in a water scarce and water-stressed country.

Disclosures

Here you can find and download all the relevant disclosure documents for this project: