Earlier this year Oz Minerals announced it would source nearly all the energy needs of a new nickel mine from clean energy sources like wind and solar.
It may not have got a lot of media attention at the time, but it should have. Not only does it signal mining is getting cleaner, greener & smarter, but that big companies are prepared to invest to get there.
Of course renewable energy is just one part of the zero emissions puzzle facing miners. Mining is responsible for 10% of the country’s energy use, so cutting back not only makes environmental sense but financial as well.
Transforming the mining sector-and copper in particular-is likely to take a lot more effort though.
But high tech, low emissions mining is also expected to deliver a lot more benefits……big boosts in productivity, safe working conditions, workforce skilling, longer mine life, minimal environmental impact, and reputation and community support.
The recently launched Zero Emissions Copper Mine of the Future laid out the concept, but there’s a lot more work to do. Stage 2 will encourage miners to drill down on future technologies to pick the most ready for the challenge in a series of 5 short form reviews.
We have identified the partners we will need to help move it forward and we are establishing the roles that each will play to accelerate technology “push” and industry “pull”. This will start at the regional level before moving on to national and international networks and programs.
This is an exciting time to be in the copper industry, but making these changes are urgent. It can no longer be business as usual and I think everyone knows that.
John Fennell
CEO, ICAA