IGO, Gold Fields and Barminco (Perenti) have joined forces with eleven other companies in the resources industry to decarbonise mine sites in response to climate change through the establishment of the Electric Mine Consortium.
Electrification is a game changer for the mining industry as it allows the complete removal of diesel from mines, which aside from drastically cutting emissions, reduces exposure to volatile oil prices and eliminates the exposure of workforces to diesel particulates while allowing zero emissions mine sites.
The CEOs of South32, OZ Minerals, IGO, Gold Fields and Barminco have taken the unprecedented step of co-signing a statement of intent regarding the electrification of their mine sites with the goal of accelerating change in the industry.
These miners are supported by a highly ambitious group of suppliers, including global equipment leaders Epiroc and Sandvik – each with aggressive corporate CO2 emissions reductions commitments – software giant Dassault, utility Horizon Power, engineers Hahn Electrical, renewable energy company Energy Vault and new economy start-ups Safescape and 3ME Technology.
Several consortium members compete in the rapidly growing battery minerals markets in which major end-customers such as BMW and Tesla have made clear statements of intent regarding the carbon content of their supply chains, of which mining is a key element.
IGO Chief Operating Officer, Matt Dusci, explained that IGO’s strategy is focused on discovering and producing metals critical to a clean energy future. Throughout our business, we aspire to be proactively green and have a strong commitment to reducing the impact our activities have on the environment, our people and our communities.
“We are proud to support and be part of the Electric Mine Consortium and look forward to working collaboratively with our peers toward the decarbonisation of our industry,” Mr. Dusci said.
According to a recent survey of global mining executives undertaken by research group State of Play, 87% believe that all existing mine sites will become fully electric within 20 years and 60% believe the next generation of greenfield mines will be fully electric.
Electrification of mine sites is a key technical foundation for the automation of equipment, which itself provides a large step forward in productivity and safety, while also improving economics through simplified, interoperable electric-drive equipment.
The founding consortium companies are: Gold Fields, IGO, Barminco, 3ME Technology, Dassault, Epiroc, Energy Vault, Hahn Electrical, Horizon Power, OZ Minerals, Safescape, Sandvik, South32 and State of Play.