Mining companies would do well to address Scope 3 (downstream) emissions, such as at steelmaking customers, on a war footing. Apart from tackling their carbon footprint, these efforts would protect the miners’ own core businesses, says an article in Mining Journal. “Miners heavily invested in metallurgical coal and iron ore who don't help their steel customers Read More
BHP, the biggest mining company in the world, will use only renewable energy for its copper mines in Chile starting in the mid-2020s. The company entered separate renewable energy contracts for its giant Escondida and Spence mines. It signed 15-year contracts for 3Terawatt hours per year (TWh/year) with ENEL Generación Chile and 10-year contracts for 3TWh/year Read More
By Peabody Energy, Inc. (Provided by Peabody Energy) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons. The Murray River Mining Project near Tumbler Ridge in northeast B.C. will be the first new Canadian coal mine required to cap carbon emissions. The federal government’s Dec. 13 approval of the project is contingent on the mine limiting methane emissions to Read More
Photo by Curragh Queensland Mining Limited, CC BY-SA 3.0. The discord that led to the departure of Minerals Council of Australia CEO Brendan Pearson has been simmering for some time, and may have additional ramifications. “BHP has got their man…BHP and Rio Tinto were not always comfortable with his coal advocacy,” an anonymous industry insider told Read More
Image by Nagarjun Kandukuru (Flickr: The ancient and the modern) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Mumbai-based National Aluminium Company (NalCo) is deploying a fleet of renewable energy projects to keep up with its demand for power. The firm has commissioned a 50 MW wind plant in Rajasthan and a 50.4 MW wind facility in Maharastra. Read More
Bangkok at night by http://pcwallart.com/bangkok-night-view-wallpaper-4.html [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Thai coal giant Banpu is taking solar by the horns with a new downstream unit dubbed Banpu Infinergy, a “one-stop provider of total solar energy solutions” providing consultation, system design, installation, and maintenance services. The subsidiary will partner with industrial and private customers, including factories, Read More
Photo credit: RenewEconomy. Australia’s oil, gas, and coal mining sectors have invited the country’s leading clean energy technology firms to help them modernize their operations. Government-funded industry group National Energy Resources Australia (NERA) announced on Wednesday that it’s seeking the nation’s best-proven clean technology solutions, with the aim of boosting the efficiency and competitiveness of the Read More
Australia’s gold and coal mining companies may soon be contending with large spikes in electricity costs, as they renegotiate roughly $500 million of power contracts by 2020. Miners will be signing on to new agreements in the midst of market uncertainty, which is seeing the closure of coal-fired power plants, rising gas prices, and a transition Read More
Renewable energy is undoubtedly picking up steam—even among fossil fuel extraction companies themselves. The world's biggest shipper of seaborne coal, Glencore, boosted its share of renewables one point to 19 percent, according to its 2017 sustainability report. The company is deploying renewable energy in the remote areas in which it mines, and supports policies that reduce Read More
A former mountaintop removal site in Pike County, Kentucky being studied for what could be the state's largest solar farm. (Photo: Berkeley Energy Group) An eastern Kentucky coal company is spearheading what may be the largest solar farm project in Appalachia. The array will be built on a reclaimed strip mining site near Pikeville, bringing more Read More
