While still representing a vital part of Australia’s economy, the environmental impact of large-scale mining has seen Australian miners investing heavily in renewable energy to offset both environmental and economic pressures.
The Australian government has ambitious targets for carbon emission reductions, looking to lower its emissions to 26% lower than 2005 levels by 2030, and 5% below 2000 levels by 2020. The cooperation of the mining industry in achieving those targets is vital.
Additionally, the Australian mining industry is now experiencing pushback on its operations because of the increased societal consciousness of environmental issues. The construction of Gloucester Resources’ proposed Rocky Hill coal mine was recently blocked by the courts because of its potential environmental impact.
In the face of these new driver, the Australian mining industry has invested millions of dollars in incorporating renewable energy generation into their operations, primarily taking advantage of Australia’s plentiful solar resources.
Projects such as the ones at the Cannington silver and lead mine and Sandfire’s DeGrussa copper and gold mine are on track to reduce operational carbon emission by thousands of tons through the use of solar power.
As existing renewable installations produce results, the scale of new projects continues to increase, with Gold Fields in the process of installing one of the world’s largest renewable energy microgrids, consisting of more than 20,000 solar panels, at their Granny Smith mine by the end of 2019.
You can read more about how the Australian mining industry is embracing renewable energy and details on eight of its more pioneering projects HERE.