Gold mining company Gold Fields will rely on green energy sources to achieve two-thirds of its planned 2030 emissions reductions, CEO Chris Griffith revealed in an interview with Energy and Mines.
Now considered a leader in the application of renewables in mines, Gold Fields will build on the success of its high profile renewable projects at the Granny Smith and Agnew mines with the targeted completion this year of microgrids at Gruyere, Western Australia and South Deep, South Africa.
“By 2030 we envision that renewables will account for about 70% of the Group energy mix and by 2050 this will obviously have to be 100%,” Griffith said.
Gold Fields is a signatory to the Paris Agreement and is targeting Net-Zero by 2050.
The impact of the mining industry on climate change was clear to the company as far back as 2016. Today, in the words of Griffith, climate change is “one of the most defining societal challenges of our time.”
“Our focus on ESG now impacts all our operational decisions, with energy strategies an obvious focus,” the executive added.
In December, Gold Fields announced that “building on our leading commitment to ESG” was one of its three new strategic pillars.
The company’s focus on ESG has resonated with its main shareholders, key stakeholders such as employees, and younger millennials responding during recruitment.
Source: Energy and Mines, January 2022, Issue 38
Image of one of the world’s largest renewable microgrids at Granny Smith: Aggreko YouTube
Image of Chris Griffith: Energy And Mines