MINING CONSULTANTS
throughout their lifecycle .
Beauchamp explained : “ We are creating deputy EORs to work alongside the EOR for training , succession and continuity purposes . In this way we are able to develop our people ’ s skill sets and experience to advance in their careers and fill future EOR roles .”
A focus on diversity and inclusion , and looking beyond groups traditionally employed in mining , has also allowed the company to build and retain its talent pool .
“ One of our strengths is working collaboratively across regions and across disciplines which we ’ ve found really supports that inclusive culture ,” Beauchamp said .
Like Stantec , WSP Golder ’ s holistic mining focus has led it to further helping its clients meet their ESG aspirations and commitments .
“ WSP Golder is differentiated from most companies offering ESG advisory and planning services because we have the ability to follow projects through the engineering and construction aspects to realise the actual ESG benefits ,” Beauchamp said . “ There are very few companies that can provide both the advisory services clients require up-front , as well as the engineering and design where the savings and impacts are actually realised .”
This was recently displayed on a project the company carried out for a well-known mining company , who asked WSP Golder to conduct concept-level studies of water usage across its global operations to identify water savings opportunities , particularly in locations where critical water shortages had been observed .
“ Concept-level studies involved preliminary engineering and cost estimation ; well beyond simply strategy and planning ,” Beauchamp said . “ Water savings opportunities were identified and prioritised , and many are now in the feasibility study stage , and are expected to continue into design and construction .”
The company has seen similar lifecycle requests when it comes to carbon savings , where clients have asked WSP Golder to assess opportunities for carbon reduction , moving from ideas and strategies into options analysis , engineering studies , design and , ultimately , construction of projects that result in actual carbon reductions on site .
“ This is what our clients are asking for today : a seamless transition from planning to implementation to achieve their desired ESG outcomes ,” Beauchamp said .
And WSP Golder and Beauchamp believe the company has a competitive advantage over some of its peers when it comes to decarbonisation work of this type .
“ One opportunity for us , as WSP Golder , is to bring in our energy experts to help design and implement innovative approaches to a mine site ’ s particular energy needs ,” Beauchamp said . “ No two sites are alike in terms of which solutions may be feasible or best suited to their location and particular requirements .
“ This is the type of challenge our people thrive on : bringing our mining and energy experts together to partner with clients and look at a broad set of options of what a site , or a supply chain , could look like .”
This may include mine site pumped hydro or alternative re-use of end of life mine operations , on-site green hydrogen production , hydrogen or battery-powered haul trucks or trains , solar or wind farms for energy generation , tailings solutions that are more environmentally efficient , or other alternatives , according to Beauchamp .
“ It ’ s an exciting time to be a part of the industry where there ’ s a shared willingness to look for new solutions and really move the needle on making the vision of sustainable mining a reality ,” he concluded .
Retaining and building the talent
RPMGlobal , a company with both mining software and advisory services on its books , is continuing to expand its offering to provide sustainable , end-to-end mining solutions , too .
This is directly correlated to the company ’ s decision to establish a dedicated ESG mining team in 2021 within its advisory services division .
“ This expansion of our advisory offering has allowed us to be involved with every part of the mining operation , with ESG requirements spanning the entire organisation and beyond project completion ,” Philippe Baudry , Executive General Manager – Advisory Services , told IM .
RPM also recognises the constraints on talent seen across industry , in addition to the exceptionally high levels of hiring activity .
“ This hiring activity comes from two
directions : mining-dominated markets such as Western Australia , Canada and Africa ; and sourcing experts in specific capabilities like ESG
RPMGlobal ’ s mine haulage simulation solution , HAULSIM , has recently been updated to model technologies aimed at reducing reliance on diesel as a source of energy – incorporating planning for trolley assist , hydrogen haulage and battery-electric options
and various engineering fields ,” Baudry explained . “ To make it even more complex , this trend was compounded by COVID border closures , resulting in an inability to access labour from other countries , which has yet to return to historical levels due to delays in visa processing , etc .”
The root cause , however , is the shortage of graduates globally in mining-related disciplines due to the negative perceptions associated with choosing mining as a career and the continued retirement of the baby boomer generation .
This dynamic is leading to mining companies – both junior and majors – raising pay for sitebased work to unsustainable levels at the same time as reaching out for support from the consulting and engineering market , Baudry says .
To cope with such demands , Baudry says RPM is making a concerted effort to retain staff by understanding their needs , wants and aspirations and , where possible , providing them with such opportunities .
“ As a global business with broad networks across the mining landscape , we can provide unique opportunities that smaller firms cannot ,” he said . “ This continues to be a focus and something we must keep improving on .”
And , like everyone else in this market , RPM continues to monitor salaries and adjust pay accordingly to remain aligned with the market and improve its competitive market position . The company has not been opposed to acquiring expertise to sate significant demand growth from areas such as ESG , evidenced by the 2021 acquisitions of two pure-play mining ESG advisory services in Australia – Nitro and Blueprint Environmental Strategies .
60 International Mining | OCTOBER 2022