Clean Mining
The Creation of Opportunities in
the Mining Sector through our
Three Most Critical Resources:
Water, Energy and Land
S
outh Africa is known for
its abundance of mineral
resources, and is estimated
to have the world’s fifth-largest
mining sector in terms of gross
domestic product. Mining has
provided wealth and employment
to South Africans for more than
100 years, which has led to
great economic and industrial
development. However, the
development of the mining
sector has also come at a price as
mines are often energy intensive,
producing high levels of carbon
emissions which contribute to
climate change. Furthermore
mining activities are largely
dependent on water and can
impact water resources either
through direct consumption or
indirect downstream distribution.
Apart from water impacts, the
development of the mining sector
has also had significant impacts
on the environment through
extensive land degradation.
When considering “cleaner”
mining, it is crucial to note
the interdependencies that
exist between renewable and
efficient energy, water use and
land rehabilitation. Progressive
mining companies in South Africa
are starting to adopt a holistic
vision for existing and new
mines which incorporates the
30
integrated long term planning
of energy, water and land.
Energy efficiency and renewable
energy
Energy constraints have negatively affected mining production since the mid
2000s, when electricity demand started
exceeding supply. South Africa’s national utility company, Eskom, has struggled
with electricity shortfalls since 2008
which forced them to implement rolling
blackouts. This has cost the economy
billions of Rands and has slowed economic growth. Mining companies have
been particularly affected by these electricity shortages, especially when asked
to curtail their demand when the grid is
severely constrained.
In 2004, Eskom, responding to
the energy challenges facing South
Africa, introduced its Demand Side
Management (DSM) programme. The
DSM programme was implemented to
ensure short-term security of electricity
supply through coordinating and consolidating the various initiatives aimed
at optimising energy use and balancing electricity supply and demand. The
mining sector, in particular, has implemented hundreds of DSM initiatives
over the last 10 years, benefitting from
lower electricity bills and a reduced
carbon footprint. These DSM initiatives
were predominantly low-cost energy
efficiency projects that were always effective in meeting the mining company’s
PM Africa Magazine — january 2015
short-term objectives. The initiatives
were aimed at major energy-consuming equipment – pumps, compressed
air lines, refrigeration plants and ventilation systems – and were generally
inexpensive reduction measures with
reasonable payback times. However,
these mining companies now realise
that this is not enough, and are starting
to take a long term view on the impact
of energy and carbon on their business.
Harmony Gold Mining Company
Limited (“Harmony”) is reconstructing
its asset portfolio to minimise the impact of carbon constraints and energy
costs on its business. Over the last four
years, Harmony has sold off and closed
its deeper level, energy-intensive mining
assets in the Witwatersrand Basin, whilst
at the same time investing in new, opencast, and shallower underground assets.
Gold Fields Limited (“Gold Fields”), on
the other hand, has set H \