Where has all the good news gone?

Lisa France, Environment & Energy Consultant, France Group

All we seem to hear in mainstream media lately is negative stories about mining companies and anti-mining protests.

Why aren’t we hearing anything about the inroads being made in emissions reduction through new technology? Or stories about how the mining sector has embraced renewables and microgrids to drive their costs and carbon footprint down?

Or maybe more of the many stories about how the mining sector is supporting the needs of our regional towns through skills training and apprenticeships, health services, educational support, mental health programs or funding for community groups?

Instead of acknowledging the good work being done by resource companies in reducing their carbon footprint and encouraging them to keep investing in R&D, new technologies and renewables, the anti-mining lobby are consistently looking to lynch these companies.

To me, this seems like the wrong approach if we hope to get the resource sector to reduce their carbon footprint. Wouldn’t we achieve more if we put down the pitchforks and start working together on solutions to address climate change? As industry advocates know, there IS good news out there about energy, environmental performance and emissions reduction.

But there are so many naysayers on both sides of the political and policy arguments, we often lose sight of practical progress being made by companies and individuals. The sentiment in the community is polarising when it comes to energy. You either support fossil fuels or you support renewables.

And then there’s those of us in the middle that see the merit in both. And why shouldn’t we? Regardless of which side of the climate change debate you sit on, we can all appreciate that seven billion people on the planet are definitely having a detrimental impact on the environment.

There is no question that emissions need to be reduced – but that doesn’t mean shutting down everything reliant on fossil fuels overnight. The good news: we are heading in the right direction when it comes to addressing climate change. We now see resource companies using solar, wind, hydro, biodiesel, geothermal, hydrogen and in some cases microgrids with a varied energy mix. Given that the mining sector accounts for approximately 10% of Australia’s total energy use, it’s not surprising to see mining companies investing heavily in alternatives to the traditional diesel, natural gas and grid electricity sources.

The next big milestone in integrating renewables into mining operations is achieving 100% green power - no diesel, no fossil fuel. Larger mining companies are already designing new mines to operate with wind, solar and electrical vehicles; using renewable excess power to make green hydrogen and using stored hydrogen to meet the mines’ heating requirements and fleet fuel.

To achieve 100% renewable integration, we know long term storage is required. However, we could introduce the new paradigm of ‘variable mining production’ to produce more mine ore during high availability of green resources and produce less during low availability.

This strategy drastically reduces energy storage requirements, removes the cost of building a thermal power plant and reduces the cost of diesel infrastructure and operating cost. When all cost and benefits are considered, it is possible to have an efficient mine at a power cost similar to fossil fuel costs, that meets its production requirements year on year with zero emissions.

On a related topic, not often spoken about openly in the corridors of power in Australia, significant progress is being made in Canada in the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) space for nuclear power. Australia and Canada share many attributes, including having a considerable number of remote communities and remote resource development sites where it’s challenging and expensive to provide power, let alone low-carbon power.

Given these conditions, many SMR developers are looking to Canada, with a nuclear regulator willing to consider this form of low-carbon generation, to lead the way. The Ontario Power Generation Corporation (OPG) has a program in place to select and implement an SMR generation facility within their Darlington Generation Facility, just to the east of Toronto, by 2028.

Meanwhile, my former colleagues in Canada have been busy with a number of studies for energy producers and mining companies across Canada to consider the potential application of supplying electricity and processing heat using SMR’s for either the remoteness of their site or the need to reduce their overall carbon footprint.

This is just one example that shows why, against the backdrop of the great progress already being achieved by resource companies here in Australia, we must look across the global landscape for other ideas and opportunities. It’s time for communities, for industry and for government to work together to find solutions rather than looking for reasons to be outraged. Everyone has a role to play.

For example, we need to see encouragement for the great work being done in energy efficiency and emissions reduction. Let’s see governments work with mining companies and other regional businesses to establish complementary and environmentally beneficial investment that will allow emissions from mine sites to be beneficially reused by other industries. What we desperately need to see is bipartisan support at both a Commonwealth and State level for reducing emissions. The market will then respond through renewable energy uptake; increased utilisation of emissions reduction technology and energy efficiencies in mining practices.

Industry has the capability to solve the energy crisis, they just need a stable political environment that allows them to invest and innovate and a community willing to partner in their progress.