Interview with Chris Griffith, CEO, Gold Fields:
How renewable energy helps Gold Fields meet ESG obligations
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n advance of his keynote presentation at the Energy and Mines Africa Virtual Summit on February 22, Gold Fields CEO, Chris Griffith outlines how one of the worlds largest gold mining firms aims to reduce net carbon emissions by 50%. He also details how Gold Fields is now considered a leader in the use of renewables in mining projects. Energy and Mines: How is Gold Fields’ focus on climate change and ESG driving energy decisions for your operations? Chris Griffith: When Gold Fields started on its climate change journey in 2016, the key considerations were energy supply security and costs. In many of our remote mines it made sense to look for energy projects that are closer to the mine and reduce our dependence on the grid. At the same time costs of renewables were becoming more competitive and by now renewables are largely cheaper than coal or gas fired power. But apart from costs and supply security factors, our impact on the changing climate was clearly a key consideration even back in 2016. Today it is undoubtedly a key driver as climate change is – in my view – one of the most defining societal challenges of our time with rising temperatures having a critical, damaging impact on the environment and populations around the world. The impact of climate
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ENERGY AND MINES MAGAZINE
