Reducing carbon emissions in mining

ESG

Reducing carbon emissions in mining Energy-intensive industries, such as the mining and minerals sector, are under pressure from governments, investors and society to reduce carbon emissions, even as demand for these minerals grows.

With most industry players’ commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, it is crucial that the mining industry is very deliberate about how industries, among others.”

Reducing the carbon footprint to meet sustainability goals

The mining industry is keenly focused on it meets the energy needs of its operations, and how it decarbonises. Speaking to customers on the sidelines of this year’s Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, Oluwatoyin Abegunde, executive: Gas Power at GE, said, “The complementary strength of gas and renewables plays a critical role in delivering lower carbon, and more reliable electrical power generation. As sub-Saharan Africa balances the need for more access to power, along with the push towards more sustainable energy sources, the accelerated and strategic deployment of renewables and gas power together can reduce carbon emissions quickly.” GE has been collaborating with energy stakeholders to deploy innovative technologies tailored to respond to the needs of the mining sector. In Botswana, GE gas turbines are providing Orapa diamond mine’s 90 MW turbine power plant facility with reliable power, as well as supplementing the country’s energy needs. In Nigeria, GE’s gas turbine technology is supporting Dangote Cement in Obajana located in North Central Nigeria, to reduce unplanned downtime, improve operational efficiency and become energy self-sufficient. “Adding renewables as quickly as Africa can afford to, while also switching significant coal or diesel generation to gas, will be required to help address climate change with the required pace and scale,” said Abegunde. “In Africa, where historically diesel and heavy fuel oil (HFO) have dominated the power generation landscape, GE’s technology offers a reliable, cost-effective and sustainable pathway for reducing carbon emissions for industry players in the mining and metals, plastic, paper and pulp, and chemicals sustainability goals, and it is imperative that the power generation industry achieves that objective. That means, in part, lowering reliance on carbonheavy fuels like coal, diesel and HFO. As one of the world’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of gas turbine technology, GE Gas Power offers a wide array of equipment options and models to help meet the most challenging energy requirements. Thermal hybrid solutions, for example, improve energy security, reliability and sustainability for captive power generation for industries, including mines. Thermal hybrid applications, involving the interfaced operation of a thermal asset with a renewable and/or an energy storage asset, are expanding the possibilities of electricity generation. GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines are the ideal solution for mining operations, as they are lightweight with a smaller footprint and lower carbon emissions, provide high cycle elasticity and ensure shorter downtime than competing technologies. Aeroderivative gas turbines can also be used in thermal hybrids for a variety of industrial applications like mining and metals.