ABB Report: Mining Leaders Bullish on Sustainability
A report from ABB shows that 70% of mining leaders believe that decarbonisation can be achieved with technologies that already exist.
ABB is a leading global engineering company that self-styles itself as "energising the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future".Smartphones, cars, solar panels and even cleaning products depend on the raw materials produced by the mining industry.
The report points out that the industry is responsible for as much as 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions and can have damaging effects on the environments where it takes place.
Meanwhile, water overuse, habitat destruction and even resource depletion are all risks that mining poses to the world, but the raw minerals it produces are required to power the energy transition.
However, ABB says there is reason to be hopeful.
“There is real excitement among business leaders about the role they are playing in supporting the green energy transition and they are taking the issue of mining’s impact on our environment seriously,” says Max Luedtke, Global Business Line Manager for Mining at ABB Process Industries.
“We see this in the successful roll-out and progress towards sustainability targets, the willingness to invest to reach these goals and the availability of technology that can make real progress, now.
“However, we must not think it is ‘job done’. A significant minority are struggling to meet their goals.”
Mining leaders feel confident in sustainability efforts
ABB surveyed 412 mining leaders and experts across 18 countries to gather insights on sustainability progress in the industry.
It says that 70% of leaders are “confident” that significant mining decarbonisation can be achieved with existing technologies and 77% see electrification, automation and digital technologies as key to the transformation.
When it comes to 2030 sustainability targets, 15% of leaders are “very” confident they will reach them and a further 52% are “quite” confident.
This rises to 48% being “very” confident when considering 2050 targets.
More than half of respondents to ABB’s survey anticipate “significant” or “complete” transformation of their mining operations over the next five years and 81% are looking to evolve or transform their operations.
The barriers to sustainable transformation of mining
ABB says that 44% of leaders surveyed see limited expertise and skills as a “significant” barrier to decarbonising.
Further, 46% say the risk to disruption of operations and production is a barrier to their sustainable transformation.
Nearly three quarters of leaders say mining transformation will require a new approach to technology and risk management.
While new green technologies will require more resources from mining, 73% of leaders say they are excited about the opportunities this can bring the industry.
How ABB is supporting mining sustainability
ABB has more than 130 years of experience in the mining industry and uses this in its holistic eMine framework.
eMine provides solutions to make mining operations all-electric from design to ongoing service.
ABB says if every truck in every mine were electrified, each day 198,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide would be avoided.
Anke Hampel, Group Head of Sustainability at ABB, says: “ABB with its leading electrification and automation technologies has always helped its customers to run at high performance and become more productive, efficient and sustainable so they can outperform.
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