Tag Archives: CEEC Energy Curves

Hudbay invests in comminution energy efficiency research with CEEC sponsorship

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Coalition for Energy Efficient Comminution (CEEC) has announced new sponsorship from base and precious metals mining company, Hudbay Minerals Inc.

Hudbay, a diversified mining company producing copper, zinc, gold and silver, owns three polymetallic mines, four ore concentrators and a zinc production facility in Canada and Peru (Constancia, pictured), as well as copper projects in the US. Its vision is to be a responsible, top-tier operator of long-life, low-cost mines in the Americas, CEEC says.

CEEC CEO, Alison Keogh, said that with growing global demand for minerals such as copper to support the shift towards low-carbon technologies, the need for lower footprint mineral processing was becoming even more critical.

“Rock crushing and grinding can typically account for more than half of a mine’s energy consumption,” she said. “By working together as an industry to understand and optimise comminution challenges, we have the opportunity to improve efficiency and environmental outcomes.

“We’re delighted that Hudbay has joined our list of visionary sponsors, each committed to collaborating with CEEC’s global network of miners, suppliers and researchers to advance efficient, cost-effective, lower footprint mining.”

Peter Amelunxen, Hudbay Vice President of Technical Services, said increasing performance and delivering sustainable value involves a combination of operational know-how and technical sophistication.

“We recognise that collaboration with CEEC is a positive step in our commitment to continuous improvement.”

Amelunxen said Hudbay was particularly interested in “adding a metric to our success” by contributing to the CEEC Energy Curves database. This free tool allows users to benchmark the energy efficiency of sites and visually assess potential energy and cost benefits through various operational scenarios.

“We’ve always approached what we do in terms of improving cost and energy efficiencies,” he said. “However, we’re most excited about using the Energy Curves to quantify, pound for pound, the energy reduction piece.

“This will help inform our decisions around targeted enhancements to existing sites and plan best practice operations in future mines. The bottom line is that this tool will enable us to demonstrate how we are improving environmental management while also improving returns for shareholders.”

David Clarry, Hudbay Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, said data sharing through the CEEC Energy Curves, and broader initiatives such as participation in the CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project), were important for the industry.

“By being transparent and sharing knowledge, we can learn from each other and find novel approaches for achieving environmental benefits in a cost-effective way,” Clarry said. “Tapping into all the resources that CEEC offers gives us cutting-edge learnings so we can continue to pursue economically viable opportunities to improve energy efficiencies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and better manage climate-related risks.”

Keogh said with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting many businesses around the world, Hudbay’s sponsorship during this time was commendable.

“As a lean, virtual not-for-profit, we thank all our sponsors for their continued support during this period of uncertainty,” she said. “This ongoing commitment will help CEEC and the industry to weather the storm and come out stronger and more sustainable on the other side.”

Newcrest Mining focuses on comminution improvements with CEEC membership

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

Newcrest Mining has become the latest member of the not-for-profit Coalition for Energy Efficient Comminution (CEEC).

Headquartered in Melbourne, Newcrest Mining has gold and copper operations in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Canada.

Newcrest Head of Technology and Innovation, Andrew Logan, said the sponsorship of CEEC was a natural fit, as sustainability, technology and innovation, and operating performance were key areas of focus for business transformation.

“We are always seeking ways of adding value to the business, while managing our impacts in a responsible way,” Logan said. “In collaborating with CEEC, we are looking forward to knowledge sharing that can help improve our existing circuits, upskill our people and deliver on our commitments towards more profitable, energy efficient mining.”

Newcrest Head of Metallurgy, John O’Callaghan, said understanding and balancing the energy equation in existing and future operations was critical to success.

“Benchmarking using CEEC’s Energy Curves is very important to us from both a management and operational perspective,” O’Callaghan said. “It’s critical to know where our operations sit compared with each other and with our competitors, especially given the energy intensive nature of comminution.

“The more organisations that get involved in Energy Curves, the more useful and relevant the data becomes, so I’d encourage other miners and their suppliers and partners to contribute to the database.”

CEEC said: “Newcrest joins a growing network of supporters who see the value of knowledge sharing through CEEC to help address common industry challenges. The company has already contributed data to Energy Curves.”

CEEC CEO, Alison Keogh, said she looked forward to collaborating more closely with Newcrest and was excited about the potential flow-on effects to industry that their sponsorship could bring.

“Collaborating with sponsors such as Newcrest and others allows CEEC to be a catalyst for kick-starting more innovative and sustainable approaches to mining and mineral processing,” Keogh said.

“Ultimately, the shared goal of CEEC, our sponsors and everyone who accesses our free and independent resources is to bring benefit to industry, the environment and the communities in which we operate.”