Tag Archives: mine power

Orion Minerals looks at renewable options for Prieska zinc-copper project

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Orion Minerals, through its subsidiary, Repli Trading No 27, has entered into a collaboration agreement with juwi Renewable Energies South Africa to investigate renewable energy generation for its Prieska zinc-copper project in the Northern Cape of South Africa.

The preliminary scope is to investigate the feasibility of generating and supplying 35 MW of electricity for Prieska, from a hybrid power system using integrated wind and solar technologies. The renewable energy generation site will be located within 20 km of Prieska, making the establishment of a dedicated feed via an overhead power transmission line possible, Orion said.

juwi is part of the international juwi Group, one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies. Its business is focused on both solar energy and onshore wind energy. To date, juwi South Africa has built five utility-scale solar plants totalling 121 MW and developed the 138 MW Garob Wind Farm, which will soon start construction.

juwi South Africa also participates in the South Africa Government’s Small Independent Power Producer Program and operates and maintains all its solar projects on behalf of their owners.

In Australia, juwi was recently responsible for the project development, design, construction and now operations of a $40 million, 10 MW solar power facility which came into commercial operation in 2016 at Sandfire Resources’ DeGrussa copper-gold mine in Western Australia. Orion said: “This facility has since attracted international attention as the largest off-grid integrated solar and battery storage facility in the world. With close to three years of operational data and 100% uptime, this successful project has established juwi as leaders in hybrid power supply solutions for mines.”

The investigations into renewable energy solutions at Orion’s Prieska project will complement the ongoing bankable feasibility study, with the additional benefit of potentially improving the base case plan of obtaining national grid power directly from the Cuprum sub-station already established on site, Orion said.

“Developing the renewable energy potential of the region is also a strategic goal of local government, as communicated in its Integrated Development Plans,” Orion said.

The Prieska copper mine operated from 1971 to 1991, employing approximately 4,000 people. The mine milled 46.8 Mt, producing more than 430,000 t of copper and more than 1 Mt of zinc in concentrate. Post May 1987, no more than 2 Mt of ore was blasted, with milling of surface stockpiles carried out from 1989. In 1991, the mine was closed and the site rehabilitated. It now has a defined maiden resource under the Orion ownership of 1.1 Mt of contained zinc grading 3.8% Zn and 365,000 t of contained copper grading an average 1.2% Cu. The deposit is regarded as one of the world’s 30 largest VMS orebodies, according to Orion.

Zest WEG Group will continue to pursue Africa opportunities, new CEO says

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Zest WEG Group’s new CEO, Siegfried Kreutzfeld, says the company’s ongoing growth plans will see it pursue further opportunities across Africa.

Kreutzfeld (pictured), who took on the CEO role in January, brings 40 years of service in the global WEG Group to the leading position in the South Africa business. He was most recently the Managing Director of WEG China.

He said: “WEG has a very simple strategy: we believe in continued growth on all continents. This is achieved by maintaining close relationships with all our customers and ensuring that we deliver quality products. We underpin all this by our high levels of service and support.”

Established in South Africa to create a strong national footprint, the Zest WEG Group has grown steadily into other Africa countries. With its responsibility for the sub-Saharan market, it operates branches in Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique and Namibia. The group also has partners in countries such as Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, the DRC and Zambia.

“Many of our products are well established across the continent,” he said. “However, we believe there is growth potential with both mature products – such as low voltage motors, high voltage motors, and drives and switchgear – as well as with other products we manufacture locally such as transformers, motor control centres, panels and generators.”

Kreutzfeld said major opportunities exist with premium efficiency products across the range, including WEG IE3 motor and WEG CFW drives.

“Also key to the Zest WEG Group’s growth potential is our ability to offer a fit-for-purpose integrated solution,” he said. “This is available across all sectors, but especially in power generation, electrical infrastructure and mobile power and energy solutions. We will also be introducing WEG solutions for renewable energy applications.”

Zest WEG Group’s market offering is relevant across a broad sector of industries including mining, petrochemical, agriculture, water and wastewater, paper and pulp, sugar, and energy – including traditional coal fire power plants and renewable energy, the company said.

Diesel power up and running at Tanami gold project, Zenith Energy says

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Zenith Energy says it has achieved completion on the diesel portion of its 62 MW power station for Newmont Mining’s Tanami gold mine in the Northern Territory of Australia.

The remote power generation specialist said it had energised the 42 km 66 kV interconnect between the Dead Bullock Soak and Granites sites, enabling transmission of power for the site in line with previous estimates.

The agreement between Zenith and Newmont – a build, own and operate (BOO) contract for a 62 MW power station at the mine – is the largest such power purchase agreement Zenith has signed to date. It is for an initial 10-year term, with an option to extend the contract for a further 10 years.

“Zenith is also delighted to confirm that the supply commencement milestone of Q1 2019 has been successfully achieved, with numerous complex design, engineering, logistics and construction challenges met and overcome, resulting in the on‐time, on‐budget and safe completion of this landmark project by Zenith’s world‐class team,” Zenith said.

The power station comprises 52 MW of gas‐fired and circa 10 MW of diesel (back‐up) power generation. Zenith said: “To put the scale of the power station in perspective, the average Australian household consumes circa 25 kWh/d of power, whereas the Tanami facility will produce upwards of 864,000 kWh/d.”

With the completion of this facility, Zenith has 428 MW of total generation capacity under control.

The design and construction phase for Tanami required the transport of three 150‐t Wartsila 34DF generators by road train from Fremantle in Western Australia; a 3,000 km journey (pictured) taking more than one week to complete, according to Zenith.

Managing Director of Zenith Energy, Hamish Moffat, said: “The construction of our 62 MW power station at Tanami, on time and within budget, is testament to the capability and commitment of the entire Zenith Energy team. As the largest BOO hybrid gas‐diesel project we have undertaken, completion of the Tanami power station is a major milestone for Zenith.

“Diesel-fuelled electricity supply from the facility has commenced and gas supply is imminent. We look forward to delivering cost‐effective, reliable power to Newmont’s Tanami operation for years to come.”

Newmont’s Tanami underground gold mine produced 419,000 oz of gold (attributable to Newmont) in 2017.

Gas starts flowing from AGIG’s 440 km Tanami pipeline

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Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) says it has commissioned Australia’s newest major natural gas pipeline project ahead of schedule.

The 440 km Tanami Natural Gas Pipeline was recently given the final signoff to start operating by the Northern Territory Government. It will fuel the power stations at Newmont Mining’s Tanami gold mine in the Northern Territory.

AGIG’s Chief Customer Officer, Andrew Staniford, said: “We have now commissioned the pipeline and gas is already flowing into Newmont’s Tanami mine site.”

Staniford said the final go-ahead for the pipeline to move into full operational mode followed the introduction of gas and extensive commissioning and testing of the pipe and the facilities at the pressure under which the pipeline will operate. Operations were initially expected to start up in the March quarter.

“These tests were successfully undertaken by AGIG and independently verified, thereby enabling the final approval to be given,” he said.

AGIG was, last year, awarded the contract by Newmont to build, own and operate the new 440 km pipeline, which transports gas to the Newmont mine site, about 540 km northwest of Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory.

Staniford said: “To deliver the project safely and ahead of schedule for Newmont and its operating gold mine is a feather in the caps of all involved and has further cemented AGIG’s proud position as a leading provider and operator of key energy infrastructure throughout Australia.”

The new NT pipeline follows the alignment of Tanami Road and passes through a mix of pastoral land, Aboriginal freehold land and Crown land.

Newmont’s Tanami underground gold mine produced 419,000 oz of gold (attributable to Newmont) in 2017.

Renewable energy use can bring savings to Africa mining sector, report claims

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THEnergy and Voltalia’s latest report on the use of renewable energy in the Africa mining sector says the industry can realise significant cost savings when employing these power solutions.

The authors said the mining sector has shifted from phase one – where the focus of renewable power adoption was on integrating and testing out the reliability of these solutions – to phase two – where potential cost savings are being considered.

“In the last few years, more and more mining companies have adopted wind and solar systems to reduce their energy costs at remote off-grid mines,” THEnergy and Voltalia said. “In this first phase, the initial focus was on the integration capabilities as miners were afraid that adding intermittent renewables such as solar and wind could affect the reliability of power supply and even lead to production losses.”

In various microgrid applications, renewables combined with diesel, heavy fuel oil (HFO), or gas have proven to provide reliable power supply to remote mines, according to the two firms.

“For almost all mines, the integration of renewables will have a positive impact on their energy cost position. Mining companies do not have to invest their own money; independent power providers (IPPs) invest in the renewable energy infrastructure and sell electricity to mines through power purchase agreements (PPAs),” THEnergy and Voltalia explained.

Thomas Hillig, Managing Director of THEnergy, a consultancy focused on microgrids/mini-grids and off-grid renewable energy, said this second market phase is characterised by price competition.

“With the support of a leading renewable energy player, the new report analyses how IPPs can offer extremely competitive PPAs to remote miners,” he said.

Large IPPs take advantage of economies of scale on components for solar and wind power plants not only for remote mining projects but also for much bigger grid-connected plants, the two firms said.

“Market leaders have managed to optimise the planning and construction processes substantially. However, conducting projects in remote locations, especially in Africa, requires an extended experience,” they added. Among the challenges of undertaking projects in Africa is financing, which requires relationships with local and international banks, according to THEnergy and Voltalia.

“Cost optimisation does not necessarily mean minimising capital expenditure but rather focusing on the total lifetime of the project and including operation and maintenance. It is also important to take the interplay of the different energy sources into consideration. Not every kWh of solar and wind energy generated means equivalent fossil fuel savings. When gensets run at suboptimal loads, they lose efficiency and require additional maintenance,” the two firms said.

Alexis Goybet, Head of Hybrid Solutions at Voltalia, a player in the renewable energy sector, said his company has much experience in renewable energy projects, including solar-diesel hybrid microgrids, projects in remote locations and in developing countries.

“Our experience adds up to our economies of scale in procurement and translates into significant overall cost-reductions in the range of 20-30% in comparison to new market entrants,” he said.

These overall cost reductions will make solar and wind energy extremely attractive for many mines, according to the two firms, with the number of remote mines adding renewables to diesel, HFO or gas expected to grow quickly all over Africa.

There are already several mining companies that have made – or are planning to make – this transition in Africa, as can be seen by the map above (credit: THEnergy, Voltalia). This includes Resolute Mining and its Syama underground gold mine in Mali, Newmont Mining and its Akyem gold mine in Ghana and B2Gold and its Otjikoto operation in Namibia.

In the past month alone, Barrick Gold and GoviEx Uranium have also stated plans to use hybrid solutions at their Loulo and Madaouela assets, respectively.

Barrick’s Loulo gold operation readies for introduction of off-grid solar hybrid plant

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Barrick Gold is to install a 24 MW off-grid solar hybrid plant to support its existing 63 MW thermal power station at the Loulo mine in Mali as it looks to cut costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the operation.

The renewable energy project is part of Barrick’s wider strategy of moving away from thermal power in Africa, where lack of infrastructure means many mines rely on self-generated diesel energy, making this their largest cost item, the company said.

“Utilising hydropower in the Democratic Republic of Congo, grid power in Côte d’Ivoire, and heavy-fuel baseload generators in Mali, Barrick has already cut its energy costs significantly, and the continuing roll-out of renewable energy sources will ensure that its future needs are met in the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner,” Barrick said.

The solar feasibility study at Loulo forecasted that the photovoltaic plant will replace 50,000 MWh/y of thermal generation, saving 10 million litres/y of fuel and reducing CO² emissions by 42,000 t over the same period. The introduction of the solar component is also expected to cut the complex’s energy cost by around 2 cents/kWh.

Construction of the project—which meets Barrick’s investment criteria of generating at least a 20% internal rate of return—will start later this year. The plant is scheduled for commissioning in late 2020.

“The plant will use the latest weather prediction models, which will enable the power management system to switch between thermal and solar without compromising the micro-grid,” Barrick said.

Barrick’s 80%-owned Loulo-Gounkoto operation is expected to produce 520,000-570,000 oz of gold in 2019 at all-in sustaining costs of $810-850/oz.

Aggreko to deliver renewable power microgrid to Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine

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Gold Fields’ Granny Smith gold mine is set to install one of the world’s largest renewable energy microgrids powered by more than 20,000 solar panels and backed up by a 2 MW/1 MWh battery system, according to mobile and modular power company Aggreko.

The mining company has contracted the Scotland-based firm to design, build and operate the 8 MW solar power generation system along with the battery system at Granny Smith, which is located east of Laverton in Western Australia’s Goldfields region.

In June, said it was working with Gold Fields on plans to provide 7.3 MW of solar power generation, as well as a 2 MW/1 MWh battery system, to be integrated with the existing gas supply as a hybrid power station.

Gold Fields Executive Vice President Australasia, Stuart Mathews, said: “We are thrilled to reach an agreement with Aggreko for the design, installation and operation of this innovative source of renewable energy which will generate nearly enough power to run the mine’s processing operations.

“We expect the renewable power microgrid will be up and running at Granny Smith by Q4 (December quarter) 2019 and it will be a welcome addition to our suite of on-site energy solutions across other operations which will enable us to reduce our carbon footprint,” he said.

Construction of the renewable energy system is planned to commence in May and, when completed, will be one of the world’s largest hybrid off-grid microgrids, integrated with Aggreko’s existing 24.2 MW natural gas generation.

Aggreko AusPac Managing Director, George Whyte, said the solar, thermal and battery storage assets will be seamlessly integrated and managed by Aggreko’s control software platform – maintaining full system availability and optimising the lifetime of existing thermal assets.

Whyte said: “The solar-plus-battery system is projected to reduce fuel consumption by 10-13% – the equivalent of removing 2,000 cars from the road – and produce about 18 GWh of clean energy per year.

“Gold Fields understands the performance, cost and environmental advantages for their operation, as well as the need to integrate this resource into their system without compromising power supply reliability or mining productivity.”

While the solar photovoltaic (PV) will reduce the need to run thermal generators, the battery plant will provide essential services such as spinning reserve displacement, PV ramp rate control and transient voltage/frequency support.

The current Granny Smith power station was designed and installed by Aggreko in 2016 and the new hybrid power system, combined with a thermal station expansion, will meet the increased daily power needs of 24.2 MW, with 12.2 MW allocated to the Wallaby underground mine and the remaining 12 MW to the processing plant, associated facilities and mining camp, Aggreko said. Granny Smith produced 290,000 oz of gold in 2017.

Trafo bringing low loss cast resin transformers to Africa market

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Trafo Power Solutions, which provides transformer technology to remote mine sites across Africa, is recommending companies make the most of recent improvements in the design of these transformers in order to boost safety and energy efficiency.

According to Trafo Power Solutions Managing Director, David Claassen, there have been considerable strides in technology, surpassing both the efficiency and the reliability of the traditional oil-filled transformers predominantly used in power grid systems.

These high efficiency solutions include open-wound transformers (OWTs), vacuum-pressured impregnated transformers (VPIs) and cast resin transformers (CRTs). Traditional oil-filled transformers use paper saturated in oil wrapped around the winding material as an insulation medium. If not maintained correctly, insulation degradation will occur, with the oil posing both a safety and environmental risk, according to Trafo.

“OWTs are constructed by dipping preheated windings into a high temperature varnish bath and then baking the high temperature varnish,” said Claassen. “This replaces the need for oil and paper, so only a small amount of material is flammable.”

In VPI construction, layers of polyester resin are applied to the windings, which are subjected to interchanging cycles of pressure and vacuum that ensures deeper penetration. This reduces the chances of air voids, the company said.

“With CRTs, windings are placed in a mould which is filled under vacuum with resin epoxy,” he said. “Fibreglass reinforcing mesh is used to further strengthen the windings, which are cured in a heat-controlled oven. This process also prevents air voids, and the resin in CRTs is non-flammable.”

These designs have also made advances in reducing losses, and thereby improving efficiencies, Trafo said. Some 84% of a transformer’s losses at full load are copper losses – also known as load losses – and are due to current flowing through the winding conductor itself. The remainder are core losses, or ‘no load’ losses, pertaining to the core steel losses, according to Trafo.

“The use of OWTs, VPIs and CRTs offer considerable savings in energy costs of their life-spans – which for CRTs, for instance, averages about 20 years,” Claassen said. “Despite the slightly higher capital cost of around 20%, these technologies can repay the price differential in just four years.”

Claassen said low loss cast resin transformers are being used exclusively in many parts of the world, including Europe and North America. Although there is a 12 to 15% premium on these, the payback period is between two to four years, he said. These are now available for the African market from Trafo Power Solutions.

One of Trafo Power Solutions recent mine site installations was at Alphamin Resources’ remote Bisie operation in North Kivu province, DRC.

GoviEx Uranium and Windiga sizing up hybrid solar power solution for Madaouela

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GoviEx Uranium has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Windiga Energy that could see the company’s flagship Madaouela project in Niger use a dedicated and renewable hybrid solar power solution.

Initial discussions and collaboration between the company and Windiga will target energy solutions for Madaouela with the intent to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20,000 t/y and provide sustainable, renewable power at approximately 25% lower cost than traditional coal-fired options currently available in Niger, GoviEx said.

GoviEx Chairman, Govind Friedland, said: “We are pleased to begin exploring cleaner energy alternatives to power our future development activities in partnership with Windiga.”

The company has requested that Windiga determine the feasibility of a solution to power the Madaouela project and the surrounding local community through a hybrid power plant combining photovoltaic solar panels and diesel generators, with total installed capacity of at least 20 MW.

Under the terms of the MOU, following a favourable result from a feasibility study, GoviEx will have an opportunity to negotiate a power purchase agreement for the priority supply of electricity for an initial term of 21 years, extendible at the request of GoviEx.

Windiga is Canadian energy developer focused on developing, owning and operating renewable energy facilities and off-grid smart power systems on the African continent.

The proposed base case for Madaouela envisages a 2.69 Mlb/y U3O8 yellowcake production rate, a 93.7% ultimate recovery and an 18-year mine life. Initial capital costs were estimated at $359 million, with total life of mine capital costs at $676 million, cash operating costs of $24.49/lb U3O8 excluding royalties, and $31.49/lb U3O8 including royalties.

Miners need to spell out future value drivers to survive, Deloitte says

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In Deloitte’s Tracking the Trends 2019 report, the company has urged mining companies to clarify how they plan to drive value into the future how they intend to respond when prices inevitably drop again.

The report highlighted disruption and volatility as two key issues the mining sector is facing that made long-term planning and decision making more important.

“In this new world order, miners must go beyond communicating the value that they currently bring to communities and will need to articulate what they stand for by developing differentiated business models designed to drive long-term value,” Deloitte said in the report.

Deloitte’s ten trends to watch for 2019 included:

  • Rethinking mining strategy;
  • The frontier of analytics and artificial intelligence;
  • Managing risk in the digital era;
  • Digitising the supply chain;
  • Driving sustainable shared social outcomes;
  • Exploring the water-energy nexus;
  • Decoding capital projects;
  • Reimagining work, workers, and the workplace;
  • Operationalising diversity and inclusion programmes, and;
  • Demanding provenance.

On rethinking mining strategy, Deloitte said: “Mining companies have typically anchored their strategic planning on producing the highest volumes of ore at the lowest possible cost. However, in today’s environment, companies must take an ever-expanding range of issues into account when setting corporate strategy.

“Consumers, governments, and communities are becoming more vocal and irrevocably altering industry dynamics. As a result, corporate social responsibility initiatives are now morphing into stakeholder engagement programmes, and social license to operate is becoming a pivotal strategic issue that will either differentiate mining companies or derail them.

“Looking at these factors alone – consumer awareness, social license to operate, geographic risk, and access to input commodities – it becomes clear that mining companies must take an ever-expanding range of issues into account when setting corporate strategy if they hope to create competitive portfolios robust enough to generate value across multiple scenarios. This is especially critical as the industry shifts into a new stage of growth.”

On the frontier of analytics and artificial intelligence, Deloitte said: “Although mining companies are exploring and investing in analytics and AI, there is still a long way to go. Three horizons in AI are emerging and, to date, most organisations are working in Horizon One, where machine intelligence requires human assistance and interpretation.

“To move up the analytics maturity curve into Horizons Two and Three, organisations must answer progressively complex questions. The first is ‘what happened?’ The second is ‘why did those things happen?’, this allows organisations to identify the root causes.

“Only with this foundation in place can organisations answer the third question: “what will happen?” This is the key that empowers organisations to predict variability, mitigate emerging risks, and manage stakeholder expectations.”

On managing risk in the digital era, Deloitte said: “The current risk landscape is characterised by a host of issues such as mounting tariffs and sanctions, potential trade wars, cyber threats, uncertain tax and royalty regimes, rising input costs, heightened scrutiny from the investment community, environmental disasters, and infrastructure breakdowns.

“To stem this tide, mining companies must take their cue from organisations that take a more holistic view of risk. Increasingly, these leaders are moving towards the next generation of internal audit, Internal Audit 3.0.

“This approach should help mining companies address risk at an enterprise-wide level, rather than assessing isolated risks at the functional or mine site level and develop appropriate controls to both mitigate and manage the expanding array of risks they face.”

On digitising the supply chain, Deloitte said: “The mining supply chain is ripe for transformation, as supply chain improvements remain incremental instead of delivering innovations designed to optimise mining operations.

“To create a more interconnected and responsive supply chain, mining companies need to stop thinking in linear terms and imagine instead a circular system that we call the digital supply network.

“The ultimate goal is to leverage advanced algorithms, AI, and machine learning to turn data into insights that allow companies to reduce their capital expenditures, respond to changing project requirements quickly, and optimise mine planning to integrate real-time changes.”

On driving sustainable shared social outcomes, Deloitte said: “Until recently, mining companies’ social spend has been seen as a cost of compliance, rather than a way to deliver measurable and sustainable benefits to host countries and communities. If mining companies hope to drive different social outcomes, that dynamic has to change. A social enterprise is an organisation whose mission combines revenue growth and profit making with the need to respect and support its environment and stakeholder network.

“Finding value beyond compliance is no easy task. It requires miners to listen more closely to their constituents to determine what stakeholders truly want, and then to shift their operational processes in response.

“To deliver on the social breadth of these programmes, mining companies cannot work in isolation. Instead, they should look for opportunities to collaborate with other companies working in the region.”

On exploring the water-energy nexus, Deloitte said: “True value from energy management can only be derived by addressing the triple bottom line of social, environmental, and financial performance. This requires companies to approach energy management as an integrated corporate initiative.

“Yet energy isn’t the only input at risk. Mining companies must now contend with water scarcity as well as risks associated with excess rainfall, which can result in flooding.

“With a constant knowledge of how every drop of water is being used, and an understanding of all the parameters associated with its use, mining companies can manage water in the way they have begun to manage electricity, as a valuable resource.”

On decoding capital projects, Deloitte said: “Burdened by years of sub-par returns, cost overruns, and impairment charges, many mining companies opted to concentrate on maximising output from their existing operations rather than investing in new mine supply and exploration.

“This resulted in supply shortages for commodities such as copper, zinc, cobalt, lithium, and gold. But with the cycle turning, mining companies will need to engage in a wave of new capital projects to offset production declines and meet demand.

“To overcome these challenges, mining companies must build their maturity in five key areas: delivery models, data and technology, project controls, license to operate and collaboration.”

On reimagining work, workers, and the workplace, Deloitte said: “The mining industry is facing a changing talent landscape, with digitisation necessitating new skillsets, a massive generational shift when considering C-suite succession planning and a younger generation of workers who measure loyalty to an employer in months instead of years.

“To prepare for this imminent future, organisations need to clarify not only their business goals and aspirations, but also the role that their talent strategy should play to deliver on them.

“They will also need to identify the workers of the future by considering what the employee experience will look like, and the role that innovation will play in that experience. Finally, they must reconceive how employees will interact with each other and conduct their work, be it in a physical location or remotely.”

On operationalising diversity and inclusion programmes, Deloitte said: “The mining industry is not attracting sufficient numbers of diverse candidates and, to shift this balance, companies will not only need to change their talent attraction and retention policies, they will also need to change historical perceptions about the mining industry.

“Instead of approaching the issue by adopting point initiatives, they must design integrated programmes to tackle the challenge holistically. This extends into the area of talent retention, because when companies do attract women, they often struggle to retain them.

“In tandem with shifting the way they operate, mining companies must take steps to amend their public image. This starts with the image they portray on their reports and in their advertisements.”

And, finally, on demanding provenance, Deloitte said: “Rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing demand for EV battery materials such as cobalt, lithium, graphite, and copper.

“However, socially-conscious consumers are now questioning the provenance of raw materials. As a result, downstream customers, such as automotive manufacturers and technology giants, are demanding ethically-sourced minerals.

“This is putting unprecedented pressure on mining companies to create a more transparent interface with their customers and driving the adoption of technologies such as blockchain to enhance the traceability of commodities.”

To download the full report, go to deloitte.com/trackingthetrends