Australia is one of the world’s leading mining nations and a top five producer of key mineral commodities including lead, gold, iron ore and coal. As the mining industry in Australia innovates in response to the effects of climate change, GE has been a valuable partner, providing technology solutions and industry expertise to help our mining customers reach their environmental targets.
The Mining Dilemma
Australia is a country rich in natural minerals and resources, which makes mining both a lucrative and widespread industry. There is mining activity in every state and territory, and the mining industry employs more than 333,000 people out of the country’s labor force of 10.8 million. In 2008-09, the minerals sector accounted for eight percent of Australia’s gross domestic product and 48 percent of the nation’s total trade.
An industry of this scale is a vital contributor to Australia’s economy, but it also has a significant environmental impact. The mining process releases greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane gas into the atmosphere, and is a large consumer of Australia’s most precious resource: water.
Australian Government Sets The Pace For Reforms
In response to serious concerns over climate change, Australia’s federal government has put in place a goal to lower the country’s emissions by 5 to 15 percent by 2020. And in its shift to low carbon sources of energy, the government has also set a renewable energy target of 20 percent by 2020.
The key players in Australia’s mining sector are answering this call by implementing technology solutions that improve their environmental performance, and at the same time, optimize their operational performance. While some of these solutions focus on the extraction of minerals itself, others enhance the support functions that make mining possible, such as power, water and transportation.
“There’s absolutely no doubt that the issue of greatest concern in Australia is climate change. Responding to climate change is going to have major economic and social impact, and industries need to be better positioned to respond to the challenge.”
— phillip toyne, director, ecofutures and former ceo, australian conservation foundation
GE's Jenbacher engine at work.
GE Customers Reduce Emissions, Save Water
At Anglo Coal’s Moranbah North mine, located in the state of Queensland, GE’s Jenbacher engines are helping to manage the environmental effects of harmful methane gas, which is released when coal is extracted. Methane has a greenhouse gas effect over 20 times that of carbon dioxide, and it’s the gas most closely associated with climate change.
GE’s Jenbacher engines work to trap the methane gas released from the Moranbah North mine and use it to generate on-site electricity to power the mine itself. In this way, the Jenbacher engines reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that escape into the atmosphere, totaling about 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year.
“Mining companies are very good at finding, developing and extracting resources from the ground. But they don't really have core competencies in running power plants or water plants or operating rail lines. There we can help them with our current technology, as well as with technologies adapted from other industries where GE plays.”
— jay wileman, global mining managing director, ge
A mining road treated for dust.
Another safety risk in mining is the high level of dust on unpaved roads that impacts driver visibility and health. Traditionally, dusty roads are dampened multiple times a day using water trucks, which use a significant amount of fuel and water, and cause greenhouse gas emissions themselves. Mining company, Rio Tinto, recognized this as an opportunity where the mining industry can reduce costs and environmental impact and set up a partnership with GE to develop a solution.
Together, GE and Rio Tinto are about to undertake a comprehensive assessment of GE’s DusTreat road surface product with the aim of significantly reducing the amount of water necessary to control dust, as well as reducing other costs associated with maintaining roads and operating haul trucks on lower quality roads. The pilot program will be undertaken at Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s new Mesa A mine located in the Pilbara region of northwest Australia.
The Case For A Broader Energy Portfolio
As important as the mining sector is to the Australian economy, mining companies realize they must respond to increasing pressures from communities, environmental groups and the federal government to lower their carbon output and help lessen the effects of climate change. Already, the industry has proved it’s serious about stepping up to the challenge.
However, tackling the broader issue of climate change in Australia requires more than the commitment of one industry. It will take a broader energy portfolio — including solar and wind — and the foresight of companies willing to lead their industries and customers to a clean, low-carbon energy future. Wherever they may be, GE will be ready to help.
“There is no silver bullet. This will not be solved purely by technological solutions nor will it be solved purely by people changing the way they live. Where there are technological solutions we need to go further and ensure that we can understand the benefits, capture the lessons and enable implementation across a whole sector.”
— cameron frazer, general manager of sustainable production, sustainability victoria
