Green Mining – Page 5 – Republic of Mining

AUDIO: Sudbury researcher John Gunn meets Sweden’s environmentally minded king – by Samantha Lui (CBC News Sudbury – July 13, 2016)

July 13, 2016

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

John Gunn shared the story of Sudbury’s regreening efforts with the king and other researchers

The regreening of Sudbury’s damaged landscapes is a story known across the world. In fact, it’s even caught the attention of Carl Gustaf, the king of Sweden. Sudbury’s John Gunn was recently invited to attend the king’s 12th Royal Colloquiam just outside of Stockholm.

The event’s been held since 1992 by Gustaf, and it invites leading scientists and researchers to take part in discussions about issues relating to environment and development. Gunn, who is the director of the Vale Living with Lakes Centre in the city, shared details about Sudbury’s progress over the years with the king and other researchers around the world.

“It was a great honour to participate in such a discussion group with the king of Sweden,” he said. “Sweden and the adjoining Norway are very supportive of international studies in the environment. I was pleased to be able to go and represent Sudbury and provide some information.”

Timmins land reclamation hailed as model – by Alan S. Hale (Timmins Daily Press – June 30, 2016)

June 30, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

More than 100 delegates attending the Canadian Land Reclamation Association’s (CLRA) conference being held in Timmins this week, ventured out of the meeting rooms at the McIntyre Arena to learn about the reclamation projects undertaken by Goldcorp and Glencore near the city.

The attendees at this year’s CLRA conference came from a variety of backgrounds. There were people from mining companies, government ministries, environment remediation consultants and more than a few university students and other academics. They came from all over the province and even from far away as Japan to learn what the mining industry in Timmins has done to try and clean up the environment

The conference is dedicated to discussing all the latest and greatest developments in the world of trying to return former mining facilities and tailings ponds to their natural state – or at least as close to it as possible.

Sudbury’s air quality continues to improve – by Ben Leeson (Sudbury Star – June 9, 2016)

June 9, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Greater Sudburians should be breathing a little easier these days, based on the results of Clean Air Sudbury’s newest report.

Clearing in the Air, the third report by the local non-profit group on air quality trends in the city, was released on Wednesday. Based on data from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the National Pollutant Release Inventory and the Greater Sudbury Sulphur Dioxide and Particulate Monitoring Networks operated by Vale and Glencore, the report showed that Greater Sudbury’s air quality continues to improve.

“This is a trend we have seen over a number of decades,” said Ray Potvin, a former air quality specialist for the province and private sector, who authored the report. “This report shows that trend is ongoing. These improvements are consistent with what we’ve seen across the province, in terms of air quality, during the past 10 years. This is a result of governments requiring stricter emission controls.”

Southern Ontario sewage helps Sudbury nickel miner regreen its tailings (CBC News Sudbury – April 25, 2016)

April 25, 2016

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Treated sewage is commonly used on farms in other parts of the province

As part of a green solution to mining pollution, truckloads of sewage are heading to nickel miner Vale’s tailings ponds in Sudbury, Ont. But unlike the stinky, untreated haul that once came from the city’s sewage treatment plants, this sewage comes from southern Ontario.

The black, manure-like biosolids are normally spread on farms in the south as fertilizer, but during the winter or other times it can’t be used for agriculture. Since 2014, the company has been mixing biolsolids with straw, hay and yard waste and using it to help re-green thousands of hectares of sandy, acidic mining waste.

“Tough place to be a tree,” says Vale’s superintendent of decommission and reclamation Glen Watson. “The biosolids ends up being an all-in-one solution for us, because the tailings themselves are very nutrient-poor and they’re metal rich. You can amend the surface of the tailings much like a farmer would.”

The unknown cost of green mining – by Crae Garrett (The Lawyers Weekly – April 15 2016)

April 11, 2016

http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/

Caution needed until impact of new environmental assessment processes becomes clear

During the current global business cycle, the Canadian mining sector has been very much at the forefront of the market volatility and resultant uncertainty. More recently, an additional element of change on the socio-political front looks set to add to that uncertainty, at least in the short to medium term.

The Canadian federal government has indicated it intends to introduce new environmental assessment processes for major projects.

While the vast majority of public commentary and press coverage has centered around how this may affect two major pipeline projects currently under consideration, and while there is not much detail available regarding what form these new processes will take, it is worth remembering that the scope of the underlying regulatory regime already in place that will likely provide the legal structure for the assessment process (the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act) also extends to major mining projects.

Massive Sudbury Vale pollution reduction project half done – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 23, 2016)

January 25, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

The director of the largest environmental project ever undertaken in Sudbury wants to clear up any misconception that work on Vale’s Clear AER (atmospheric emissions reduction) project halted in 2013 when the project was revamped.

The Brazil-based mining company scaled back what was to be a $2-billion retrofit of the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex after the decision was made to operate one furnace instead of two.

Dave Marshall told an audience this week that the project is 55 per cent complete, $625 million has been invested in it so far and it is on target for completion by January 2018.

Turning Sudbury’s regreening expertise into actual green – by Ella Myers (Northern Ontario Business – January 08, 2016)

January 11, 2016

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Protocol under development aims to turn local environmental knowledge into marketable product

Sudbury’s environmental destruction and subsequent reclamation is one of the city’s defining moments. From a blackened, barren nickel capital to a beacon of regreening and responsible mining around the world, Sudbury has come a long way since the 1970s.

A major project is germinating between the mayor’s office and Laurentian University that would capitalize on the expertise built from the recovery process.

Laurentian’s vice-president of research, Rui Wang, had introduced the Sudbury Protocol at the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation’s (GSDC) first Resourceful City talk in November.

How an Australian Mining Town Became a Solar Power Trailblazer – by James Paton (Bloomberg News – December 20, 2015)

December 21, 2015

http://www.bloomberg.com/

Broken Hill spawned the world’s largest mining company and generated more than $75 billion in wealth. Now as its minerals ebb, Australia’s longest-lived mining city is looking to tap a more abundant resource.

On the sun-baked edge of the Outback city, 700 miles west of Sydney, a solar farm the size of London’s Hyde Park shimmers like an oasis — its panels sending enough electricity to the national grid to power 17,000 homes a year. Combined with a sister plant, the AGL Energy Ltd. and First Solar Inc.project is the largest of its type in the southern hemisphere.

Clean energy advocates are counting on the 140-hectare (346-acre) development to make Broken Hill, which at one time boasted the world’s most successful silver mine, a trailblazer once again.

Ministerial mandate letters point to greener Canadian economic priorities – by Henry Lazenby (November 14, 2015)

November 16, 2015

http://www.miningweekly.com/page/americas-home

TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau on Friday took the unprecedented step of publicly releasing all ministerial mandate letters, as part of his plan for open and transparent government for Canadians, giving citizens a first glimpse of the new Liberal administration’s policy priorities.

“Real, positive change means new leadership and transparent government for Canadians. Our Ministers are being encouraged in their mandate letters to consult closely as a team, to listen and to carefully consider the expert advice of public servants. I am confident such measures will lead to better decision-making and results for Canadians,” he stated.

The ministerial mandate letters highlighted the government’s commitment to invest in jobs and growth for the middle class and those working hard to join it. They outlined the government’s progressive vision and provided a framework for what ministers were expected to accomplish, including specific policy objectives and challenges to be addressed.

Sudbury lakes centre developing educational video – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – September 25, 2015)

September 28, 2015

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.

Sudbury’s Vale Living with Lakes Centre is developing an educational and promotional video designed to share the story of the city’s regreening success.

The story of Sudbury’s regreening, following decades of mining, has long been a shining example of environmental recovery. Now, the Vale Living with Lakes Centre is taking that message into the digital realm with a training and promotional video that will debut next fall.

An initiative led by research scientist Nadia Mykytczuk, the video features a series of vignettes that tell the Sudbury story from the start of the mining era, through the early days of the regreening efforts, and up to today’s advanced science research, and how all of it has helped researchers, miners and the greater community learn from the past.

Mykytczuk noted that the last compendium of the Sudbury story was the Green Book, which was compiled in 1995. But that format is now outdated, and many scientific gains have been made since then, requiring a new way for scientists to inform and engage their audience.

INTERVIEW-Zambia to triple power generation in two years with solar – by Stella Mapenzauswa and Chris Mfula (Reuters India – September 16, 2015)

September 16, 2015

http://in.reuters.com/

LUSAKA, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Zambia expects to triple power output to 6,000 megawatts (MW) in 2 years through expansion of solar energy by foreign investors, the head of its investment agency said.

Erratic electricity supplies have hit mining in the continent’s second biggest copper producer, where the bulk of its generation capacity of 2,200 MW of power is water-powered.

The power problems and copper price slide have driven the kwacha currency to record lows amid a selloff in commodity-linked currencies as top copper consumer China’s economy has slowed.

Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) Director General Patrick Chisanga said he had held “very positive” talks with an unnamed German company aiming to invest $500 million in a solar power plant but did not disclose its planned location.

“It is planned that they could produce about 400 megawatts of power in two steps,” Chisanga told Reuters.

Sun-Drenched Miners Look to the Skies to Cut Fuel Costs in Half – by David Stringer and Paul Allen (Bloomberg News – August 26, 2015)

August 27, 2015

http://www.bloomberg.com/

The DeGrussa copper and gold mine in Australia’s sun-scorched outback is getting a solar farm, the latest example of the industry embracing clean energy.

The plant will replace about 5 million liters (1.3 million gallons) of diesel a year, a fifth of the mine’s energy needs. Energy generated by the system may eventually cost about half that of diesel-generated power, according to Sandfire Resources NL, the deposit’s owner.

Miners including Rio Tinto Group are installing new solar plants from Chile to South Africa, betting they’ll deliver long-term savings even as tumbling oil prices cut power costs. The global solar-power market for mining companies may grow to about $2 billion a year by 2022 from about $42 million in 2013, according to Navigant Consulting Inc.

“Solar-power providers are specifically targeting mines right now and it’s about replacing diesel,” Dexter Gauntlett, a senior research analyst at Navigant said by phone from Portland, Oregon. With lower costs, “it becomes a no-brainer,” he said.