As the mining and resources industry winds down for the year and the festive season settles in, Mining.com.au is unwrapping a 12-day macro series, exploring the forces shaping the sector.
Much like the classic carol, each day builds on the last. On the seventh day of Christmas, the focus turns to seven sustainable solutions already changing how resources are discovered, extracted and processed.
From cutting emissions and water use to building cleaner sites, these innovations are helping steer the industry toward a more energy efficient and sustainable industry for the future.
Here are the seven swans now swimming the industry toward a smoother, more sustainable course…
Sustainable sleighs
The first swan, WIN Metals (ASX:WIN), has been introducing solar into the organisation’s power-generation business model.
CEO Steve Norregaard says when people first think about sustainability, they think about solar panels and wind turbines and all the rest.
“Putting solar panels in, if you rely heavily on diesel power generation, is value accretive, providing you get a mine life,” Norregaard tells Mining.com.au.
Throughout WIN Metals’ Scoping Study at the Butchers Creek Project, Norregaard says the company is going to supplement that with renewables and a battery in order to be able to cater for the increased power demand.
“And obviously, we’ve got an inbuilt rule within the organisation that we don’t leave a drill campaign until it’s rehabilitated. And so that remains an ongoing feature,” he says.
Norregaard notes the company does all of its rehabilitation with post-drilling.
“So our impact not only is minimal, but it is relatively short-lived,” he says.
“We don’t drill hundreds of thousands of metres before we start rehabilitating. And that’s just good business. We don’t like to leave a mess behind it because it reflects badly on us as a business.”
A renewable-powered Christmas
Across the world, renewable energy is replacing diesel and coal at operating mine sites.
In New South Wales, the state government recently released its Renewable Fuel Strategy to accelerate the production and use of renewable fuels in the state, to drive down emissions and underpin industrial activity.
Renewable fuels will help the state meet its emissions reduction targets, decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors, drive economic development and jobs in regional New South Wales, and improve domestic fuel supply.
The strategy outlines 20 actions to scale up New South Wales’ renewable fuel industry. These include expanding the renewable fuel scheme to include biomethane, and up to $170 million in funding for production.
Mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) operates one of the world’s largest microgrids at its Pilbara operations, underpinned by 480 megawatts of gas-based power capacity.
The company estimates that it required between 600 to 700 megawatts of renewable energy to displace the majority of gas use across its Pilbara network – a capacity that is enough to power 160,000 homes.
BHP (ASX:BHP) is another example of progressing renewable mine sites, with its large-scale solar installation at its Olympic Dam and Escondida mines.
In 2022, the mining giant signed a renewable Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Neoen, which is expected to meet half of Olympic Dam’s electricity needs from FY2026 and allows Olympic Dam to record a net zero emission position for the contracted volume of supply.
The PPA is expected to supply 70 megawatts of electricity to Olympic Dam and will support Neoen to construct the 203 megawatt Goyder South Stage 1b Wind Farm, assuming all relevant consents are obtained. This wind farm is to form part of the larger Goyder Renewables Zone in South Australia, and will introduce new renewable generation into the South Australian electricity grid.
Haul trucks on the nice list
The third innovation involves mining’s haulage – which is shedding its diesel dependence. Hydrogen-powered haul trucks, loaders, and underground machinery are being trialled, and in some cases, already deployed.
Hydrogen fleets use vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which generate electricity from hydrogen to power the vehicle, emitting only water, as reported by Australian EVs.
The Australian Government has implemented a $43.3 million demonstration project that will be one of the first deployments of FCEV fleets in Australia, serviced by commercial hydrogen supply contracts and embedded into the existing operations of some of Australia’s most well-known commercial road transport businesses.
The project will put these hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road to prove their value in day-to-day commercial operations while reducing the carbon footprint of heavy vehicle transport.
By driving a demand for hydrogen at the same time as developing the refuelling facility, the project aims to overcome the chicken-and-egg challenge that traditionally has been a hurdle for the hydrogen sector.
Anglo American (LSE:AAL) is using a hydrogen-powered mine haul truck at itsMogalakwena Mine in South Africa, which uses a hybrid hydrogen-battery system.
In 2024, Fortescue (ASX:FMG) tested a prototype hydrogen-powered haul truck called Europa, which made a 1,100km journey from Perth to the Pilbara.
Once commissioned on site, Europa will be refueled with liquid hydrogen from a gaseous and liquid hydrogen plant, located at Fortescue’s Green Energy Hub at Christmas Creek.
Over the next five years, the company will work with Liebherr to develop a fleet of zero emission haul trucks, which will be progressively deployed across our sites from 2026.
Continuing the topic of water, advanced water recycling systems are being more integrated, as water scarcity remains one of the sector’s biggest challenges.
Hydroflux Industrial reports that advanced water recycling in mining uses a combination of technologies like reverse osmosis, filtration, and ion exchange to treat and reuse water for various purposes. These include process water, dust suppressions, and cooling.
These systems aim to create closed-loop systems, reducing fresh water consumption and environmental impact by treating and recirculation water multiple times.
Green glitter
The fifth solution is green iron – which is iron produced using renewable energy and processes that significantly reduce or eliminate carbon dioxide emissions.
Miners, smelters, and nations are focusing on reducing the emissions intensity of refined metals – creating more green aluminium, copper, and steel.
As Mining.com.au reported, a new generation of direct reduced iron facilities is being developed in Oman, featuring flexible technologies that allow use of hydrogen from the outset. This approach could set a new standard for the green iron transition, as reported by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
Oman also leads in global iron ore concentrate supply to electric arc furnaces (EAFs) for steelmaking. This established industrial base provides a solid foundation for transitioning towards low- emission iron and steel production – and ultimately green iron and steel. Oman’s iron and steel sector has traditionally been dominated by two major players, Jindal Group and Vale.
Now, Oman is attracting new international initiatives, such as Meranti Green Steel, Mitsui and Kobe Steel, and Jinnan Steel, which are entering and reshaping the market.
Based on the projects currently in the pipeline, an additional 12.6 million tonnes per annum of concentrate, 6Mtpa of pellets, and 12.5Mtpa of direct reduced iron (DRI)/hot-briquetted iron (HBI) are expected to be added to the country’s existing production capacity.
By establishing these new capacities, IEFFA’s reports says Oman aims to position itself as a regional hub for iron production. Several large-scale low-emissions ironmaking projects are expected to reach final investment decision (FID) by 2026, and integrating green hydrogen with iron production represents a promising step for Oman toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Christmas conversions
Another way companies within the industry are working to be more sustainable is through converting mine tailings into geopolymer concrete.
As reported on Transition Thursday, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is converting mine tailings into geopolymer concrete.
Australia generates an estimated 620 million tonnes of mine waste per year, stored in 250 active tailings dams with an average global failure rate of around 1.8%.
Converting the mine tailings into geopolymer concrete that cuts CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared with Portland cement.
CSIRO says the same material clay potters use for delicate porcelain is the basis for geopolymers – which is a rock-solid concrete formula poised to solve one of the mining industry’s ‘most wicked problems’.
Geopolymers are considered binding agents that replace cement in concrete. Instead of using limestone heated to 1400 degrees, geopolymers use aluminosilicates – clays rich in aluminium and silicon compounds.
The potential for geopolymer concrete as a key component of a circular economy transformation can even extend beyond mine sites to the construction industry, where clay-rich subsoils excavated during earthworks – currently dumped as ‘clean fill’ – could be used for local production of geopolymers, as reported by CSIRO.
From mine to merry
Because sustainability doesn’t end when the mineral is removed, new technologies are supporting faster and more effective land rehabilitation. Land restoration in mining is crucial for mitigating environmental damage, complying with regulations, and enabling new land uses by returning a site to a functional or usable state.
GeoLink reports some of the benefits include more land use options, better flora and fauna outcomes, fewer health and safety risks, reduced financial risk and liabilities, as well as reduced costs.
Queensland-based Vital Chemical has applied more than 72 hectares of VE Char-Matt – a biodegradable, carbon-enriched hydraulic growth medium – at numerous renewable energy projects across Australia, including wind farms, solar projects, and transmission corridors.
The product combines natural fibres, seed, fertiliser, and biochar – a stable form of carbon derived from biomass – to create a protective layer that retains moisture, enhances germination, and locks carbon into the soil.
Director Paul McMullen says VE Char-Matt has become a preferred solution for developers aiming to meet community expectations for environmental care.
“Renewable energy projects are often located in challenging environments where vegetation has been cleared or disturbed during construction,” McMullen says.
Vital Chemical’s products are now widely specified in rehabilitation programs across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, where they help stabilise exposed surfaces immediately after civil works and support native vegetation establishment.
Although mining will always leave a footprint, these seven solutions are proving that it doesn’t have to be as heavy as it once was.
On the seventh day of Christmas, the swans a-swimming represent an industry changing how resources are discovered, extracted and processed.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Mining.com.au, WIN Metals, Rio Tinto, Fortescue & CSIRO
