East African Mining News Unearthing Mining Opportunities in East Africa
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There is renewed incentive for mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to invigorate their decarbonisation efforts, as the country paves the way for taxing carbon emissions and regulating its carbon trading market.
It is therefore no surprise that there is a renewed focus on practical strategies for mines to steadily reduce their emissions over the coming years. With the passing of Ordinance-Law No. 23/007 in March 2023, the process is underway through which the government will promote environmental conservation and meet its global carbon commitments.
According to Philippa Burmeister, Partner and Principal Scientist in Air Quality and Climate Change at SRK Consulting (South Africa), it is only a matter of time before carbon emissions from mines in the DRC have direct financial implications. As a result, many mining companies are taking a closer look at how they monitor their emissions crucial first step in managing and reducing them.
“The starting point in this process is to identify the company’s most significant sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions so that the largest sources can be targeted first,” said Burmeister. “Numerous technologies are available, but not all are appropriate in every situation. Experience and practical considerations therefore need to guide the selection of technologies before implementation.”
An important consideration for mines in the DRC is to assess not only the potential impact of each technology but also the readiness of the supporting ecosystem to enable that technology to be deployed, maintained, repaired, and upgraded.
“While progress is being made in the development of low-emission equipment and vehicles, these may not yet be viable options locally if mine production is adversely affected by long lead times for servicing and repairs, for example,” she said. “A reliable supply chain is essential to ensure the availability of technicians, mechanics, spare parts, and the necessary technical infrastructure, enabling these innovations to achieve the high levels of production uptime required.”
Alexander Thin, Director and Principal Mining Engineer based in SRK Consulting’s Beijing office, reiterated the need for any new technology introduced into the DRC to be well proven, ensuring that operational risk is effectively mitigated.
“The industry will rely on larger mining companies that are pioneering technologies such as hybrid trucks and electric equipment elsewhere in the world,” he said. “These companies will bring valuable experience in deploying and supporting these solutions, as well as the insights needed to understand what the supporting ecosystem must provide.”
The mining industry’s decarbonisation journey also needs to be supported by developments in transport, energy, and other infrastructure across the country, according to Wouter Jordaan, Partner and Principal Environmental Scientist at SRK Consulting (South Africa), who is also a director of SRK Consulting Congo. This would greatly facilitate the efforts of mines, as well as the opportunities available to them, as they pursue their decarbonisation agendas.
“The DRC is struggling to leverage its extensive hydroelectric power potential, based on its substantial river system and favourable topography,” said Jordaan. “Unreliable supply is leading mines to install their own diesel-powered generation capacity, which exacerbates their carbon footprint.”
While mines can take steps to drive their decarbonisation journey, they could make faster progress if the national grid improved its reliability. Mineral commodity customers in regions like the European Union (EU) continue to strive toward zero carbon targets in their supply chains, and this is a growing pressure on mines in the DRC.
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) aims to decarbonise carbon-intensive sectors by ensuring that imported goods face a carbon price equivalent to that of domestic EU production. This aims to prevent ‘carbon leakage’ and encourage cleaner industrial production globally. Carbon leakage occurs when companies based in the EU move carbon-intensive production abroad to countries where less stringent climate policies are in place.
“It is challenging for these mines to implement all the strategies they would like when the necessary infrastructure is not supportive,” he explained. “The danger is that they can fall behind in their customers’ expectations and have the potential to lose out on the export opportunities to areas like the EU which would in turn have a negative knock-on effect on the DRC as a whole.”
He noted that considerable investment was being made in road and rail infrastructure in the DRC, which was also important for promoting decarbonisation. As roads improve and rail services take on a greater share of mineral exports and equipment and material imports, this will inevitably lead to greater energy efficiency.
“Where trucks can travel on smooth, tarred highways, for example, they operate more quickly and efficiently, with lower emissions,” he said. “Rail transport can be even more carbon efficient, especially when powered by renewable electricity. It is a more efficient mode of transport for bulk minerals and heavy equipment, and these improvements have a positive impact on the upstream and downstream supply chains of mines, where emissions must also be quantified.”
Most of the immediate decarbonisation progress that mines can achieve will depend on how effectively they manage energy use at the mine site itself and how they generate power from lower-carbon sources, said Burmeister.
“Every carbon action plan needs to consider both the reduction and replacement of carbon-based energy,” she said. “Energy consumption needs to be reduced for example, through automated haulage and optimised ventilation but reductions can only go so far. Although these opportunities are low-hanging fruit in many cases, the real quantum leap comes from replacing fossil fuels as an energy source.”
She acknowledges that this remains difficult, however, as diesel consumption by haulage and other mobile equipment tends to be the highest source of GHG emissions at mines. As yet, there is no established system with the necessary supporting ecosystem to replace diesel completely.
Frank Li, Director and Principal Geologist in SRK Consulting’s Beijing office, noted that electric haul trucks were already being used in fixed-route applications at harbours in China, supported by a simple battery-exchange process.
“As consultants, we will keep a close eye on these pioneering technologies and ensure that our mining clients are aware of what is available and which solutions may be relevant to their needs,” said Li.
To make progress in this area, Thin argued that the optimisation of the mining process a key aspect of developing a mining plan needs to be approached with a high degree of innovative thinking. This could create opportunities for more established technologies to be applied in conditions that were not previously considered suitable.
“For instance, the installation of trolley-assist haulage could be considered and modelled very early in the planning process to determine whether it is viable,” he explained. “It may not be completely optimal within the traditional priorities of mining, but we are now in an era where decarbonisation is becoming increasingly essential to the overall financial and ESG performance of mining operations.”
