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World Mining Frontiers Volume 1 2021


Editorial Editor Nicholas Kenny


nicholas.kenny@progressivemediainternational.com Sub-editors Lizzie Waymouth, Nikki Peach Production manager Dave Stanford Group art director Henrik Williams Head of content Jake Sharp


Commercial Client services executive Ruchita Marwaha Publication manager Roy Morris roy.morris@progressivemediainternational.com Managing director William Crocker


World Mining Frontiers is published by Progressive Media International John Carpenter House, John Carpenter Street, London, EC4Y 0AN, UK Tel: +44 207 936 6400 Fax: +44 207 724 9800 www.nsenergybusiness.com ISSN 2054-4219 © 2021


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istorically, mining hasn’t always had the cleanest image – particularly when considered under environmental and sustainability terms. For a long time, the general public associated the industry with coal and other fossil fuel production, with tailings and pollution, and with disturbing local environments. It has been the work of the past few decades by industry leaders to address and attempt to change this viewpoint, with mining operators increasingly taking time to improve their sustainability credentials and minimise their impact on the local environment. Now, however, the world has gradually come to realise that the mining industry will need to be at the heart of any attempts to tackle climate change and build the green energy supply humanity will need for the future. Wind turbines, solar panels, electric cars and batteries that power them are all wondrous things that are helping to get us back on the right path, but they come with a cost – the materials required to produce them. Lithium and cobalt are vital for batteries, and copper is used to make just about everything that will be needed if the world is truly going to turn its energy green. On page 10, our interview with Rich Nolan of the National Mining Association examines how the Biden administration’s green energy goals will affect US mining, and what needs to be done to address the issues holding the industry back. At the same time, the solution to our issues with meeting the demand for green energy materials might be not underground, but under the sea, as we explore the potential of deep-sea mining on page 24. On the other hand, if the industry doesn’t act responsibly in its quest to provide the minerals the world needs, there could be serious ramifications. On page 15, we see the price that had been paid for South America’s lithium boom, as Chilean miners attempt to clean up their act after hurting the local people and destabilising some delicate ecosystems. Thankfully, the industry as a whole is taking steps to mine responsibly and sustainability, and has increasingly adopted renewable energy in its own operations. The stage has been set for the mining industry to take on the lead role in the push to a greener future – all that remains to be seen is what it does with this opportunity.


We have the power H


Nicholas Kenny, editor


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