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World Mining Frontiers Volume 2 2022


Editorial Editor Nicholas Kenny


nicholas.kenny@progressivemediainternational.com Sub-editors Liam Murphy, Nikki Peach Production manager Dave Stanford Group art director Henrik Williams Designer Martin Faulkner 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 biannually by Progressive Media International.


www.nsenergybusiness.com ISSN 2054-4219 © 2022


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Our part to play C


ountries across the world continue to shift from crisis to crisis, from the Covid-19 pandemic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the mining industry is forced to shift with them, dealing with supply chain disruption and a fast-approaching critical minerals shortage. In the face of these challenges, however, the industry will continue to do what it does best – persevere. With the role of mining embedded in any vision of the future due to the need for critical materials in the green energy market, the industry will continue to see the investment and support it needs in order to push forward, though it will need to adapt and advance with the times in order to thrive. Parts of the industry, set as they are in far-off corners of the globe, might often feel disconnected from the rest of the world – be it a remote copper mine in the Andes or a gold mine in the middle of the Tanami desert in the Australian Outback. However, the demands of our modern society have a long reach, and challenges faced by one part of the mining industry will inevitably have a knock-on effect on others. On page 13, we take a look at how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected the mining industry, particularly the coal market. Speaking of coal, mining has hardly been exempted from the effects of climate change, with extreme climate events taking place with increasing regularity in recent years, which we explore on page 16. With that in mind, this issue will also look at the industry’s work towards decarbonisation, with a dive into the next level of mine electrification on page 32. Much needs to be done to address the crises we already face today – what’s certain, however, is that mining will continue to play a key role in whatever the future may hold. For now though, we persevere.


Nicholas Kenny, editor


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