What other industries should learn from the mining sector

07 Jul 2021

A podcast from Cummins

What do mining trucks that carry loads as heavy as an airliner and the facilities of your company, or even your home, have in common?

They each feature similar engines within their power systems.

The International Energy Agency estimates that 4% of the world’s energy is used by the mining sector. To make the 4% more relatable, this is a little more than Germany or Canada’s annual energy consumption.

The mining sector leads many other sectors when it comes to energy innovations. The mining industry pursues two categories of innovations to manage its energy use.

First is the site or system level energy innovations. In a mine, a considerable amount of energy is used for mineral processing; and miners are investing in renewable power sources and micro-grids to power these operations.

Second is the asset level energy innovations, meaning energy innovations on the mobile equipment, such as haul trucks and excavators. These include vehicles powered by battery electric systems, fuel cells and advanced diesel engines.

Whether you oversee facilities, work in maintenance, or lead a business, you could benefit from hearing about the mining industry’s journey in leveraging energy and power generation technologies and innovations in addressing economics and sustainability.

Click here to listen to the podcast

Join Thomas Hillig and Beau Lintereur as they start with interesting anecdotes around the role of mining in our modern, connected lives.

Did you know an average infant born today will need a lifetime supply of over 20 tonnes of lead, zinc, copper, aluminium, and iron?

That is the same weight as about 14 passenger cars.

Thomas and Beau then dive into tech metals, and how human-kind’s recent focus on decarbonisation, sustainability, digitalisation, and connectivity drive the rise of tech metals such as copper, lithium, cobalt, and nickel.

The duo then leads listeners through a virtual tour of a modern mine site and debate:

How do energy and power innovations help the mining industry improve sustainability and reduce environmental impact?
What makes some of the world’s top miners get recognized as the most innovative companies?
Healthcare facilities, data centres, manufacturing facilities or commercial buildings; learnings from the mining sector that other industries can leverage in their energy systems.
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