BBMC Yearbook 2021

Sustainability and the future of coal | A voice for policy ESG developments | People, Safety and Health Operational and technology trends | BBMC updates BBMC Yearbook 2021

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yearbook 2021 EDITOR Jodie Currie jodie@bbminingclub.com CONTENT CURATORS Sarah-Joy Pierce sarahjoy@strategicminingcomms.com Debbie Wolhuter deb@joyfulcommunications.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGN Holly Williams holly@kingstcreative.com.au ADVERTISING yearbook@bbminingclub.com WEBSITE www.bbminingclub.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Michelle Manook, Ian Macfarlane, The Hon Keith Pitt MP, The Hon Scott Stewart MP, Kim Wainwright, Mike Kaiser, Edgar Basto, Paul Flynn, Shane Hansen, Lisa France, Professor Paul Dargusch, Associate Professor Anita Parbhakar-Fox, Liam Davis, Kate Swain, Kate Dickson, Stephen Smith, Tania Constable, Adani Australia, Ngaire Tranter, Sarah-Joy Pierce, Renee Wall, Gavin Scott, Laurie Willett, Susan Johnston, Terry Henrikson, Brad Thompson, David Moult, David Green, Christopher Clark, Rod Saffy, Jeff Sterling, Nigel Slater FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER @bbminingclub ON THE COVER Image credit: Peter Turnbull Images throughout supplied by Peter Turnbull, Cam Laird, Betty Seeney, Clinton Bartley, Fiona Powell, Whitehaven, AMMA

Want to be a part of the 2022 Yearbook?

See bbminingclub.com/yearbook for more information.

DISCLAIMER The Bowen Basin Mining Club Yearbook is published by the Bowen Basin Mining Club Pty Ltd, PO Box 2620, Chermside Centre QLD 4032.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this publication is accurate at the time of publication (December 2021). The Bowen Basin Mining Club and its agents accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents and accepts no liability in respect of the material contained in the yearbook.

The Bowen Basin Mining Club recommends that users exercise their own skill and care in evaluating accuracy, completeness, and relevance of the material and where necessary obtain independent professional advice appropriate to their own particular circumstances.

In addition, parties, their members, employees, agents and officers accept no responsibility for any loss or liability (including reasonable legal costs and expenses) or liability incurred or suffered where such loss or liability was caused by the infringement of intellectual property rights, including the moral rights, of any third person.

BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Contents From the Editor

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SUSTAINABILITY AND THE FUTURE OF COAL

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The right kind of venting

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You can count on us: the resource sector powers on

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Seizing the opportunities in a bright future

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ESG DEVELOPMENTS

68

A sustainable energy future includes coal – it’s time to make peace with that

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More than compliance – the rising importance of the ‘S’ in ESG

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Shining light on a wicked problem: how do we measure the good in our industry?

78

Mega-trends and minerals: the next 30 years in Queensland’s resources sector

20

Supporting explorers in resourcing the future

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Mine Closure Planning – a key part of the ‘S’ in ESG

80

The way to alleviate climate change is to increase mining

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Aboriginal Cultural Heritage – moving from management to engagement

84

Edgar Basto on the future of mining in the Bowen Basin

28

Coal is delivering a sustainable future for our regions

PEOPLE, SAFETY AND HEALTH

88

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Psychological safety: More than a buzzword

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Metallurgical coal to play a crucial role in electrification and decarbonisation

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High Reliability Organisations – from concept to reality

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Net Zero and the resources sector

36

The role of mine waste in global climate change

Commitment precedes performance: Your people hold the key to digital transformation

96

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Skills challenges reach boiling point

99

Renewables in mining: how the mining sector is driving the diversification of Australia’s energy mix

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OPERATIONAL & TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 102 Mining: creating positive legacies for regional areas

103

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The Big Picture: insights, explainers and discussions

Changes and challenges in the Queensland Coal Industry – a Geologist’s perspective

105

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Pulling back the curtain: the ‘true believers’ of industry

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Drone Highwall Mapping: Unlocking the next level of safety and accessibility on your mine

108

Supporting miners to net zero emissions

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A VOICE FOR POLICY

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The right Delivery Priorities will deliver success for Queensland

The critical role of interoperability in mining automation

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Reliable wireless networks in mining

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The Coal Mining Long Service Leave Scheme – time for change

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MINING SERVICES DIRECTORY

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BBMC UPDATES

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

Photo: Peter Turnbull

BBMC Yearbook 2021

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From the Editor jodie currie

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f the theme of 2020 was challenge, the theme of 2021 for our industry is consistency - making continual steps in the right direction for a profitable future.

Reading the articles from this year’s contributors made one thing clear: our industry is finally taking up the call to ‘get loud’ on the importance of coal and the integral part it plays in our future renewables targets and all.

With the Glasgow COP26 conference wrapping up just weeks before this Yearbook goes to print, I am pleased to see a lastminute wording change to the global commitment to ‘phase down’ coal rather than ‘phase out’. Just a quick browse through the content of this Yearbook makes a compelling argument for the necessity of coal, both now and into the future particularly Queensland coal.

The fact that can’t be denied is the quality of the coal from our Queensland deposits. It’s some of the lowest-ash, highest-yield coal in the world, and the safety and quality controls under which we mine are excellent by global standards.

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

Kestrel’s Shane Hansen (page 33) points out some excellent facts on metallurgical coal’s key role in decarbonisation and net zero targets. Continuing coal mining in Queensland for a long time to come really is a no-brainer. There are plenty of ways to meet climate change targets without ruining our economy or regional communities.

And when it comes to alternative energy sources, we’re exceptionally well-placed too.

As Mike Kaiser says in his article (page 25) - the way to alleviate climate change is to actually increase mining. Our metallurgical coal is key to wind turbines and solar panels, and our new economy minerals are essential to battery production.

This begs the question - do activists really want us to cut emissions, or is the real end game to actually stop mining? This puts a different perspective on the future of our industry - and this year’s contribution from the World Coal Organisation CEO, Michelle Manook (page 9), is an excellently thoughtout piece about raising the ‘Coal IQ’ and keeping economies in forward motion.

Economics aside, the overwhelming theme of this year’s content is ESG - in operations, planning and even in mine closure discussions.

There’s simply no denying the importance of ESG as a major factor in our industry’s operations, and there’s no wonder that environment and social concerns were named as the biggest risk to mining and metals companies by Ernst & Young in their October report for the first time.

We’re certainly seeing it as a significant trend in all our discussions with the industry’s movers and shakers, and it was even recognised as part of the Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan, the state government roadmap for the next 30 years of the industry (see page 20).

Another interesting discussion that’s been happening this year is around the future viability of nuclear power in Australia. We spoke to Dr Benjamin Heard in our BBMC Crib Room Podcast (see page 57), a selfdescribed ‘environmentalist voice for nuclear’. While that might sound like a contradiction, Ben’s explanation of ‘measuring our monsters’ has stuck with us all year long.

Photo: Peter Turnbull

Thanks Queensland!

As Bravus Mining & Resources Carmichael Project edges closer to export, we’re proud to have paid more than $1 billion to regional Queensland contractors and businesses and provided jobs for 2,600+ workers during construction.

It’s taken more than 10-years for us to get here, but we are on track to export coal in 2021. We are proud to be playing our part in supplying a sustainable energy mix to help people in developing nations have greater access to reliable, affordable power.

Regional Queenslanders have backed us from day one and we’ll continue to provide jobs and contracting opportunities for them as we begin operating our mine and railway.

We’re here for the long haul and for us, this is just the start.

BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Photo: Peter Turnbull

This year, we’ve also seen movement on some hotly anticipated projects in our region. Bravus celebrated their first coal after an exceptionally long journey. Whitehaven moved one step closer to construction with their draft EIS released for public comment, and Pembroke’s Olive Downs complex got the green light, along with a $175 million NAIF loan. Stanmore’s new Isaac Downs mine opened in August, and Vitrinite’s Vulcan open cut project near Moranbah received final approvals in September.

It wasn’t all new developments though, as M Resources and Stanmore acquired and re-started the Millenium metallurgical project, providing around 230 jobs. Bowen Coking Coal acquired the Bluff PCI project, expected to return the mine to production by early 2022.

It’s particularly exciting to see these previously stranded assets coming back online, with new players and the rise of the juniors (see page 49) meeting a record high in metallurgical coal prices. It’s clear that now is the time for smaller projects to shine!

Just a quick browse through the content of this Yearbook makes a compelling argument for the necessity of coal, both now and into the future - particularly Queensland coal.

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

Two key minerals projects also moved ahead: Multicom’s Saint Elmo vanadium mine will start construction in 2022, and the previously mothballed Rocklands copper mine returned to full production.

There’s plenty on the horizon for 2022: more events, a reinvigorated QME exhibition in Mackay, and of course, the Queensland Mining Awards. We’re excited to see how the industry connects, adapts and grows in the next 12 months and beyond - consistently, of course.  Sadly, this year wasn’t a fatality-free year.

There were two Bowen Basin miners that didn’t go home to their families, and that’s two too many. As an industry, let’s recommit to working safely and making sure 2022 is a year without serious incidents.

Together, we’ll move mountains.

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Photo: Peter Turnbull

Sustainability and the future of coal Sustainability and the Future of Coal

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

Sustainability and the future of coal

The right kind of venting

Michelle Manook, Chief Executive, World Coal Association Michelle Manook is Chief Executive of the World Coal Association. She has held the role since July 2019. Previously, she was Head of Strategy, Government and Communications for Europe, Asia and Africa for the multinational company, Orica.

Her career spans over 25 years in senior roles in the energy, oil and gas and mining industries in both developed and developing markets. She has also held non-executive director positions in energy and healthcare sectors and early in her career, worked in policy and public affairs for the Government of Western Australia.

yY l

In her first BBMC Yearbook piece, Michelle writes about the delicate balancing act our industry finds itself traversing, and our need to vent – in the right way.

ou don’t know me but if you did, you would realise I don’t tend to publicly vent. I have a close circle of trusted colleagues with whom I can let off a little steam but mostly - I’m a thinker, and always have been.

When I make important decisions in my life, I get a piece of paper and put a line down the middle and consider the pros and cons. This is my father. He told me that all important decisions in life, no

matter how emotional, need to be made dispassionately.

So here we are. Talking about coal dispassionately.

Interestingly, my observation is that ‘coalies’ are as passionate as ‘anti-coalies’.

I am sure many would not appreciate that comparison.

But in the short time I have been in this role – and from my global balcony – it is what I see.

So, we have an opportunity to make a compelling case for coal and, as I often say, raise the Coal IQ. But, if I were to give any advice, it’s not to vent publicly or quietly.

Just speak up, and passionately, in support of your business and chart the change that will need to occur, so you continue to be in it.

Over my last three years as CEO, I have spent an enormous amount of time looking, learning, and listening about the challenges and complexities of the coal business.

I have visited coal plants the world over - facilities of every type and definition – from the aged and retiring, to the gleamingly new and emissions-free.

I have spoken with WCA members, other participants along the coal value chain, potential new members, governments, academics, scientists, journalists, investors, financiers and critics.

Here’s the one thing I know for

sure: The majority of us agree, that regardless of what you think about the science, there is an overwhelming global desire to decarbonise.

And, so we must, because that is what the majority have voted in favour of.

And with that premise (and promise), it is time to take a customer-centric approach.

The Other Shoe Consistent with my rational and bilateral upbringing (Eastern European/Asian/ Australian), I have always tried to keep an open mind when I assess any given issue or problem. When in doubt, I put myself in the other’s shoe to try and see things from another perspective.

I believe this has been helpful to my work with the WCA and allowed me to speak on behalf of coal in a way that is factual and realistic.

Unfortunately, good sense, fact and realism are things which seem to be slipping farther away as the climate debate becomes more entrenched and extreme.

There is so much being said and done to coal’s detriment, even with the shoe on the other foot, I believe it is time to get a microphone. The problem is, no-one really wants to hand you one and when they finally do, it can have the hallmarks of a failed karaoke attempt.

Simply put, if I don’t, and we don’t as a collaborative coal community, speak up and raise the volume, our opportunities will diminish and coal’s right to survive and thrive will become much harder.

BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Coal Complacency For far too long, we have sat back and allowed the anti-coal lobby to kill coal by a thousand cuts. There’s an apathy in the industry which concerns me.

I think there has long been a belief that eventually the penny will drop and people will finally understand coal in all its complexity – particularly the fact that you cannot simply eradicate coal and replace it with renewables.

"Getting it” is an assumption that people understand everything that sits behind the flick of light switch, a cheap electricity bill, the bridge and road you rode to work on, the manufacturing job that supports your energy intensive industry, the royalties paid to the government to support schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure, the regional towns that exist because of you - and the list goes on.

Here’s something to consider which may feel very contrarian. If you can just shut out the noise for a while – what would you think needs to be done?

What would allow the coal industry to switch gears from ‘survive’ to ‘thrive’?

With this context, the World Coal Association has embarked on a comprehensive initiative to communicate coal’s attributes in a much more proactive and positive way.

Our Members, as responsible and innovative participants of the coal value chain, are responsible and committed to playing a pivotal part in putting the world on a safer, cleaner, more sustainable footing.

Building Awareness and Raising the “Coal IQ” As a result, we have embarked on a campaign that is raising the level of awareness and understanding about “Brand Coal” through wide engagement and collaboration.

Over the past year, we have been exhaustive in our dialogue with industry, government, investors, climate change science and the media, as we set about raising the Coal IQ. We have badged this engagement under a variety of taglines from the “Clean Coal Conversation” to “Come Clean.”

We have surprised numerous stakeholders by expressing our allegiance to renewables while acknowledging, as reputable climate science has, that renewables cannot be expected to do everything. Because, quite simply, the wind and the sun are not always performing at peak.

I have appeared, mostly “virtually,” in seminars and summits from Moscow to Melbourne, Jakarta to Johannesburg, Tokyo to Bogota – and everywhere in between.

Evolving Coal promotes investment in a raft of clean coal technologies which are proven, widely available and supported by climate science as necessary to achieving climate change targets.

The conversation has followed similar themes and trajectories, all of them focused on communicating the evolving nature of coal to a bigger and broader constituency.

At every turn, we have supported our dialogues with irrefutable facts and indefatigable realism.

This “conversation” has been consistent with the WCA’s Evolving Coal Strategy which is aimed at raising the level of awareness and understanding about coal’s essential contribution to reaching a sustainable, net zero emission future.

This has surprised a number of people who did not realise that responsible coal participants all along the coal value chain are just as concerned about global warming as anyone else.

At the end of the day, who doesn’t want clean air and clear skies?

As part of this program, we have stressed our commitment to achieving Paris climate change targets but by doing so in a way that does not leave anyone behind.

For far too long, we have sat back and allowed the anti-coal lobby to kill coal by a thousand cuts. There’s an apathy in the industry which concerns me.

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

We have underscored the importance of deploying the raft of clean coal technologies which are available, notably, High Efficiency Low Emissions (HELE), Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Coal to Hydrogen, while also ensuring that developing countries are still able to progress economically and socially.

For instance, coal opponents have failed to recognise or acknowledge that coal remains the building block of modernisation, the core component to 70% of the world’s steel, 90% of the world’s cement and 61% of global aluminium.

We have emphasised that steel, cement and aluminium are intrinsic to the construction of renewables infrastructure.

Every wind turbine that is constructed requires 170 tonnes of coking coal.

Remember what I said about fact and realism?

Sustainability and Sovereignty We are also standing up and challenging those who claim that coal is in its last days.

Quite simply, it isn’t.

Coal remains critical to energy supply in more than 80 countries and according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) in The Global Energy Outlook (2021), it will still be the world’s largest single source of electricity in 2040.

As the global population grows (to a predicted 10 billion urban dwellers by 2050), it is realistic to expect coal demand to remain high.

I have not seen or spoken to one single leader or dignitary from a developing country who is not wholeheartedly committed to eliminating CO2 emissions.

ACE released its first major research project, a report called ‘Clean Coal Technology in ASEAN – Balancing Equity, Security & Sustainability.’

The welfare and livelihood of each country and its people must take ultimate priority. It is not appropriate for the self-righteous West to dictate how the rest live.

However, they are pragmatic enough to know this cannot happen overnight.

This report found that ASEAN countries will require approximately 234 GW of new coal capacity by 2040 to meet growing energy demand, but with modest investment in clean coal technologies there is capacity to significantly cut emissions.

There are currently almost 800 million people without the heat and light which coal energy can provide.

Energy is a sovereignty issue, and we must respect the rights of every country to create the best pathway for its people. Every country is at a different starting point, and we cannot expect everyone to arrive at the same finish line at the same time.

As an Association, we are genuinely concerned about the pressure developing countries are facing to conform to Global North “norms”. They know what they have to do and each of them is addressing their energy needs and decarbonisation commitments differently. This must be respected.

As I keep saying: “We can’t just switch off all the lights tonight and magically wake up to a coal-free existence tomorrow.”

These are the points I have been reiterating over the past year, and they are being well received.

Partnership and Collaboration But we are not simply talking the talk, we are walking it too.

This year, we have entered into major new partnerships to advance coal’s clean aspirations.

In Indonesia, we have entered into a partnership with the ASEAN Coal Centre (ACE) to mobilise countries, companies and communities towards cleaner coal outcomes.

In September the WCA and ASEAN

In October, we signed a formative Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian Financial University’s Center of Sectoral Research and Consulting (CSRC), aimed at furthering clean coal studies in Russia.

These studies will include examination of the impact of clean coal technologies, including High Efficiency Low Emissions (HELE) and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), on economic development, employment, renewables, and the power sector.

In Australia, we are supporting the energy technology transition which is underway.

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Sustainability and the future of coal

Our challenge is to transition to cleaner technologies without interfering with society's fabric and people's right to a quality of life.

We have surprised numerous stakeholders by expressing our allegiance to renewables while acknowledging, as reputable climate science has, that renewables cannot be expected to do everything.

Victoria’s Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) is already giving us a glimpse into the clean coal future by turning brown coal into clean hydrogen and exporting it to Japan.

Our member, Glencore, is demonstrating CCUS on an industrial scale at its coal-fired station at Milmerran, while also assessing potential for an integrated CCUS hub in the Surat Basin.

The impetus is there, we simply need the policy support and industry incentivisation which are critical to reaching “Paris” and all of the cities in between.

A Changing Tide?

This leaves us, still, with a mountain of work to do.

With more than 1000 coal plants under construction and a massive coal fleet in global operation, we need to do everything we can to deploy the arsenal of clean technologies at our disposal.

Not only HELE, and Coal to Hydrogen, but also Coal Gasification, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), Coal to Biomass CoCombustion, and Pollution Control Technology.

We need to adopt “everything” as the Paris Articles intended.

Photo: Cam Laird

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

A Perfect Storm As this “perfect storm” unfolded, Government leaders descended on the G20 in Rome, then COP26 in Glasgow.

We witnessed the same old polarising positioning between the pro-coal and anti-coal camps, but there was a changing rhetoric emerging.

Leaders across Asia and Africa committed to decarbonisation but not at the expense of economic and social progress.

But it was not just the developing world which was refusing to exit coal.

Leaders from Australia, Russia, and Saudi Arabia maintained that coal was still relevant to their sustainability.

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison said (as we do), that Australia was not interested in fuel discriminating “mandates and bans”, and that the best way forward is through deployment of clean technologies.

OECD General Secretary, Mathias Cormann, said (as we do), that different countries have different pathways to reaching climate change targets and we need a transition which is “effective and fair” to all nations.

As encouraging as this is, there is still more to do.

Coal participants need to stand up and be counted in a world which is prejudiced and popularist in its energy outlook.

We need to ensure that the whole of coal supply chain stands together and presents the rational, factual, human face of coal.

Climate change is not about “popularism.”

It is about “populationism.”

That is where you come in.

We still have a massive challenge ahead to change the rhetoric from “phasing-out coal” to “phasing-in new technology.”

We want to keep conscripting a new army of courageous coal titans who know that coal has a place in delivering a sustainable, net zero emission future.

As the year ended, there were signs that coal’s reputation might be changing and that recognition was creeping in about the need for coal as a reliable and sustainable commodity.

Coal needs to rally itself in the same way as the coal opposition, and fight for the good of coal in keeping economies and people in forward motion.

The world re-emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recovery resumed.

In short, we need to show verve and vision through logic and reason.

In a peculiar paradox, Britain and Europe emerged from a largely “windless” summer and coal plants were restarted to provide reliable and affordable energy supply as winter approached.

Coal is a 3000-year-old industry, so we know what we are talking about.

Gas demand also increased, creating a spike in prices and a log jam of supplies across Britain.

So, let’s talk about it.

It’s time to vent better.

We hope you will join us on this journey. 

BBMC Yearbook 2021

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You can count on us: the resource sector powers on Ian Macfarlane, Chief Executive, Queensland Resources Council The end of 2021 will be a milestone for many Queenslanders. Almost two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people will be reflecting on just how much the world has changed and how hard we have worked to return to our pre-COVID reality.

The good news is we have had some significant successes this year, and with increasing rates of vaccination we are now tantalisingly closer to “normal”.

While COVID will always be with us, Queenslanders do have cause to be optimistic.

For those in the Queensland resources sector, the end of the year brings the same opportunity for reflection and goal setting for the future.

In some ways, the end of 2021 sees the sector in a similar position to where we were 12 months ago.

In 2020, the Queensland resources sector was one of the beacons of strength that kept local economies ticking and kept local families in their jobs, despite the period of deep uncertainty.

You could count on us to keep Queensland strong.

ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION In 2021 the resources sector has been resilient once again.

Each year, the Queensland Resources Council releases data showing the economic contribution of the sector to the state and in each region.

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

Our most recent figures show the sector supported more than 420,000 jobs.

That includes more than 56,000 direct jobs. For every one of those jobs, there is a multiplier effect for local communities and local small businesses.

newest metallurgical coal mine between Moranbah and Dysart. Vitrinite’s Vulcan Complex project is expected to create at least 150 full-time jobs and create revenue for the state over its 15-plus life span.

For example, in the Mackay/Isaac/ Whitsunday region, the resources sector creates more than 17,000 direct jobs and supports another 65,000 jobs in associated industries. Many of these jobs are in small businesses that service the sector.

Queensland has also welcomed the first coal from the re-opened Millennium metallurgical coal mine at Coppabella in central Queensland. The mine near Moranbah is a joint venture between Stanmore Resources and M Resources and was officially restarted in July, creating 330 jobs. It’s expected exports from the mine will begin by the end of the year.

Overall, the resources sector created $84.3 billion in economic activity for the state.

At any time this would be a major contributor to Queensland, but it is especially the case as the state makes its way towards a COVID recovery.

The resources sector has a long history of working in partnership with regional Queensland, and we have been proud to continue this tradition even in the challenging circumstances created by the COVID pandemic.

NEW INVESTMENTS In 2021, we have seen both the resilience and diversity of the Queensland resources sector. The year has been notable for investments in new and revived projects, both in our economic powerhouse sectors of coal and gas, and in new economy minerals that will underpin future growth.

In the past few months, we have welcomed the approval of Queensland’s

Alongside these valuable coal investments there has also been significant investments in other minerals, including vanadium, which is one of the essential new economy minerals.

The granting of mining leases for Multicom Resources’ $250 million Saint Elmo Project in the Julia Creek region will see the state’s very first vanadium project shift into production phase.

This marks the start of Queensland’s strategic move to become a globally significant supplier of the in-demand new economy minerals needed to decarbonise the world.

Vanadium is used in a range of green technologies and products, though is most well-known for its ability to strengthen steel, and is already used in space vehicles, nuclear reactors and aircraft carriers.

Sustainability and the future of coal

The QRIDP will be an important roadmap to ensure this ongoing investment and opportunity for the Queensland resources sector.

LOW EMISSIONS ECONOMY The great news for Queensland is that our resources sector has an ongoing role to play in a low emissions economy.

Vanadium flow-batteries are also fast becoming an important energy storage solution alongside lithium batteries, because they are a stable alternative in areas of extreme temperature and offer greater storage capacity and efficiency for large scale storage.

The Saint Elmo project is one of the first new economy mineral mines in Queensland to be approved.

Other resources companies are investing in the longevity of the sector through energy investments. For example, Rio Tinto will build a new solar farm and battery storage project in the state’s far north.

The project will generate even more renewable energy for Rio’s bauxite operations at Weipa – tripling the local electricity network’s solar generation capacity.

Rio’s move to incorporate more renewables into its operations and boost local access to green power was part of a resource industry-wide commitment to lowering emissions.

The Queensland resources sector also continues to power the state – literally, including through the supply of gas to underwrite domestic industry.

Under a Queensland Government policy, Senex's Atlas gas project is classified as a domestic-only production tenure which means its gas can only be sold to Australian end users.

These are just some of the examples of the investments in the future of the resources sector that mean decisions taken in 2021 will ensure returns in the years and decades ahead.

QUEENSLAND RESOURCES INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT PLAN As we plan for the strong future of the resources sector, the work the Queensland Government is undertaking to develop a Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan (QRIDP) will be vital to map out the direction of the sector for the decades ahead.

QRC sought a commitment from the Government prior to the last state election to develop a plan to ensure continued investment and growth in resources projects that create resources jobs.

One example is Senex Energy’s $40 million investment on increasing natural gas production at its Atlas operation in Southern Queensland.

We have spent the last 12 months working with resources communities and resources companies on input for the plan. We look forward to further consultation on the draft plan in the months ahead. We have to get this right to ensure the diverse resources regions of Queensland continue to prosper.

The expansion will enable Senex to increase its annual gas supply at Atlas, located near Wandoan, by 50% to reach 18 petajoules a year.

Queensland can’t take future investment for granted, it is essential that we send the right signals to attract the investment to create jobs.

Queensland’s coal and gas are worldclass resources which continue to be in strong demand. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) most recent publication of its World Energy Outlook 2021 has mapped a series of scenarios for emissions reductions, including stated policies and more ambitious emission reduction trajectories under net zero pledges.

Under each of the scenarios there will continue to be demand for coal in significant volumes centred around the Asia Pacific region. Given Queensland’s high quality coal reserves, it is Queensland coal that should be used to meet the market as long as demand exists, given our coal is more energy efficient and with fewer emissions than much of the coal sourced in other nations. Queensland’s metallurgical coal will be essential to economic growth in the pandemic recovery phase.

Demand for natural gas in the Asia Pacific also increases under all scenarios modelled by the IEA. There are significant economic opportunities for Queensland gas as a transition fuel for nations that are pursuing a net zero emissions goal.

Queensland’s resources sector will become more diverse with a broader commodity base as the world makes the transition to a lower-emissions economy.

Queensland’s resources sector has a role to play to deliver on the increasing focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues which are front of mind for investors. Not only does the Queensland resources sector operate under the highest environmental, safety, social and governance regulations, but also the commodities we have the potential to mine, process and value-add will be at the centre of the global transition to a low emissions economy.

BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Q UEENSLAND? What are resources worth to

2020-21 FINANCIAL YEAR

DIRECT

S PE N DI N G

$6.8 BILLION

56,260

in WAGES

TOTAL

$28

ECONOMIC

CONTRIBUTION*

$ 84.3

spent across

in

BILLION ECONOMY

EDUCATION

1 in 6 JOBS

ECONOMY

in Queensland

every

Using only

0.1%

of Queensland

HEALTH

LAW & ORDER

COMMODITY

BY

1 in $5

of Queensland’s

ROADS

to help fund:

Total spend by

JOBS SUPPORTED SECTOR every

15,023 Queensland BUSINESSES & 1,431 Charities SPORTS CLUBS

$2.5 BILLION ROYALTIES

TO QLD

422,592

BILLION

JOBS

70% COAL 16% METALS 11% OIL & GAS 3% OTHER

*Annual industry expenditure is collated and the flow-on benefits to the Queensland community are then modelled by an independent expert.

www.qrc.org.au/contributiontoqueensland © Queensland Resources Council 2021

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

Queensland has vast potential to provide the critical minerals needed to manufacture everyday items such as smart phones and renewable energy products such as wind turbines, electric cars, solar panels and batteries.

THE ROAD AHEAD As we look ahead to the opportunities for the resources sector in 2022, there is every reason for optimism about what lies ahead.

While commodity prices and global markets play a large role in the overall direction of the resources sector, there is one important thing we can all do to maximise our chances of prosperity and success.

The QRC is encouraging all people who work in the resources sector and everyone who lives in regional resources communities to ensure they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Our resources sector workers have been rolling up their sleeves right across the state to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

It’s important that the resources sector continues to do all we can to protect the community against the spread of COVID-19. We encourage everyone working in or with the resources sector who has yet to get the jab to register for a vaccination as soon as you can.

This is an important step we can all take to put the resources sector and resources communities on the strongest footing for 2022.

Finally, thank you to the 420,000 people who worked in or with the Queensland resources sector in 2021.

You are an important part of the industry that delivers for all Queensland: from Cairns to Coolangatta and from Mount Isa to Mount Gravatt.

We look forward to working with all our resources communities in the year ahead. 

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Sustainability and the future of coal

In a net zero world where countries (including Australia) are increasingly focused on the building blocks for low emissions energy and technologies, Queensland is in prime position to open a new chapter in our resources prosperity.

In a net zero world where countries (including Australia) are increasingly focused on the building blocks for low emissions energy and technologies, Queensland is in prime position to open a new chapter in our resources prosperity.

Seizing the opportunities in a bright future The Hon. Keith Pitt MP, Federal Minister for Resources and Water

A

ustralia’s resources sector performed heroically throughout 2021, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is showing no signs of stopping any time soon.

After resources export earnings hit a record $310 billion in 2020-21, they are tipped go even higher to hit $349 billion this financial year.

Already this financial year, figures show our abundant resources are the gifts that keep on giving.

The latest trade data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show total resources and energy exports were $95.9 billion for the three months to September 2021, which is 50% higher than for the same period last year.

And while iron ore’s incredibly strong run cools, soaring demand for our coal and liquefied natural gas is fuelling a surge in export revenues.

Coal has been an outstanding performer.

Exports climbed to $16.3 billion in the most recent quarter, up a staggering 80% on the same period last year.

Liquefied natural gas exports were $13.9 billion for the quarter to September 2021, which was 130% more than for the same period last year.

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

This means more jobs and more opportunities for Australia, particularly in our regions.

Much of this success is due to the hard-working people of the sector, who we must thank for their dedication throughout the pandemic.

And the number of Australians employed in resources has grown too, reaching about 265,000 (as of September 2021). About half are living outside our capital cities.

The flow-on benefits don’t stop there.

Australia’s mining equipment, technology and services companies are demonstrating similar success. In the last decade and a half, METS has doubled in size to employ around 300,000 Australians – adding tens of billions of dollars to the economy each year.

Resources are a mainstay of the national economy, and so important to our regions. They are not just exports and jobs. A Deloitte Access Economics report commissioned by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) estimates royalties from resources exports to be worth over $15 billion in 2019-20, which enable our state governments to pay for the hospitals, roads and schools and all the services we rely on.

The same report estimates that in 201920, company tax for the resource and energy sector represented almost 30% of total company tax collected in Australia.

That’s $24.2 billion worth of taxation to support the Australian way of life.

Photo: Betty Peter Turnbull Seeney

Resources development across the country is vital.

That’s why the Government is standing shoulder to shoulder with the sector in maximising opportunities.

This past year, the Government committed $20.1 million to a Global Resources Strategy to identify and seize new market opportunities and enable trade, including for all-important critical minerals.

The Government will continue to support new resources development, including opening up new basins.

Work to explore five key regions for gas and other resources under our Strategic Basin Plans Program is on track.

We recently released the North Bowen and Galilee Strategic Basin Plan, with $20.7 million to help crack the gas potential as well as new jobs and wealth in Central Queensland.

The potential is enormous – worth billions of dollars – and it is estimated more than 5,000 new jobs can be created in this region from gas development alone.

And we published a National Resources Workforce Strategy to show how we are looking to secure the workforce and encouraging Australians to take up skills, training and careers in the sector.

Technology remains an integral part of future jobs and new growth. Competitive and sustainable operations rely on us staying on the cutting edge, with funding

Sustainability and the future of coal

for R&D, skills and training.

Our $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative includes numerous grants to resources technology and critical minerals projects that help Australia to capitalise further on what we do so well.

What does the future of the sector look like?

Despite some headlines suggesting the contrary, coal is set to remain an important part of the world’s energy mix decades into the future. The International Energy Agency forecasts coal will remain as one of the largest sources of electricity in 2040.

Over the next 10 years, Australia will have a growing share of international coal trade.

Coal demand in developing countries, particularly in Asia, is projected to substantially increase to satisfy demand for electricity and for industrial development.

The International Energy Agency’s 2021 World Energy Outlook projects that coal demand in the Asia Pacific will grow over the next 10 years by 85 million tonnes. Our coal has a higher energy content than many lower-quality coals from other countries, producing fewer emissions and more power from every tonne used.

There are currently no scalable technological alternatives to the use of metallurgical coal in steel production, making coal a critical domestic and export commodity for the foreseeable future.

China's limits to steel production, in an effort to reduce pollution, may see iron ore exports fall. But as with the swings and roundabouts of global demand, metallurgical and thermal coal demand will be far more resilient as Australia has strong trade relations with developed and emerging Asian markets in these commodities.

Whether it’s for electricity or for making steel, there is demand for our high quality coal.

Critical minerals development will also continue to go from strength to strength, given the ever-growing demand for battery metals such as cobalt, lithium and manganese.

The forecast for the size of the global market for lithium alone is about $400 billion by 2030. We want to be a part of this market, but so does everybody else, so we need to get it right.

Global battery manufacturers are seeking strategic partnerships as they look to secure stable supplies of critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, nickel and manganese. Growth in the battery sector has also fuelled demand for Australian nickel, with new projects and expansions expected to increase Australia’s nickel exports from around 181,000 tonnes in 2020-21 to 260,000 tonnes in 2022-23.

a top 5 producer of cobalt, manganese ore, rare earth elements, zirconium and titanium minerals sands, and has viable economic reserves for a number of other critical mineral resources.

Copper prices are surging with exports forecast to increase over the next 12 months to more than $14 billion, up from $11.4 billion in 2020-21. This is driven largely by an economic recovery and growing demand for copper in renewable energy technology and battery storage.

Copper is expected to play an important role in the future of energy, and Australia is well-placed to cater to this demand.

The future is bright for this sector.

The challenge will be how best to take advantage of the opportunities that will continue to present for Australia, which is so well endowed by its resources, our innovation and the people that work in the industry.

I look forward to seeing this wonderful journey mapped every year in the Bowen Basin Mining Club Yearbook for decades to come. 

We do have an advantage in our sizeable share of critical minerals resources.

Along with being the largest lithium producer in the world, Australia is also

BBMC Yearbook 2021

19

Photo: Betty Seeney

Mega-trends and minerals: the next 30 years in Queensland’s resources sector The Hon. Scott Stewart MP, Queensland Minister for Resources

G

lobal mega-trends have shaped Queensland’s resources sector for more than a century: from gold rushes through oil shocks and now decarbonisation.

As a government, we are responding to these mega-trends. We are developing a 30-year vision and plan to meet and prosper from new emerging trends: the Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan.

Industry 4.0 and automation; environmental, social and governance considerations including climate change; geopolitics — it’s all being factored in, and the final plan will set a path to a transformative but thriving future for the sector.

What has the development of the plan been telling us?

In a world seeking to decarbonise, the long-term formation of our resources industry is likely to shift and transform.

There will be a greater focus on new economy minerals such as copper, cobalt and vanadium as we transition to cleaner 20

BBMC Yearbook 2021

energy.

However, the strong economic, social and governance credentials of Queensland and the quality of our metallurgical and thermal coal are likely to see demand continue for these resources for the foreseeable future.

The prices of both metallurgical and thermal coal have rallied to record amounts, which is expected to drive a strong recovery in our goods exports from 2021-22.

It will continue to be a strength for Queensland over the coming years.

Transitional fuel Other opportunities lie in the role gas will play as a transitional fuel to a renewable energy future, by offering a reliable and dispatchable power supply during peak demand periods.

Gas is also a vital feedstock for fertiliser production and for our manufacturers as we seek to grow our domestic manufacturing sector and reduce our dependence on imported product.

Queensland is the only state securing Australia’s east coast gas supply with exploration and production tenures set aside purely for the domestic market.

We will ensure Queensland continues to

develop critical infrastructure to service Queensland’s and Australia’s future resource supply needs.

That’s why we’ve invested $5 million to investigate a potential pipeline and infrastructure to improve the delivery of Bowen Basin gas to the domestic and export markets.

As a previous Queensland Labor Government showed with the opening up of the Surat Basin a decade ago, the Bowen Basin could be a source of future gas projects and jobs for Queenslanders.

The Bowen Basin pipeline also has the potential to make more gas available for Queensland manufacturers.

The potential of hydrogen, and Queensland’s ambition to become a hydrogen superpower, offer opportunity for the gas sector to transfer its mega-project planning, design and construction expertise and experience to a fuel of the future.

The next phase In this third decade of the 21st century, the next exciting phase for Queensland’s resources industry is in new economy minerals.

The world’s attention and action on climate change offer us great opportunity, because we are blessed with

The Queensland Government is investing $23 million in our New Economy Minerals Initiative to encourage new exploration, reinvestigation of old mines and probing of the geological information government holds already to foster new discoveries, projects and jobs.

Construction will be underway on our first vanadium mine this year: Multicom’s Saint Elmo mine near Julia Creek: the first of a potential hub of vanadium projects in the North West Minerals Province.

This project is a milestone in a journey that began seven years ago with the Queensland Government’s North West Minerals Province Taskforce.

Importantly, this also lays the foundation for a potential next level new industry in Queensland, manufacturing vanadium redox flow batteries.

And beyond new mines, emerging technologies are being trialled for reprocessing of tailings to find secondary deposits and research is even being done into the potential use of plants to extract minerals, in a process known as phyto-mining.

ESG and technology The global environmental focus, merged with shareholder and community attention on social and corporate governance, has elevated the importance of the triple bottom line, also known as ESG. Queensland is streets ahead of most of the competition on all three factors. Our corporate governance, labour market and environmental regulatory frameworks underpin strong ESG credentials.

We just need to make sure the market is aware – and that includes investors.

Queensland is already marketing its ESG credentials to investors such as South Korean manufacturers seeking to buy into new economy minerals supply chains.

Here again, new and emerging technology will be central. Increasingly, buyers and

investors seek a digital document trail that includes production inputs like water and energy, and carbon emissions.

Technologies like blockchain are being piloted to help miners efficiently track how they have met commitments to government, community and stakeholders like landowners and native title holders who are impacted by their operations.

Looking towards 2022 and beyond This year marks a defining point for the Queensland resources sector.

History shows that the sector has an immense propensity for change, and resilience in the face of that change.

As this yearbook goes to print, the Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan draft is being released for more discussion and refinement.

Together industry, government and the community will set goals and a course for the next 30 years to drive the sector’s continuing transformation and growth in an ever-changing world. 

BBMC Yearbook 2021

21

Sustainability and the future of coal

fantastic deposits of the minerals needed to support decarbonisation and the world’s energy transition to clean energy - copper, cobalt and rare earth elements.

Supporting explorers in resourcing the future

Kim Wainwright, Chair, Queensland Exploration Council

T

he Queensland exploration industry has had an incredible year.

It hasn’t been without its challenges, yet the sentiment amongst our membership is infectiously positive. We know the resources sector is cyclical and exploration in particular tends to be the barometer of the health of the broader resources industry. So, what is the barometer saying right now?

At the end of every year, the Queensland Exploration Council publishes its Exploration Scorecard, measuring and comparing explorer member sentiment, which includes drillers, in a range of areas such as policy, government support and access to capital. In some areas, we compare our findings with other Australian jurisdictions which always brings up interesting results. The 2021 Exploration Scorecard is launched in the first week of December and will be the 11th consecutive edition.

Let’s start with the challenges, which are thankfully far outweighed by the positives of this past year. Most of them come back to COVID-19 related issues and are not unique to the exploration

22

BBMC Yearbook 2021

sector. Our members have experienced staffing issues, particularly around moving staff across state borders. More broadly, there is also a shortage of skilled workers, exacerbated by border issues but also due to no overseas workers coming into Queensland or Australia. Having said this, the support from the State Government to the exploration sector, in the form of rental fees waived and exploration program variations, has been a lifeline for many explorers. The good news is that over a third of our explorer members have indicated they expect to increase their exploration activity spending by more than 25% in 2022.

It's clear the resources sector has a leading role to play in the state’s economic recovery from COVID-19 and the exploration industry is central to this recovery. The aptly-themed 2021 Exploration Scorecard “Resourcing the Future” highlights that, despite the challenges presented over the past 18 months, Queensland exploration companies are full steam ahead fulfilling their work programs and in many cases doing more activity than expected in their work programs. It’s no surprise drill rigs are hard to secure and our labs are busy months in advance analysing results. The latest data from the Australian Drilling Industry Association reveals an increase in exploration rigs working across the country from 621 to 755 which is now a utilisation rate of 85% (2011 saw utilisation rates of 90%).

There are three factors driving this – a perfect trifecta:

1) Access to capital - for the first time in the Scorecard’s 11-year history, Queensland explorers have shown positive sentiment towards access to investment capital. This is an outstanding result and shows explorers have the confidence that their projects will be backed by the investment required in their search for Queensland’s next big discovery. This wave of investment is centered on critical minerals.

In its recent World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund highlighted nickel, copper, lithium and cobalt as key commodities essential to the global energy transition, predicting a surge in demand and price. It’s no surprise that Queensland’s thriving prospectivity means these commodities, among others, such as vanadium, rare earths and graphite, are all here ready to be unearthed.

2) Access to data - the release of precompetitive geoscience data by the Geological Survey of Queensland continues to be ranked as one of the top three government initiatives providing benefits to exploration companies in 2020-21. Last year saw the first implementation of the Geoscience Data Modernisation Project which will provide further open access to pre-competitive geoscience data. With the first new releases of data under this project earlier this year, it’s no surprise we are now witnessing an increase in the amount of mineral acreage being taken up in the state.

Sustainability and the future of coal

3) Accessing our ESG advantage – not only is Queensland positioned to become a major global supplier of these critical minerals, new economy minerals and key energy resources, the opportunity to excel in the areas of environmental, social and governance (ESG) has never been more integral or achievable for Queensland explorers.

A world focused on delivering prosperity alongside environmental, social and governance outcomes will prioritise commodities from jurisdictions like Queensland, which has a strong record of environmental performance, on safety, on emissions reductions and where the supply chain is transparent. The global trend of car manufacturers investing in their supply chain to ensure that their battery materials and their metals are all produced under the highest ethical standards certainly favours our explorers.

At a recent internal strategic planning session held by the QEC, the Leadership Team recognised small exploration companies may need assistance in understanding and communicating their ESG credentials. As a result, this year the QEC introduced an Explorer’s ESG Working Group to its work stream. Watch this space as QEC looks to deliver a useful tool for its members to navigate ESG.

Despite the challenges presented over the past 18 months, Queensland exploration companies are full steam ahead fulfilling their work programs and in many cases doing more activity than expected.

Tracking back to the original purpose of the first Exploration Scorecard, the QEC’s vision in 2010 was for Queensland to become “Australia’s minerals and energy exploration leader by 2020”. What a wonderful vision for the industry and now, through the Scorecard’s 11-year history, we can see improvement in key areas of operation for explorers.

The trends for Queensland show a distinct improvement in sentiment towards exploration permit processes, land available for exploration, cultural heritage regulations and conduct and compensation agreements.

For 2022 QEC has a heavy work program to match our members’ level of activity. In July 2021, I participated in my first QEC Strategic Planning session. Our session was informed by a survey of our members and consultation with our Management Committee, and we were able to define QEC’s key priorities for the next two years. It all came down to supporting explorers and I am pleased to announce QEC’s new vision: Supporting explorers on their pathway to production. Being a membership organisation, our priority will always be to support our members first, however, the type of support we aim to provide in 2022 will become much broader.

Our goal is to support and serve the wider exploration community for the greater good of the Queensland exploration industry. We look forward to delivering on this vision and supporting Queensland explorers.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

23

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

Sustainability and the future of coal

The way to alleviate climate change is to increase mining

Mike Kaiser, Director-General, Queensland Department of Resources

T

here is little prospect of the world meeting its climate change targets without a lot more mining happening in Queensland.

In fact, the growth of Queensland’s resources sector is crucial to the world’s efforts to decarbonise.

That’s because addressing climate change will mean the electrification of the global economy and the deployment of renewable technologies and batteries, all of which requires Queensland minerals.

It’s a point the International Energy Agency (IEA) compellingly argues. The IEA estimates that total demand for the new economy minerals required for clean technologies will double by 2040 under existing global commitments to reduce emissions. That demand will quadruple if international efforts are increased to achieve zero net emissions by 2050 and reach the Paris Agreement target to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This doesn’t just present an

opportunity for Queensland.

It presents an obligation.

There’s a very real chance that the thing that will stop the world meeting its climate change targets is the availability of the minerals Queensland has in abundance.

For example, the Queensland Government has recently approved the new Multicom Saint Elmo vanadium mine near Julia Creek. Demand for vanadium is expected to increase substantially over the period to 2040. The reason? Not only is vanadium used in steel blends, it is also a key ingredient for battery technologies for commercial applications such as grid-scale energy storage solutions for the world’s electricity grids, to maximise the benefits of renewable generation.

Demand will also increase for other minerals that have only recently emerged as being attractive for use in a range of new technologies.

For example, demand for cobalt – a critical input into batteries used in electric vehicles and an emerging strength for Queensland – may exceed what can be supplied from mines that are currently operating and under construction by as much as 100% out to 2030.

But it isn’t just the exotic rare earth minerals that the world is demanding of us.

There’s plenty of copper, zinc, and aluminium required to build the equipment needed to electrify the global economy. Despite being well-established, traditional commodities, shortages are forecast. For example, the IEA estimates that overall global demand for copper is expected to be 25% greater in 2030 than what can be provided from mines that are currently operating and under construction.

The World Bank recently examined the metal and mineral demand for a range of renewable energy technologies. They found that solar power will continue to create demand for aluminium, which is estimated to account for 85% of the mineral demand out to 2050 for the manufacture of solar panel components.

Similarly, we can expect demand for our coal to remain strong as customers in the region seek to expand their economic opportunity and create the steel needed for international development, including wind turbines.

The blast furnaces across Asia which combine coal

and iron ore to produce steel are relatively new and are designed to be used for decades to come.

That means current steel producers will have a strong incentive to pursue emissions reductions in their existing operations before considering a complete change in technology. This will mean using their steel mills as efficiently as possible for as long as possible, including by utilising high-quality inputs, like Queensland’s metallurgical coal.

So, the race to find and develop all these minerals is on. It’s why the Queensland Government strongly invests in exploration activity, providing open access to geological data and through direct grants to explorers.

The opportunities extend beyond just extracting ore.

Global decarbonisation will stimulate a new wave of minerals processing and manufacturing opportunities throughout regional Queensland. For example, now that vanadium mining has been approved at Julia Creek, Government will work with industry to facilitate opportunities to ensure that the ore is also processed and used in battery manufacture in regional Queensland.

BBMC Yearbook 2021

25

Mt

Copper

There’s no doubt that these global trends will transform the Queensland economy, and with it, our resources sector. But responding to change is nothing new. Queensland’s resources sector has demonstrated its agility over the decades by adapting to new discoveries, shifts in demand and new technologies.

The other significant advantage Queensland has on the world stage is our strong regulatory framework - fair wages, safe working conditions, high environmental standards and just native title arrangements.

This puts Queensland suppliers in a great position to satisfy investor and customer Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) concerns.

In future, European and North American customers in particular will require evidence of ethical sourcing in their trade and purchasing arrangements.

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BBMC Yearbook 2021

Change is again upon us, but this change creates enormous opportunity for our state, the resources sector and Queenslanders.

The imperative to address global warming will create jobs in mining and trigger a new wave of regional industrialisation through minerals processing and manufacturing.

This presents not just an opportunity, but also an obligation. The greatest contribution Queensland can make to tackling global change is to find, mine and process the materials the world will need to decarbonise. 

25

20

15

2020

2022

2024

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2028

2030

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2030

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2030

Lithium kt of lithium carbonate equivalent

There’s no doubt that these global trends will transform the Queensland economy, and with it, our resources sector. But responding to change is nothing new.

Queensland’s resources sector has demonstrated its agility over the decades by adapting to new discoveries, shifts in demand and new technologies.

30

3 200

2 400

1 600

800

2020

2022

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Cobalt kt

Why can we be confident in our ability to create these supply chains from mine to manufacture? Because it’s in our DNA. Queensland already has a substantial minerals processing industry in aluminium, zinc, and copper. We will use that expertise and our highly skilled regional workforce to expand our processing industry into the new economy minerals the world now craves.

35

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Operating

Demand if current global decarbonisation commitments are met

Under construction

Demand if Paris Agreement target (1.5C) is reached through current commitments and further action

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Edgar Basto on the future of mining in the Bowen Basin

Edgar Basto, President Minerals Australia, BHP

I

n May 2021, Edgar Basto, BHP President Minerals Australia, participated in a panel session as part of The Australian Competitive Advantage Forum to share his views on BHP’s contribution to the Bowen Basin and the future of mining in the region.

Read more about Edgar’s views in this Q&A from the Brisbane panel session: Give us a brief overview of your assets in the Bowen Basin?

BHP has seven metallurgical or ‘coking’ coal mines in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland, which are part of a 50-50 joint venture with Mitsubishi Development, and operate under the banner of the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, or what people may know as BMA.

Photo: Peter Turnbull

28

BBMC Yearbook 2021

Metallurgical coal is an essential ingredient in the production of steel.

Steel is one of the most widely used building materials on earth, and we expect it to remain so in the coming decades. Last year for example, BMA

produced around 65 million tonnes of met coal. That’s enough steel to build the Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building) over 1,600 times!

Queensland produces the world’s highest quality coal, for which there is strong long-term demand from global steelmakers who want more of it to support their decarbonisation efforts.

What are your workforce needs? Are you seeing a skilled labour shortage in Qld? We have 45,000 employees and contractors here in Australia, around 11,000 or so in Queensland.

As we look to maximise the opportunities that technology and innovation present to us, we’re working with the communities around our mines to ensure they have the skills that we’ll need in the mines of the future.

That’s why we are working with schools, TAFEs and universities in the region with partnerships like Queensland Future Skills to develop those new skills.

What does the mine of the future look like?

The mine of the future will be safer, more sustainable and more productive.

Mining operations overall will be more diverse, and key to the strength of regional communities and economies.

Market outlook

The uptake of technology is the single biggest factor in the changing face of mining – whether that be automation, data analysis, artificial intelligence and so on.

Automation is part of BHP’s strategy to improve safety, build capability and further our competitive advantage. Two of our mines here in Queensland (Goonyella Riverside and Daunia) are implementing autonomous haulage and that work is going well.

Why is a strong coal industry in Queensland important? What has BHP’s economic contribution been in Queensland, and Australia more broadly?

Like any business, we must stay ahead of our competitors to survive and thrive – here in Queensland and around the world. When we achieve that competitive advantage, it means others around us also benefit from the work we do.

BHP is a major employer and contributor to both the Queensland and Australian economies. Our total economic contribution last financial year (FY2020) in this country was US$22.4 billion (approximately A$33.4 billion), and we paid US$796 million in taxes, royalties and other government payments in this state.

What role has BHP - and the resources sector - played in the response to COVID, and the economic recovery of Queensland, and Australia more broadly?

BHP understands and embraces its role in advancing the success of the nation, and we’re ready to support its long-term growth and prosperity. We are playing an active role in a business-led recovery from COVID-19 through jobs, training and business opportunities.

That has included: • Hiring 1,500 people at the start of the pandemic to support our Australian operations; • Bringing forward payments and temporarily shortening payment terms for more than 1,100 small, local and Indigenous suppliers – delivering an immediate cash injection of $100 million; and • Establishing a $50 million fund – the Vital Resources Fund – to help regional Australian communities meet the health and economic challenges of COVID. This included around $8 million for health clinics in Central Queensland.

What is the future of Coal?

While we don’t mine thermal or energy coal in this state others do, it’s also relevant to point out that as society transitions towards zerocarbon - which will extend decades into the future - consumption of high-quality metallurgical coal will continue to be critical to meeting global energy demand.

The metallurgical coal we extract here in Queensland is an essential ingredient in the production of steel. Steel is one of the most widely used building materials on earth, and we expect it to remain so in the coming decades.

There is 100 years of high-quality metallurgical coal in Central Queensland. We know that continued access to that resource will in part be dependent on sharing its benefits with the community, particularly those in that part of the world.

That’s why we’re investing $800 million over the next five years in apprenticeships, training and mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector businesses – with a particular focus on regional areas.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Coal is delivering a sustainable future for our regions

Paul Flynn, Managing Director and CEO, Whitehaven Coal

W We firmly believe the local community should be the main beneficiary of our presence.

We are focused on building local prosperity, and ensuring our regional towns thrive.

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hile the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose major challenges for governments and businesses in a range of industries across Australia, it has also reinforced the vital role of the coal industry – Australia’s second largest commodity export – in sustaining and supporting regional economies through this period of ongoing economic recovery.

For some, sustainability and the coal industry are an unlikely match but the last 12 months have clearly demonstrated the important role coal has to play in providing a sustainable future for our regions.

For Whitehaven Coal, sustainability is about how good assets and good operational practices combine to create enduring value for our stakeholders. Whether it’s a local business supplying our operations, a long-term customer accessing high quality raw materials or an apprentice learning new skills on which an entire career can be built, sustainability has always been at the heart of our company.

Whitehaven operates four mines in the Gunnedah Coal Basin of NSW, with a 2,500-strong workforce and ROM coal production for FY21 of 20.6Mt. Our operating assets are complemented by two high-quality, near-term development assets – including Winchester South here in the Bowen Basin.

Over our more than 20-year history, including 14 years as a publicly-listed entity on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), we are proud to have developed a growing reputation for excellence in project delivery, safe operation, and targeted investment in the local economy and community.

We see our purpose as supporting and sustaining regional communities by exporting high-quality thermal and metallurgical coal from Australia to the world.

We firmly believe the local community should be the main beneficiary of our presence and are focused on building local prosperity, and ensuring our regional towns thrive.

The benefits of our presence go beyond our workforce and beyond the life of any single mine. Ultimately, we aim to leave an economic and social legacy that outlives our mining operations, and lives on in the areas of education, health, skills and infrastructure.

Alongside other local industries such as agriculture, the opportunities we provide through employment, development and procurement build a more diversified and skilled regional economy.

In FY21, Whitehaven spent $344.7 million with local suppliers in North West NSW and regional QLD. Of this, $5.15 million was spent with 14 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander businesses for goods and services ranging from on-site training to office supplies.

As an Australian company, we have a proud history of prioritising jobs for local communities.

In line with our approach in NSW, Whitehaven is committed to being a responsible operator in the Bowen Basin. That means working with our neighbours, traditional landowners and other stakeholders with openness and transparency, and in a meaningful and respectful way.

As Winchester South will be our first development in Queensland, we’ve invested a lot of time and resources into building productive relationships with key stakeholders, such as the community, landowners, local council, government, neighbouring mine owners and the Barada Barna Aboriginal Corporation, all of whom have been critical to developing our proposal.

Our first local agreement was the Cultural Heritage Management Plan with the Barada Barna People, which outlines how we will work together to manage cultural heritage artefacts or sites located within the project area.

Whitehaven prides itself on building meaningful partnerships with traditional landowners around our operations.

Currently around 75% of our workforce lives in the communities around our NSW operations. Noting the benefit this brings, Whitehaven will seek to maximise local employment for Winchester South here in the Bowen Basin.

We believe our experience in NSW has us well-positioned to create a sustainable future for the communities around Winchester South, which is located 30km south-east of Moranbah, between Peak Downs and Poitrel and immediately adjacent to Eagle Downs and Olive Downs.

If approved, Winchester South will involve the construction of a new open-cut coal mine, a coal processing plant and a rail loop to connect with the existing Bowen Basin coal rail network, providing access to port multiple ports.

At full capacity the mine is targeting run-of-mine (ROM) production of up to 17 million tonnes per annum of coal to supply the international market for about 30 years.

Winchester South Project highlights include: • $1 billion investment • Long-life opportunity to supply international markets for ~30 years • Metallurgical coal for steelmaking and thermal coal for energy generation • 500 construction jobs • 500 operational jobs • $4.9 billion to QLD suppliers (NPV terms) • $563 million in royalties to the QLD Government (NPV terms) • $202 million in additional wages into the community (NPV terms)

We will soon be releasing our second Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan, which reflects our vision and commitment to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples stay connected to country, community and culture by obtaining economic independence through long-term and rewarding careers in our mining operations.

When we opened our most recent new mine, Maules Creek near Gunnedah in 2015, our aim was to ensure 10% of the workforce be of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent within five years of operation.

It is with great pride that Whitehaven has exceeded that target at Maules Creek every year since, with around 20% of the workforce identifying as ATSI as at the end of FY21.

The enormous success of this initiative has enabled us to extend our commitment beyond direct employment to seek out opportunities in health, education and training, cultural awareness and understanding, economic development and community partnerships.

We now work with local Indigenous people in North West NSW to build the tools and develop the skills needed to successfully overcome some of the structural and systemic disadvantages many face in their daily lives.

We are assisting new and developing local ATSI businesses and working with our major contracting companies and suppliers to encourage support for ATSI employment and business development within their spheres of influence.

Our intergenerational commitment to educational and employment outcomes reflects the legacy of our long-life mining projects. In time, we hope our workforce will include the children and grandchildren of our current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers.

This is something we are immensely proud of and we look forward to also seeking to maximise ATSI employment here in the Bowen Basin.

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Sustainability and the future of coal

A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was recently made available for public comment following years of planning and consultation with stakeholders.

As we look ahead, how the world responds to the challenges posed by climate change will likely continue to dominate discussions in the sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) context. Whitehaven, like many of our stakeholders, understands the complexity of the challenge moving to a carbon-constrained future poses. We believe a multi-faceted response is required, which highquality Australian coal can be a part of.

Demand for our coal is strong due to its unique properties and ability to deliver among the lowest carbon emissions per tonne of coal consumed.

More importantly, through exporting high-quality thermal and metallurgical coal from Australia to the world, Whitehaven and our peers in the industry are able to fulfil our purpose of supporting and sustaining regional communities here in Australia.

This is what we are most proud of and what we will continue to strive to achieve for years to come.

We look forward to the opportunity to play a role in delivering a sustainable future for regional communities here in the Bowen Basin.  32

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Photo: Whitehaven

Sustainability and the future of coal

Metallurgical coal to play a crucial role in electrification and decarbonisation

Shane Hansen, CEO, Kestrel Coal Resources

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etallurgical coal is a critical raw material in steelmaking via the blast furnace route, the dominant steelmaking process which accounts for approximately 3/4 of the world’s steel production requirements annually. Steel is the world's most important engineering and construction material and is used in every aspect of daily lives.

The role of metallurgical coal and steel in building infrastructure, particularly in supporting the economic growth in the developing world, is well documented. A growing population in the developing world with expanding spending power is needing more transportation, is consuming more energy and is consuming more data, all of which require steel to provide the enabling infrastructure to support these functions.

The role of metallurgical coal and steel in supporting economic growth through the construction of infrastructure is also highlighted by the infrastructure-led recovery from COVID-19, with many of the world’s

governments announcing infrastructureintensive stimulus packages.

The role of metallurgical coal and steel in the energy transition is often less discussed, with base, precious metals and rare earth elements taking centre stage. The world is facing an enormous challenge to decarbonise, reduce emissions, and minimise the impact of climate change. To satisfy the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to below 2°C in global temperatures and preferably limiting increases to 1.5°C, rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes are required to all aspects of society.

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To support the energy transition with many of the world’s largest economies setting net zero targets to 2050, according to IRENA (the peak international body on renewable energy) it is estimated that a total investment of more than US$110 trillion is required across all sectors to 2050, and metals will play a key role in facilitating this electrification and decarbonisation.

In reality, the role of metallurgical coal and steel is central to this theme, which underpins the construction of the key technologies and infrastructure required to enable the energy transition such as wind turbines, electric vehicles and upgrading infrastructure. The upgrades to infrastructure are associated not only with the grid, but also with respect to the replacement of existing, and development of new, industrial complexes to incorporate the utilisation of clean energy alternatives (e.g. green hydrogen), all of which require steel for the manufacturing of components behind these technologies.

The benefit for the metals and mining sector is not only the incremental demand upside, but that the additional supply is required immediately if the 2°C or 1.5°C scenarios are to be met. All the current supply constraints in the mining complex such as permitting hurdles, lag time to production, and rising costs leading to high barriers to entry are relevant for the supply side equation for metallurgical coal. This will only become more amplified if demand related to the energy transition rises rapidly, requiring higher commodity prices to incentivise new supply, and providing tailwinds for metallurgical coal investment.

However some challenges need to be addressed in reducing CO2 emissions associated with the blast furnace steelmaking process. This is a hard-toabate sector, with carbon capture and storage a near-term solution, and lowcarbon replacement technologies more of a longer-term solution (in the order of decades).

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While traditional drivers of the world's urbanisation and industrial growth will remain the mainstay of metallurgical coal demand, decarbonisation is set to drive growth rates above historic levels for the next multi-decade period.

Infrastructure

Electric Vehicles (EVs) Steel will play an essential role in the construction of the chassis and engines in EV manufacturing. Steel provides a lightweight and cost-effective alternative to other materials, with the added benefit of strength and ductility properties to ensure occupant safety and to protect vital vehicle components such as the battery system. Just as importantly, steel will be used in the construction of the charging station infrastructure (such as for use in the external housing) that will power EVs, with a comprehensive charging network seen as one of the key bottlenecks needing to be alleviated for wide EV adoption.

Renewable Energy In power generation, steel is essential to developing renewable power sources, providing a strong incentive for steelmaking raw materials (including iron ore and metallurgical coal). For example, approximately 250 tonnes of coking coal are required to build a single offshore wind turbine, as steel is used to construct every main component of the wind turbine including the generator, blades, tower and foundation.

There is a need for the upgrade and expansion of existing electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure as a result of the increased electricity demand from the shift towards electrification and renewable electricity technologies and EV technologies (both of which plug into the grid).

Throughout the electrical utility industry, steel is used in the construction of the full range of transmission line support structures, including power transmission poles, lattice towers, and other transmission and distribution assets. Steel is known to be well-suited for service in most atmospheric and underground environments and with proven long record of performance.

There will also be substantial steelintensive requirements in the “greening” of manufacturing processes, when clean energy technologies must be constructed and retrofitted into the manufacturing flow sheet. For example, the production of green hydrogen will require not only sourcing electricity from renewable sources, but the new technology itself will require corrosion resistant material such as steel for use in electrolyser components.

The retrofitting of carbon capture and storage solutions to existing manufacturing technologies is another example that requires steel as a material used in the construction of components.

Sustainability and the future of coal

New steelmaking technologies Breakthrough technologies are starting to be introduced to decarbonise the steelmaking industry by managing emissions from the blast furnace method, which relies on metallurgical coal. The most notable of these is replacing carbon with hydrogen as an iron ore reductant, and therefore generating water as a by-product instead of CO2. However these technologies are expected to be long-term solutions, possibly decades away from being in a state for widespread commercial adoption.

In the near term, the solution is the continuing use of carbon to reduce iron ore in the steelmaking process, coupling this process with carbon capture and storage.

Investment in the metals and mining sector is vital to support the energy transition and to achieve the world’s climate goals. The rapid pace of change means that clean energy technologies are becoming the fastest-growing segment of demand for metals. Central to this theme is steel and steelmaking raw materials, such as metallurgical coal.

While traditional drivers of the world's urbanisation and industrial growth will remain the mainstay of metallurgical coal demand, decarbonisation is set to drive growth rates above historic levels for the next multi-decade period.

Therefore, investment in metallurgical coal is vital to meet the world’s climate goals and in supporting the energy transition. Without such investment, the current supply of metallurgical coal will be a limiting factor in achieving these goals.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Net Zero and the resources sector

Lisa France and Professor Paul Dargusch, Directors, Carbon Hub A GUIDE TO NET ZERO

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here’s no doubt that you’ve seen the phrase Net Zero in the news lately. The concept is rising in prominence—but what does it mean and why is it important to the Bowen Basin Mining Club and to the resources sector at large? This article will guide you through key principles of Net Zero and the implications of its growing popularity.

Net Zero refers to striking a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and abatement. For a firm or product to be net zero, any emissions that are released into the atmosphere from that firm or in order to make that net zero product, must be accounted for and subsequently eliminated from the atmosphere.

Going net zero implies that processes are changed in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the lowest amount and that remaining emissions are offset as a last resort. While going carbon neutral has a similar result, it relies more on offsets in its implementation.

Notably, all greenhouse gasses have a calculated carbon dioxide equivalence, so you may hear “carbon” and “greenhouse gas” emissions used interchangeably.

Many prominent firms, governments and product manufacturers are declaring their intention to go net zero over the next several decades. For example, Japan has committed to being net zero by 2050, and in the meantime, has committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 26% from 2013 levels by 2030. Shell has similarly declared that they will become a net zero emissions business by 2050 – they are among the +30% of companies listed on the ASX200 that are making net zero or other environmental commitments.

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Climate Risk and Disclosure Climate risk is a significant component of corporate risk, which most large companies are required to report on each year. While climate risk may seem as simple as assets sinking into a rising ocean or infrastructure damage from wildfire, it is actually much more complex. Climate risk encapsulates various types of risks relating to firms.

This is organised into three different risk types: physical risks (such as drought or ice melt), liability risks (exposure to litigation), or transitional risks (such as reputational or market risk).

Physical risks are likely to increase in both regularity and scale as a result of increased emissions (for instance, longer droughts and hotter wildfires), and so are an important part of climate risk assessment and reporting. Physical risks

can be both stresses (which present over a sustained period of time, such as drought) or shocks (which present acute risks that are fast and intense, such as a wildfire or typhoon).

Liability risks are the climate-related risks of liability for past or present contributions to global greenhouse gasses.

For example, there are increasingly common court cases like the class action brought to the Australian Federal Court regarding the endangerment of children’s and teenager’s futures.

Transitional risks include policy risks, technology risks, reputational risks, or market risks related to emissions, as described below in the transitional risk diagram.

Assessing and disclosing this climate risk is an increasingly vital component

Significance for the Australian Resource Sector In December 2018, the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) and Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB) released a joint bulletin on the impact of climate-related and other emerging risk disclosures. This bulletin proposes that entities no longer treat climate-related risks only as a corporate social responsibility issue but also include them in their financial statements. This means that given the importance of climate risks as a financial risk and the drivers in the finance sector in Australia, that firms must look ahead to ensure growth opportunities with consideration of climate risk.

The disclosure requirements in Australia are comparably rigorous, which places Australia in a unique position for climate risk disclosure and reporting. The Australian resources sector is in a prime position to innovate in this space.

Sustainability and the future of coal

of business practices. For instance, lenders and financiers now address climate risks as a component of physical risk when determining lending capacity. Hence, ensuring best practices of climate risk reporting is important for ensuring access to finance as well as addressing stakeholder and consumer concerns. This is demonstrated by challenges experienced recently in the natural resource sector, as companies such as Chevron and Exxon Mobil have slipping credit ratings based on the rising risk from the energy transition.

For a firm or product to be net zero, any emissions that are released into the atmosphere from that firm or in order to make that net zero product, must be accounted for and subsequently eliminated from the atmosphere.

Opportunities for the Australian Resource Sector The changing landscape of climate risk and reporting presents challenges to the resource sector, but there are also numerous opportunities to improve practices. The way that climate risk is categorised allows for companies to contribute to both emissions’ mitigation and adaptation to the impacts of these emissions. Going net zero will mitigate future emissions and in turn, reduce future climate risk. While the Australian resources sector will need to play a significant role in facilitating Australia’s net zero pathway, there is also opportunity for the sector to demonstrate leadership in climate risk reduction.

Additionally, environmental taxonomies are being established whereby economic activity cannot be considered truly sustainable independent of the wider system in which it operates. This aims to integrate concepts such as circular economy, sustainable agriculture, ecological restoration, and generation of carbon offsets. As Australia has a unique access to both resources and land assets, the country is well positioned to implement environmental taxonomies as a strategy to build climate resilience. 

Photo: Fiona Powell

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The role of mine waste in global climate change

Associate Professor Anita Parbhakar-Fox, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland

A

s 2021 draws to a close, the global community is reflecting on COP26.

The overarching theme - reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to slow global climate change. However, one very sobering statement was made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres: "enough of brutalising biodiversity, killing ourselves with carbon, treating nature like a toilet, burning and drilling and mining our way deeper". Whilst we can all agree with much of this, the high-level summary interpreted by the media has been ‘no more mining’. Whilst there are obvious links between coal mining and carbon dioxide emissions, the links between metalliferous mining and the low-carbon future are far more complex as we move through this required energy transition.

As a child, I was always terrified by the unescapable doom faced by our solar system. I would torture myself looking at encyclopedia illustrations of our sun running out of hydrogen, entering its red giant phase, and engulfing planet Earth five billion years into the future. Though the time scale was unfathomable, I was distraught thinking humanity would be wiped out. As a teenager, this fascination with the end of time continued, but this time poring over the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reports.

The graphs were compelling, due to industrialisation and societies moving upwards through Rostow's 38

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Stages of Economic Growth, dangerous quantities of greenhouse gases (GHG) were being produced.

The result, doom for humanity, but this time on a conceivable timescale. No longer billions of years or even millions, but now centuries or less until utter devastation.

Fast-forward 25 years, there has been a great deal of talk about designing industry practices and indeed encouraging consumers to make different choices to reduce our GHG emissions to slow climate change. But ask yourself, how much action has been taken? How much

more is needed? What has really changed since the IPCC started documenting our impacts? Indeed, the Kyoto Protocol, Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement were significant in encouraging countries to set, and commit, to GHG reduction targets and transition towards a lowcarbon future. The requirements for this brave new world, which our governments have arguably been reluctant to embrace, include significant increases in the manufacturing of electrical vehicles and renewable energy technologies.

But what does this mean for mining, and more importantly mine waste?

Sustainability and the future of coal

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To meet the green demands of Earth 2050 we will need to mine at least nine times more copper, meaning many more billions of tonnes of waste. Currently, mine waste is managed by placing them into purpose-built facilities or dumps. However, there are potential geotechnical and geoenvironmental risks associated with these. These risks will be exacerbated as the climate evolves towards more extreme weather conditions. Drastic management changes are required, or else more Brumadinho-scale tailings disasters will occur, not to mention continued acid and metalliferous drainage formation and spontaneous combustion risks.

To support the development of greener technologies, the world requires resources of critical metals or, as the 40

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Queensland Government terms it, ‘new economy minerals’. These include cobalt, tungsten, indium, gallium, germanium, vanadium and a whole range of rare earth elements. Traditionally, these metals were considered unwanted by-products of base metal and precious metal mining operations, and consequently are concentrated in mine waste.

But, in the climate of 2021 where the Ernst & Young ‘Risks in Mining’ cite ‘environmental and social’ as the number one risk for the coming year - it pays to ask the question: what is waste?

In the past decade alone, there has been a considerable shift in the value attached to waste. No longer are tailings storage facilities, waste rock dumps, fly ash, red muds or slag heaps considered problem children affecting

the triple bottom line, but instead potential assets waiting to be snapped up with strong support from ESG funds. In November 2021, Rio Tinto announcing their support for the new venture ‘Regeneration’, a Washington-based start-up aiming to extract valuable minerals and metals from mine tailings, waste rock and water. The mining industry notoriously has a ‘fast-follower’ culture, which ultimately in the short-term could be a big win for both mine operators looking to reduce long-term closure liability costs as well as for the environment.

So, what does this mean for Queensland? Mine waste reprocessing is by no means a new business venture; indeed, it has been the lifeblood for mines including New Century (zinc), Mount Carbine

Sustainability and the future of coal

The real message that should have been delivered at COP26 was not to imply a future where mining shouldn’t exist. It should have been to deliver policies to mandate smarter mining with a systems-thinking approach.

(tungsten) and soon Mount Morgan (gold) and Tick Hill (gold). It is noteworthy that these operations have focused on recovery of typically sought commodities (i.e., base and precious metals).

The Queensland State Government have recognised this and, aligning with the Federal Government's Australian critical metals strategy, they have invested over $1 million in a four-year program looking to uncover new value from mine waste.

Specifically, teams at the University of Queensland are working on developing new characterisation workflows and optimising analytical instruments to identify these new commodities in mine wastes as well as metallurgical recovery methods to unlock the value.

To date, 16 sites have been characterised in detail, with a

focus on cobalt, indium and rare earth elements in the North West and North East provinces. The waste sampled has ranged from tailings though to phosphogypsum slimes. Research results indicate that cobalt is hosted primarily in pyrite (and other sulfides) around the Mount Isa-Osborne mine region. Geologically, cobalt is associated with iron oxide copper gold and sediment hosted deposits. Back-ofthe-envelope calculations indicate there could be millions of tonnes of cobalt if on average copper mining has produced 998 million tonnes of waste rock and 640 Mt of tailings, assuming average cobalt grades in pyrite are around 0.2%. To recover this value, ongoing research is focused on recovery using conventional methods, for example roasting, (bio)

leaching and novel methods such as in-situ electrokinetic recovery. However, there is the further opportunity to grow the Mining Equipment and Technology Sector (METS) in Queensland through companies such as NSW-based Cobalt Blue collaborating with the Queensland State Government and the University of Queensland in this program. Indeed, international investors are already taking note with the Japanese Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation cofunding a detailed study for cobalt recovery from tailings at the Rocklands mine.

Looking to the future, continued evaluation of mine waste as sources to supplement the demand for critical, or new economy, metals necessary to meet our future metals needs is

vital. Many new opportunities exist for Queensland, such as evaluating coal mine waste and bauxite residues as future resources of rare earth elements, selenium, gallium and germanium; rhenium extraction from tungsten mine waste or even indium from metallurgical slags. The real message that should have been delivered at COP26 was not to imply a future where mining shouldn’t exist.

It should have been to deliver policies to mandate smarter mining with a systemsthinking approach. Identifying how existing and future mine waste could support the transition to a low-carbon future and benefit future societies is perhaps what the global community needs to put it on the pathway to pushing back the Doomsday clock a minute or two. 

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Renewables in mining: how the mining sector is driving the diversification of Australia’s energy mix Liam Davis, Partner and Kate Swain, Partner, McCullough Robertson

T

he global focus on renewable energy projects has continued to gain momentum over the last 12 months and so too, has the uptake of renewable energy projects by the mining sector, and for good reason. With the cost of renewables declining and reliability increasing, the time is right for miners to adopt renewable energy as a means to reduce energy expenses, while at the same time responding to the push for economy-wide shifts to decarbonisation.

The landscape is changing As governments around the world enact legislation designed to bring their economies in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, companies across all industries will have to adapt to these new rules and regulations in order to remain compliant.

Already, the Australian mining industry has shown support, with the Minerals Council of Australia confirming industry ambition to support the goals of the Paris Agreement, and of course the Australian Government’s release of the ‘Long-Term Emissions Reduction Plan’.

Within Australia, we know that emissions produced in mining operations are being increasingly monitored and reviewed, and reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions is key to limiting extensive hurdles and regulatory burden. Currently, in numerous states, project approval requirements mandate the development authority’s consideration 42

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of a proposed mine’s emission mitigation measures, and environmental protection authorities are increasingly being challenged to have mitigation policies and measures.

At the Federal level, high emitting entities face hefty administrative requirements associated with the reporting regime.

Technological advances continue to reduce the cost of developing renewable energy projects and stakeholder requirements are driving an increasing corporate appetite to ‘go green’. Technological shifts have allowed renewably-sourced energy to become more generally competitive with other energy sources, and the advancement of technology including wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal energy is becoming an increasingly available and attractive measure within mine-site operations.

So what opportunity does this represent for the Australian miners?

Photo: Peter Turnbull

Sustainability and the future of coal

Microgrids We’ve seen increasing appetite by miners to implement renewable energy supply solutions for their operations. Microgrids are proving an attractive option, combining an array of technologies to generate and store energy for mine site use.

In mid-2020, EDL Energy completed the delivery of Australia’s largest renewables microgrid, a 56 MW ‘hybrid’ microgrid project at South African mining company Gold Fields’ Agnew Gold Mine in Western Australia. The microgrid is comprised of five wind turbines capable of delivering 18 MW of power, a 10,000-panel solar farm contributing 4 MW, a 13 MW/4 MWh battery energy storage system and a 16 MW gas engine power station. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) supported the project with a capital contribution of $13.5 million and the renewables component of the project is expected to provide up to 70% of the mine’s energy requirements.

Hot on the heels of the Agnew project, a number of other mine microgrids have been developed or are in the pipeline.

These include recent announcements by copper miner, Oz Minerals, who are progressing to the next stage of studies to power its proposed West Musgrave Project with a hybrid fossil fuel-solarwind-battery solution. This could make it one of the largest fully off-grid, renewable powered mines in the world.

As an alternate to the micro-grid system, majors like BHP have been acquiring energy via external contracting. BHP recently entered a five-year supply contract for its Queensland coal mines with CleanCo.

This deal proposes to halve BHP’s Queensland coal mine emissions over the next five years and will assist in the growth of CleanCo’s new Karara and MacIntyre Wind Farms and Western Downs Green Power Hub. External contracting also provides greater flexibility for operations facing a lack of life-certainty, with less initial capital, or with a short lifespan remaining.

Pumped hydro Relatively new to Australian mine sites, pumped hydro is providing both innovative and rehabilitative solutions to mining operations.

In January 2021, Centennial Coal received funding from ARENA to perform a series of technical studies and trials for the potential deployment of a 600 MW pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) system using underground coal mining voids.

ARENA considers the Centennial Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Project to affirm the utility of large-scale PHES to ‘firm-up’ intermittent renewable generation and to address grid security and reliability issues, which have accompanied the accelerating rollout of renewables onto the distribution network.

Furthermore, when compared to traditional PHES, the development of PHES on former mine sites can result in significant cost reductions given the lower cost of civil construction works (due to the pre-existing lower reservoir and existing underground shafts), as well as typically being co-located with existing transmission infrastructure.

A number of other PHES developments on former mine sites have been

proposed, or are already in the development stage. Genex Power has recently started preliminary work on the 250 MW PHES component of its Renewable Energy Hub at Kidston, and AGL Energy and Idemitsu are testing the feasibility of transforming disused Muswellbrook Coal mining voids into a PHES development.

Related to these developments, Hydro Tasmania, Macquarie Group and Shell have just struck an innovative deal under which Hydro Tasmania sells the rights to power stored in its PHES system during the highest-priced parts of the day.

The first-of-its-kind deal heralds the development of a new financial product, which is expected to be popular with electricity retailers seeking to hedge against escalating price risk. This is anticipated to spur the development of PHES projects, including on mine sites.

In our article, “From mine site to pumped hydro: commercial considerations for mine owners and project proponents”, we explore the benefits and unique challenges that former mine sites encounter with PHES projects.

Solar Alongside wind energy, ARENA argues that large-scale solar PV is one of the most technically mature and economically viable option in diversifying mine site energy usage.

In September 2020, Malabar Resources obtained planning approval from the New South Wales Government for the development of a 25 MW solar farm on rehabilitated mine land. We are currently supporting Malabar on next steps for the development and construction of this project.

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The solar farm will be constructed on open cut mine voids that have been backfilled after the completion of mining activities. The solar farm is positioned in close proximity to existing infrastructure and will connect to the network via an existing substation located on the Maxwell Infrastructure site, or via the construction of a new transmission line.

Pumped hydro is providing both innovative and rehabilitative solutions to mining operations.

Surrounding site practices

With an annual energy generation of 60 GWh, the Maxwell Solar Farm will have the capacity to power about 10,000 New South Wales homes – nearly all the homes in the surrounding towns of Muswellbrook and Singleton.

In addition to low-emission energy sourcing, sites are taking measures including equipment upgrades, energy optimisation, automation and electrification. These efforts benefit operations by reducing upfront energy costs and avoiding issues like price volatility and fuel shortages, and also help to reduce emissions on a smaller scale.

Other mining companies are opting to further reduce their greenhouse gas emissions through the development of solar, and solar and battery systems, including Rio Tinto, who recently proposed a 34 MW PV solar farm and lithium-ion battery energy storage system at Gudai Darri, Western Australia. This comes alongside the announcement of a further solar farm and battery project to generate energy for the Weipa bauxite operations, which will increase Rio Tinto’s current solar capabilities to 4 MW with a 4 MW battery.

Rio Tinto has implemented an automated heavy-haul long distance rail network through its AutoHaul program. Similarly, earlier this year Newmont announced its Boddington mine would be investing in automated haul trucks to reduce fuel usage and associated emissions. Newmont has further announced a $500 million investment into implementing a range of changes to reduce site emissions, including electrification, automation and artificial intelligence alongside renewable energy infrastructure.

With the cost of renewables declining, and reliability increasing, the time is right for miners to adopt this as a means to reduce energy expenses, while at the same time responding to the push for economy-wide shifts to decarbonisation.

The Australian mining sector continues to integrate innovation and diversification into existing and future operations. With benefits realised by all stakeholders, we expect to see mine site use of renewables continue to grow. 

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Kerry Harding Business Development Manager – Australia M: 0418 330 075 E: kharding@showagroup.com

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Photo: Peter Turnbull

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2021 BBMC LUNCHEONS

The Big Picture: insights, explainers and discussions Exciting future ahead for Winchester South project Todd Harrington, Project Director, Whitehaven Coal 11 February 2021 The BBMC 2021 Luncheon Speaker Series kicked off the year in style, hosting Todd Harrington, Winchester South Project Director at Whitehaven Coal. Mr Harrington presented an extensive introduction to Whitehaven Coal, as a new player in the Bowen Basin but an established force in the New South Wales coal industry.

As Australia’s leading premium-quality coal producer, Whitehaven Coal has three existing open-cut mines, as well as one underground longwall operation in the Gunnedah Basin.

The company has experienced significant growth over the last decade, with another decade of organic growth ahead. Whitehaven Coal has a strong project pipeline including Winchester South which was purchased from Rio Tinto in 2018.

Mr Harrington told the crowd that Whitehaven was excited by the opportunity that Winchester South brings, as the Bowen Basin provides access to quality metallurgical coal together with an opportunity to work with new stakeholders, supplies and a large regional skilled workforce.

Winchester South is anything but a small project. With 1.1 billion tonnes of coal resources and 350Mt of coal reserves, the 15 Mtpa operation has a 30-year life, targeting predominantly metallurgical coal. The project has a strong business case, with existing rail infrastructure and utilities located close to the mining lease.

Mr Harrington detailed the company’s strategy for engaging with local communities, saying, “Whitehaven Coal seeks to create value for our shareholders and also importantly the communities in the regions where we operate. We do this through long-term career opportunities, as well as supporting regional business with initiatives like 21-day payment terms for small and medium sized local suppliers.”

In parallel with major approvals, the feasibility study and procurement elements such as supplier portals for the project will also be progressed followed by construction, with a timeline target around 24 months.

Photo: Whitehaven

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“We’re excited to be at this point as Winchester South represents a large growth project for the Bowen Basin. Over the next decade, there are some existing Bowen Basin assets that will reach their end of life, and we’re hoping to step in and fill the gap.

BBMC updates

Transformation and technology driving Anglo American’s metallurgical coal future Dan Reynolds, Head of Transformation, Anglo American 25 March 2021 Dan Reynolds, Head of Transformation for Anglo American’s Metallurgical Coal business gave March’s sold-out crowd a detailed look into the key strategic initiatives driving change in Anglo American’s operations, as the largest underground metallurgical coal player in Australia. His overriding message was, “We have to transform in the decades ahead, and we’re starting that journey now.”

The challenge and the opportunity for Anglo American’s suppliers lies in FutureSmart Mining, namely in working with specialist suppliers to solve problems that can be industry-wide, site-specific or even seam-specific.

He showcased the new Met Coal Analytics Centre, or MAC, which will become the heartbeat of Anglo American’s data analytics capabilities in Australia. Driven by streams of data gathered from operations, the MAC generates operational insights, predicting and flagging possible issues before they even occur.

The three key strategic initiatives driving Transformation are the Anglo American Operating Model, FutureSmart Mining and the Sustainable Mine Plan.

“Inputs to the MAC are vendor agnostic – we’re gathering data wherever we can, with the goal of transformational operations capability.”

“One of the things our new Operating Model does is give real clarity about what’s important in our business, clarifying priorities of what we should be working on and planning for,” commented Mr Reynolds.

Across all transformation initiatives, Mr Reynolds had a clear message for suppliers: communicate your capability, and demonstrate how you can align with Anglo American’s priorities to streamline operations.

One of the things our new Operating Model does is give real clarity about what’s important in our business, clarifying priorities of what we should be working on and planning for.

Environmental monitoring made easy

OUR AVAILABILITY, YOUR ADVANTAGE. We’re here when you need us.

CALL 1300 980 915 OR VISIT HASTINGSDEERING.COM.AU / BBMC

Call +61 7 3237 8111 or visit texcel.com.au

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From challenging pandemic response to supplier challenges: BHP’s approach to METS development and future procurement Jessica Simpson, Head of Business Partnerships BMA 27 May 2021 At our May event in Mackay, Ms Simpson gave attendees an inside look into BHP’s strategies to ride out the global coal market variations and economic challenges, including their COVID-19 response.

Photo: Clinton Bartley

“Fortune favours the brave, they say – and the outlook for our collective futures is one in which effort, enterprise and innovation will be demanded of us all. Fortunately, these skills are well developed in our industry – and we can and will hit the ground running, positioning ourselves globally as a true innovative, collaborative hub.”

BHP sees their future role in the development of the domestic METS sector as reducing hurdles to access and providing a ‘sandpit environment’ for testing, trialling and scaling potential innovations. BHP’s METS growth support initiatives underway since June 2020 included: • $250 million in procurement carve-outs for direct spend with Australian METS companies • $150 million in procurement carveouts through Tier 1 contractors for indirect spend with Australian METS companies • $20 million through BHP Ventures • $20 million through the Supplier Innovation Program

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In partnership with Austmine, the Supplier Innovation Program gives BHP an “avenue to seek solutions to issues or challenges identified at our operations that don’t necessarily have an immediate off-the-shelf solution”, explained Ms Simpson.

Unlike traditional procurement processes, the Supplier Innovation Program is designed to move quickly through the EOI, pitch and proposal stages to a paid pilot for on-site trials. Successful projects gain the opportunity to permanently implement the solution under a contract. And most importantly, the vendor retains the intellectual property for further market engagement.

BHP is also crowd-sourcing emissions reduction from their diesel-powered haul truck fleets. In support of the global zero emissions material movement initiative, BHP, with Rio Tinto and Vale, are searching for technology to both electrify and maintain charge on the fleet which runs 24/7.

Ms Simpson also provided an insight into the success of the BHP and C-Res partnership over the last nine years, which started in the Bowen Basin and is now implemented across Australia. Since 2012, BHP has spent more than $600 million with over 1,450 local and Indigenous small businesses, with a percentage of this channelled through the Local Buying Foundation. Funds are used to open up local business development and build sustainable business communities.

BBMC updates

Slowing of supply and ongoing demand growth will result in a period of high prices and ‘super-normal profits’ for coal producers globally.

The rise of the juniors and the future of Australian seaborne The reality is that forecast coal growth by every metric for Mark Gresswell, Director, Commodity Insights Nick Jorss, Executive Chairman, Bowen Coking Coal 29 July 2021 July’s luncheon audience were treated to two exceptional speakers, in a change of format for the event. Both speakers strongly affirmed the buoyant future of coking and thermal coal, backing up their assertions with economic data from around the globe.

Mark Gresswell pointed out that global perceptions of coal are largely framed by the North Atlantic players – USA and Europe. Both those continents have access to relatively cheap gas for electricity, which has displaced some coal-fired generation.

Photo: AMMA

According to Commodity Insights’ research, “Asia will account for over twothirds of global electricity demand growth by 2040.

Asian electricity generation growth will be equivalent to the current generation of North America plus Europe.

This will be supported by over 150,000MW of new coal-fired capacity being built across Asia. And regarding steel, the potential for growth in consumption from the current low per capita level is massive.”

‘the Asian juggernaut’ will continue to create a sustained and growing demand for both coking and thermal coal.

According to the OECD, in 2019 Asia accounted for 42% of global GDP. This will rise to 54% by 2050, and Asia will include four of the world’s five largest economies (China, India, Indonesia and Japan).

While the outlook is decidedly bullish on coal exports from Australia, supplyside challenges threaten to hamper the country’s ability to meet forecast demand. The regulatory approval process is sluggish to respond to calls for rationalisation, and sourcing capital is becoming an issue as banks and financial suppliers bow to negative social pressures. Overall, Mark forecasts that “slowing of supply and ongoing demand growth will result in a period of high prices and ‘super-normal profits’ for coal producers globally.”

Bowen Coking Coal gathers steam

With four sites currently under development, they plan to export coking coal by mid2022. All projects are located near infrastructure and operating mines to maximise synergies. The two projects anticipating to gain 2021 approvals, Broadmeadow East and Isaac River, are expected to create 270 jobs from 2022. Scaling and upgrading of these, plus continuing development of the Hillalong and Cooroorah projects will bring corresponding boosts to local contractors and suppliers.

Nick Jorss, Executive Chairman, Bowen Coking Coal (BCB) reiterated Mark’s overall optimism for the future of the Queensland coal industry. Bowen Coking Coal are poised to emerge as the Basin’s next significant coking coal producer.

Between them, the Board and management have opened 11 and operated 25 mines, and are actively pursuing complementary project opportunities focused on the development of high-quality coking coal projects in the Bowen Basin.

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Panel tackles the tough questions facing the resources sector Ian Macfarlane, CEO, Queensland Resources Council Mark Scott, CEO, Hastings Deering Jason McCallum, GM Queensland and WA, Yancoal Vikesh Magan, GM Mining, Thiess 23 September 2021 ESG advances, the next wave of technology and meeting the skills shortage were all hot topics at BBMC’s first panel discussion, presented at the annual Rockhampton luncheon event.

The four panellists, all distinguished contributors to the industry, shared openly about the latest industry issues from a policy, producer, operator and supplier perspective.

The conversation crossed issues of productivity, as well as looking to the future. Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said attracting the right people to industry is absolutely critical for that future.

“The mining industry is dominated by engineers who are logical people, and they all think it’s a marvellous industry. However, young people are hearing exactly the opposite message in the media,” said Mr Macfarlane. “It’s up to us to constantly promote the opportunities in this industry, from the backyard BBQ to the boardroom.”

Hastings Deering Chief Executive Officer Mark Scott agreed, saying that industry opportunities weren’t just limited to a regional or metropolitan area, or even just to trade or engineering backgrounds.

“We employ people in diesel fitting, electrics, and commerce, as well as engineers and scientists. There’s over 2,700 applicants for our apprenticeship program each year. A career in the resources industry really can look like anything you want it to – you absolutely can be regionally based and have a long, well-paid career,” said Mr Scott.

But it wasn’t just people and skills reported to be in short supply – with the metallurgical coal price hitting record highs, the panel discussed current issues in acquiring everything from laptops to light vehicles.

Yancoal’s Jason McCallum, said that while the coal price hasn’t changed existing contracts to produce and ship coal, it has shifted the focus onto productivity.

Photo: Peter Turnbull

Digital transformation: driven by curiosity Andrew Wilson, Head of Digital Teams, BHP 18 November The BBMC wrapped up 2021’s luncheon series with guest speaker Andrew Wilson, giving valuable insight into the rationale behind BHP’s Digital Teams, and the outcomes BHP is seeking in their drive for leadership in digital transformation.

The digital transformation phenomenon While ‘digital transformation’ seems to be the buzzword of the 2020 decade, Andrew goes further to describe the motivation that leads to transformation. “At the heart of it is a level of individual curiosity that ask the questions and galvanises companies to think differently about what they’re doing. Our extraction and mining industries are among the most curious. Who else walks over a piece of dirt and is curious enough to invest significantly to find out what’s down there?”

He commented that the mining industry must recognise the accelerated pace of digitisation, or risk being quickly overtaken and end up wondering what hit them.

BHP’s rationale for Digital Teams The Digital Teams mandate is to empower the people who know how to do the work on the ground and have the attitude to get the answers no matter what it takes. BHP recognise that partnerships and working with different models of collaboration is where they’re headed in digital transformation.

He says, “working together as one team will see us move the needle in Queensland and remain resilient as we go forward.”

Digital Teams and the Supplier Innovation Program They’re sourcing data internally from BHP and external vendors in partnership and collaborative models. The Digital Teams work on internal software development, fed through BHP’s Supplier Innovation Program run by Austmine.

“The only way for us to take advantage of the current market is to be busy making our sites more robust to deliver on time and at the right price, well into the future,” said Mr McCallum.

The Supplier Innovation Program encourages entrepreneurial thinking, fosters originality and builds capability in the local community. By reimagining business models with the METS sector, the program enables innovative solutions to be designed, tested and implemented, fast-tracking the adoption of new technology.

Thiess General Manager Mining Queensland Vikesh Magan agreed that this productivity focus was a key opportunity for suppliers, encouraging them to work collaboratively and share solutions.

Andrew emphasised that it’s a particularly exciting time to be in the industry, and if suppliers have a digital product or service that answers safety and productivity challenges for BHP, the team wants to hear from you. 

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BBMC updates

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Photo: Clinton Bartley

2021 BBMC CRIB ROOM PODCAST

Pulling back the curtain: the ‘true believers’ of industry

F

ollowing on from the success of the first season of the BBMC Crib Room Podcast, we found 10 more industry leaders willing to share their stories in 2021. We asked the big industry questions – and discovered fascinating little-known facts about our guests and their influential journeys Nothing is off the table in The Crib Room – here’s what we discussed!

Interested in catching up on past episodes? Search ‘BBMC Crib Room’ wherever you listen to your podcasts, or visit bit.ly/cribroompodcast.

EPISODE 1

INCLUSION, CHANGE AND CHALLENGE WITH MARIA JOYCE, BHP

Our first episode for the season was recorded on International Women’s Day – so it was fitting that we talked to Maria Joyce of BHP about cultural change for women in today’s mining industry.

Maria is currently the Chief of Staff to BHP’s CEO, but she’s a mining engineer by trade with over 20 years’ experience in leadership, operational, technical and business improvement roles across the mining

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sector, including a 3-year stint as Chair of the QRC’s Women in Resources and Mining Queensland (WIMARQ) committee.

Maria reflected on the conditions she’s built her career on, and the shifts in equality across time: “I had to fight really hard for respect, well above the trust and rapport you try and earn when you start a new role anywhere in any company or industry. I did make sure along the way that I did it collaboratively, engaging to build camaraderie. Even back then, that was a real cultural change in the industry.”

“I think the industry has significantly shifted. I do still think we have a long way to go, but I think now mining companies realise that it's common sense to have a workforce that is better reflective of the society that we live in. And they've actually seen that there are huge performance gains to be made, right to the bottom line. Diverse teams bring cultural and innovation impacts that are positive to your business. For years and years there's been that discussion around how you fix women and you get them to fit in. But now I think the conversation's flipped on its head: now it's about asking ‘how do we bring them to the table? What are their ideas?’”

“Every person in the industry, man or woman, has a role in fostering a culture that better reflects society.

It’s about reflecting every day on how you can make a difference, and challenging yourself to ask, ‘what legacy am I going to leave my kids or those that are following my footsteps to hunt down a career in mining and resources?’”.

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EPISODE 2

OPPORTUNITIES AND THE POWER OF ‘THINKING SMALL’ WITH WARREN PEARCE, AMEC In Episode 2 we welcomed Warren Pearce of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC), to discuss emerging players in exploration, investment and expansion of the energy and resources sector, and how he sees the next generation of mining ventures rolling out.

AMEC’s mission is to open up opportunities for investment in our sector, including streamlining regulation and encouraging exploration in a safe and sustainable way. The key issues currently facing investment and exploration in the Bowen Basin are approvals, criticism of coal, and diversification into minerals – so of course, we asked Warren about all three.

On the approvals process “The concern isn't about red tape or the bureaucracy or the bureaucratic processes. People are worried about regulation and the transparency around it, they’re concerned about the environment and social impact. On top of that, they're concerned about negative impacts that can come if someone isn't making good decisions about potential projects. The trick is to build a system that has all those messages in it, but still allows for efficient processes to work through approvals.”

On criticism of coal “The coal industry has become a focal point for criticism and concern around the environment. Disappointingly, there's no recognition of the contribution that the coal industry has made not just to Australia, but to the entire world. In the last hundred years, the simple reality is that coal and cheap energy has been a significant driver in pulling billions of people out of poverty and enriching their lives. In addition to that, now we understand more about coal’s emissions profile and what that might mean. While we might be working on the transition towards cleaner energy, coal is going to play a very substantial part for a long time to come.”

On diversifying for businesses who supply exclusively to the coal industry “You can’t think of resources as ‘coal vs minerals'. It's actually a question of ‘big vs small’. When you look at the coal projects in the Bowen Basin now, you’re dealing with things at scale and large companies in the middle of project lifecycles. Once you start to think outside the box, you come across smaller operations and they require more of an effort in terms of developing your engagement and understanding what their needs are – compared to a much more standardised processes in the larger companies. So really it is about engaging, and this opens up opportunity for you.”

Photo: Whitehaven

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HOW TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS PROCUREMENT WITH DARREN OLIVER, GLENCORE

that data to understand what our cost drivers are, to deliver safe, sustainable and cost-effective mining outcomes.”

Supply security

Technology’s effect on supplier relationships

“Using this amount of technology is a big part of keeping abreast of what's going on and keeping in contact with our end-users and our miners and our frontline projects, people that are looking at all of this new technology.

I do see that it does change our need to be aware of where different supply sources might be, and what problems we may be facing in the supply chain that we’ve never dealt with before.

“25 years ago, technology was very basic, and therefore, the world was very small. You often dealt with companies that were close by, with people that you saw face to face. What technology has enabled us to do is to have a greater transparency of the supply chain. Coupling that with globalisation, technology now drives the supply chain, which is big and cumbersome compared to 25 years ago. We use technology to acquire and analyse data, and we rely on

An example of this is autonomous mining equipment, which is largely robotic. It’s not necessarily Australianmade or engineered down at your local engineering shops, and that makes your supply chain focus a bit different. This became very apparent when COVID impacted shipping in that supply chain! I think we have to look at our procurement activities to assess how we ensure the robustness of supply, and our ability to diagnose problems in advance.”

In Episode 3 we talked to Darren Oliver, a 35-year procurement veteran in the mining industry. Darren discussed the challenges of procurement as technology evolves – both in terms of relationships and supply security.

Is there a ‘perfect supplier’?

“While ‘the perfect supplier’ only exists in terms of being fit for purpose for a particular need, in general I’d say that suppliers who understand our business, our standards and our goals are on a really good footing to be excellent suppliers. Perfection is a strong word.

I'd like to leave room for improvement, always. But those that understand what drives us and what our costs are, and always want to improve on that, is who we look for.”

GEOTECHNICAL SERVICES DELIVERED BY LOCAL GEOLOGISTS IN MACKAY Living and working in the Bowen Basin for more than 70 years, we understand the needs of our clients and local materials.

We combine a practical and pragmatic approach to geotechnical engineering, using latest in laboratory testing technology including: > UCS, Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s Ratio > Triaxial > Pulse Velocities & Ultrasonic Elastic Constants of Rock (P&S wave) > Cerchar (abrasiveness of rock) > Petrographic > Slake Durability Index > Direct Shear > Point Load Index

Our full range of geotechnical services include: > Geotechnical Investigations > Environmental Services > Pavement subgrade and materials investigation, including heavy duty applications (mine haul roads and airport) > Slope stability analyses and recommendations > Dam and weir design and safety assessments > E arthworks & contract certification & supervision > Soil and aggregate testings, both in our laboratory and in the field > Mobile laboratory > All laboratory tests are NATA accredited.

CONTACT: Andy Williams T 07 4952 5455 / M 0427 671 001 E andy.williams@cardno.com.au / cardno.com 71 Maggiolo Drive, Paget, QLD 4740 Australia

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BBMC updates

EPISODE 3

EPISODE 4

STORIES FROM THE COALFACE WITH IAN MACFARLANE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, QRC

Ian Macfarlane, Queensland Resource Council’s Chief Executive, former politician and longstanding advocate for the resources industry and regional Queensland in general, delivered his trademark deep insights mixed with dry humour in our Episode 4 podcast.

The ESG challenge Never ‘one to stand back and whinge’, Ian’s never backed down from a challenge. And the biggest challenge for our industry that Ian identifies is ESG, closely followed by lack of real collaboration between federal and state policy-making.

“I think the major challenge is in the ESG area. We’re particularly working on the social aspect, explaining to people our part in the economy, our part in the society.

Imagine regional Queensland without the money that's now being pumped into the community. What would that do to the social fabric?

Everyone wants to be ‘green’ and everyone wants to be renewable, but the resources industry is actually a big part of being renewable. We see companies challenged almost every day by ESG or

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activist stakeholders. I think there are some great opportunities in that, but it's a hard message to sell, especially with the influence of social media."

What legislation would Ian change?

“It'd be the industrial manslaughter legislation that was introduced by the Queensland government last year. It was totally political and was brought in even though the industry has its own legislation.

The biggest issue for any company and industry is safety. Yes, the resources industry had had a bad run of fatalities and incidents, but what have we got out of the legislation? Nothing. It hasn't changed anything.

It just came out of nowhere. The minister couldn't justify it, but it's creating all sorts of issues for us. In my life experience the way you change things is by getting involved and showing people, not telling them, how they should do things. I don't think threatening to send someone to jail because they’ve been held responsible for a fatality is going to stop fatalities. I think what stops fatalities is getting out there, making sure that the safety culture is absolutely 110%.”

Will Australia ever look at nuclear?

Ian explained how changing politics has affected the nuclear conversation over the past few decades. But in his opinion, “It’s the way to go one day.”

“We’ll be producing particularly coking coal for a long time. And thermal coalfired power stations will go for a while, but it's a decision we're going to have to make.

There’s no other 24/7 zero emission energy source that we can tap into.

It's one of the pathways to hydrogen, which is the transport fuel of the future. You can make hydrogen in a nuclear plant from the heat, or through electrolysis. Australia being Australia, about 2030 you'll start to hear a lot of discussion about it.

I think the issue is that nuclear, like climate, has been weaponised. And whenever you weaponise the policy area, you actually set the whole country back.”

BBMC updates

Photo: Betty Seeney

EPISODE 5

NUCLEAR, MINING AND THE ENVIRONMENT WITH DR BENJAMIN HEARD

Dr Benjamin Heard describes himself as an ‘environmentalist voice for nuclear’. As we found out during our chat in Episode 5 of the BBMC Crib Room Podcast, nuclear and the resources industry don’t have mutually exclusive futures. We explored what those futures might look like.

As a passionate environmentalist, Ben’s future as an academic adviser for corporate sustainability and climate change seemed well-mapped out. Over time, he realised that the proposed solutions to climate change – renewable energy, carbon trading/neutrality, energy efficiency and the like – were less than adequate to address the scale of the problem.

He started re-appraising the possibilities of nuclear technology in terms of his vision for climate change, and within a few short years has found himself as an advocate and spokesperson in the pro-nuclear space, particularly in the technology and suitability of modular reactors.

Measuring our monsters Ben spoke frankly about the importance of understanding the comparative risks in combatting our preconceptions and partial knowledge about the dangers of nuclear energy compared with the traditional sources of energy we see and use daily. He said, “We must get better at measuring our monsters. Otherwise, we’re going to protect ourselves to death and protect ourselves into a much, much hotter climate”.

A controlled sense of urgency Canada, USA and UK are already fairly advanced down the road of developing the business cases to include some source of nuclear power as part of their long-term energy mix, depending on their local conditions. Australia is still in the earliest stages in comparison, and Ben reminded listeners that Australia is actually already a nuclear country in terms of the institutional capability and legislative ‘building blocks’.

Ben feels it’s important to look dispassionately into how other nations are successfully introducing modular nuclear power into community sustainability and into businesses in the mining and resources sectors. But at the same time, we can’t rush into decisions based solely on ‘targets’ that may not be in the country’s economic best interests. “That’s all we’re talking about here – giving the same conceptual preparation to a variety of technologies in use elsewhere in the world that we could really benefit from.”

EPISODE 6

THE BIG QUESTIONS WITH THE HON. SCOTT STEWART, QUEENSLAND MINISTER FOR RESOURCES

In Episode 6 we met the Hon. Scott Stewart for the first time, so we were keen to ask his views on some of the important issues facing mining and resources in Queensland.

Minister Stewart hails from Townsville, with strong family connections to mining going all the way back to his great grandfather, who a Mount Isa miner. His career has evolved from high school teacher to cabinet minister, based almost solely on the premise that “you’ve either got to be part of the change or you just accept the change”.

What’s the biggest challenge facing resource sector companies today?

“The most challenging thing is international uncertainty. We’ve certainly seen what's happened in China and the impacts of the geopolitical landscape there. We're also seeing automation becoming a big factor in everything that we're doing, as is workplace health and safety, with some of the toughest safety requirements in the world.

But what I hear from the resource sector is that they want international certainty, although we certainly live in an uncertain world. Businesses want to know that they've got the backing of the government, that we're all working in this space together. I know we have some great opportunities here in our resource-rich state. It's about getting that out across the world, and into new markets.”

What does the QRIDP mean for the future of the industry?

“The Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan is all about establishing a 30-year framework so that we can start to develop that certainty. It’s having the experts’ inputs on opportunities, bottlenecks and hurdles, and what we’ve got to do to make the resources sector really sing.

The Plan encompasses all of Queensland’s geological resources that is becoming highly sought after in world markets where ethically sources minerals are prized. With nickel, for example, our biggest competitors are China and the Congo. So, we’re planning to position ourselves to take advantage of these markets. Leveraging education and career paths for the next generations who’ll carry the resource industry forward is a major focus.

We don’t have a crystal ball, but at least if we have it all laid out, we can re-evaluate and adjust at regular intervals. It’s a living document that everyone subscribes to.”

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Photo: Clinton Bartley

EPISODE 7

NET ZERO EXPLAINED WITH LISA FRANCE, CLIMATE CHANGE ROADMAP

In Episode 7, we dove deep into Net Zero - what it is and what it means for the mining industry. We talked with Lisa France - Director of Climate Change Roadmap, environmental scientist and ex-politician.

Explaining net zero over the pub counter Putting net zero in the proverbial nutshell isn’t easy.

Lisa explains, “Net zero is a bit of a balancing act. If you're a company looking at your emissions on one side of the ledger and then looking at the whole offset toy box in front of you. There’s a long list: • looking at your choice of electricity, renewables or black electricity or a mix • looking at your waste products and how you deal with them • taking all of your emissions and simply offsetting it with initiatives like: o tree planting o carbon sequestration o carbon capture and storage Industry and shareholders are driving the push towards net zero, which is generally accepted as inevitable. Lisa urges her clients to take the long view, with small steps starting now as a more viable option than waiting till the deadlines are close.

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Planning the way to net zero Making the maximum use of operational data analytics and machinery diagnostics is non-negotiable as part of accounting for a business’s current carbon footprint and inventory. Once a realistic picture is in place, calculating the ‘carbon curve’ and planning how to implement changes becomes achievable. Lisa explained, “It's a bit of ‘choose your own adventure’.

You can choose an activity to change, for example, the next time fleet needs renewing. You implement those activities at a time that suits your business - it makes it easy for a company, and particularly their board, to consider what they're going to spend their money on and how they're going to transition towards net zero over time.”

Communicating the net zero wins Lisa maintains that education is the key. She commented, “You'd be hard-pressed finding people who understand the difference between thermal coal, met coal and coal seam gas. We've got education on what our products are used for, and this is how we're reducing the carbon footprint for our products.

There's still going to be demand out there. In some cases, the demand is increasing. People need to know that the industry is taking this seriously.”

BBMC updates

EPISODE 8

INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN MINING WITH FLORENCE DRUMMOND, IWIMRA

Florence created her organisation in 2017 to raise the profile of Indigenous women in our sector, and she’s been going from strength to strength ever since. Indigenous Women in Mining and Resources Australia, or IWIMRA as it’s known, is the first organisation of its kind specifically dedicated to ensuring the visibility, voice and participation of Indigenous women in our sector.

‘Sliding doors’ lead to opportunity Born in North Queensland, and a long-time resident of Weipa (after a stint in Melbourne), saw Florence saying ‘yes’ to job opportunities in mining construction as they came up. IWIMRA was born, and Florence began to see wider possibilities for influencing the career paths of indigenous women. “So, we now find where we sit the most, or fit the most, is around retention. Also thinking bigger and out of the box: how do we connect across the nation with other companies and sectors, but also internationally.”

Building for more Indigenous women in mining Being a natural ‘big thinker’ has paid dividends. IWIMRA is now developing a stronger consultancy base. From Indigenous women’s perspective, building understand of ways to bring their whole selves, complete with culture, into the workplace.

And from the company side, working to influence structural changes in the value chain, from the exploration phase right through to operations.

Identifying communication challenges If Florence could change one thing for Indigenous women in mining, it would be around the simple concept of networking.

She says, “There’s a lot of fragility around language – the language we use and how we communicate with each other. It’s simple, yes, but more participation in networking events means women get to learn that other people have similar stories. It would influence our language, our relationships, and essentially the industry.”

EPISODE 10

PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AND BIG LESSONS WITH ANTON GUINEA

Anton Guinea’s current career was built on misfortune – a near-fatal accident while working as an electrician left him with an urgent mission to help ensure others avoid similar accidents – and not just from the physical aspects of safety.

Physical safety is strongly enculturated in every industrial workplace – both through regulation and duty of care commitments. Psychological safety is a newer concept, but the correlations between psychological safety and increased physical safety outcomes are hard to ignore, says Anton.

He explains the concept of psychological safety as, “the understanding that people bring their whole selves to work … people are emotions in skin, and as leaders we can help them to have a better emotional experience at work. If people feel emotionally relaxed and strong enough to take better care of their physical safety, there’s an improved outcome because they don’t feel rushed, or pressured to do something out of their comfort zone.”

Anton teaches specific skills around resilience and emotional intelligence, after surveying the state of an organisation’s current safety culture. He addresses management in particular and asks the hard questions. Is it okay to say something and speak up? Do the team and the management say thanks and openly receive feedback, or not? He maintains that management must develop enough resilience to lead under pressure.

Anton also discussed the effect of the industrial manslaughter laws in the light of the industry’s sad fatality statistics – improving slowly, although even one is too many.

Unfortunately, an effect of the legislation is increased reluctance to take responsibility and make a decision, and this is why Anton puts his energy and passion into training people to develop enough resilience to lead under pressure.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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A Voice for policy A Voice for Policy

Photo: Peter Turnbull

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A voice for policy

The right Delivery Priorities will deliver success for Queensland Kate Dickson, Queensland Director, Association of Mining and Exploration Companies

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he process for mineral exploration through to production mining is 'time-consuming' to say the least. It requires a fair bit of patience and even more coordination to navigate the various legislative requirements, a process made even more tricker with the number of different State departments where legislation overlaps (and in some cases contradicts) each other.

four years to achieve their specific KPI’s (Delivery Priorities). Each Minister’s Delivery Priorities are set out in the Ministerial Charter Letters. The Charter Letters are sent from the Premier to Ministers shortly after a new cabinet is formed (after an election) and when Ministers or portfolios change. This Charter Letter details the Government's commitments and priorities that the Minister is responsible for delivering through the agencies within his or her Ministerial Portfolio.

As a mining industry association, we receive feedback from members that feel that State Government departments are ‘not talking to each other’.

While this can be said for any large organisation where there are differing KPI’s and stakeholder expectations for different business units (Departments/ Agencies), it can sometimes feel more overwhelming because of two things: the sheer volume of access points the State Government has, and that different Ministers have different KPI’s.

In this situation, the mining and exploration industry are the ‘frustrated customers’, and the best economic and environmental outcomes for the State and industry are not achieved.

One of the big differences between a typical corporation and a State Government like Queensland, is that the CEO (Premier) and the Executive Management Team (the Ministers) have

When an organisation and people within an organisation have misaligned goals, it becomes difficult to get things done, employees are less productive, customers get frustrated, and achieving the best possible outcome becomes more out of reach.

From the outside, it appears that the main State departments our industry work with don’t seem to be ‘talking to each other’. And when we look at their Delivery Priorities, the priorities across departments are almost completely different. Naturally, this is frustrating when, as an industry association, one of our primary advocacy goals is to cut red tape and streamline processes.

In Queensland, the Minister for Environment and the Minister for Resources currently only have two

shared Delivery Priorities. They are: • Continue to implement the Government’s reforms to mine rehabilitation and financial assurance; and • Work with the Minister for Seniors and Disability Services and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships to support the implementation of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, including the development of a jurisdictional implementation plan in a co-design approach with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and their representatives.

The Delivery Priorities are not structured in a way that improves sustainable development of mining projects, with the only focus being on rehabilitation and financial assurance.

This does nothing to help Queensland develop and expand sustainable and ethical mines to deliver the minerals needed for the Environment Minister’s top Delivery Priorities, which are: • Continue to lead implementation of the Queensland Government’s Climate Adaptation Strategy and Climate Transition Strategy; and • Oversee the development of the Climate Action Plan 2020−2030, through consultation with industry and community, and generate actions to reduce emissions and increase sustainability initiatives.

With climate change policy taking front and centre stage at the State, Federal

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and international level, there seems to be general acceptance that renewables, batteries and electrification will be the most effective way to reduce emissions.

We have almost all the minerals required to do this here in Queensland. But getting the environmental approvals to mine the minerals for these is made increasingly difficult by these conflicting and competing Delivery Priorities.

This problem isn’t just limited to exploration, and can often be seen with companies looking to re-open or repurpose old mines - companies trying to develop already-disturbed historic sites are met with unreasonable conditions by the Environmental Authority. Insufficient conditions were placed on previous authority holders, and new developers have been encumbered with the sins of the previous holders. The best outcome for the environment, the State and the resource company would be for the new holders to be given the opportunity to rehabilitate and develop these assets, instead of them continuing to be a financial and environmental burden on the State.

The Abandoned Mines Unit in the Department of Resources has been doing challenging work over the last few years to change the legislation to help make these sorts of developments possible under the Minerals Resources Act, but the main hurdle now seems to be getting the Environment Authority from the Department of Environment and Science.

However, because there isn’t a Delivery Priority for the Environment Minister to help supply the minerals needed to achieve the Queensland Government Renewable Energy Target, this becomes increasingly difficult.

Cross-department collaboration could increase efficiency for all stakeholders and place Queensland as the top mining jurisdiction for Australia. We also could be an example for other jurisdictions to show what can happen when the ‘Management Team’ think about the big picture, rather than their individual Delivery Priorities.

It’s often said that coming together is a beginning, keeping together is a progress, and working together is a success.

It’s often said that coming together is a beginning, keeping together is a progress, and working together is a success.

As an industry association, AMEC will continue working with all the key stakeholders to try and communicate the development challenges companies are experiencing and proposing practical solutions.

Getting Government departments on the same page and working towards complementing Delivery Priorities will not only help our industry to develop new projects and keep others moving forward, but is also in the best interest of the Government, the environment and the people who live here. 

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The Coal Mining Long Service Leave Scheme – time for change Stephen Smith, Head of National Workplace Relations Policy, Australian Industry Group

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he Coal Mining Industry Long Service Leave (LSL) Scheme is the oldest portable long service leave scheme in Australia. It was introduced more than 70 years ago and plays an important role in providing long service leave entitlements to employees in the black coal mining industry. The scheme is funded by a 2% levy on the ‘eligible wages’ of ‘eligible employees’.

For companies that mine black coal, the scheme causes few issues. The definition of an ‘eligible employee’ can be readily applied. However, for contractors to coal mining industry customers, there are major uncertainties about the coverage of the scheme, leading to major cost risks associated with back-pay claims for the levy.

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The scheme provides entitlements to ‘employees in the black coal mining industry’, but what does that mean given the numerous High Court, Federal Court and tribunal decisions over the years that have interpreted the phrase ‘employee in the coal mining industry’ in conflicting ways?

Prior to the beginning of 2010, employers were covered by the Coal Mining LSL Scheme if they were specifically named in a coal mining industry award or if they were a party to an enterprise agreement that incorporated the scheme. This provided certainty about the employers and employees who were covered.

However, in late 2009 legislative changes were rushed through Parliament in a few days without any consultation with the Australian Industry Group or other representatives of businesses in the metal, vehicle, electrical and other industries, which provide services to coal mining customers but were never covered by the Coal LSL Scheme or coal industry awards. The legislative changes resulted in the coverage of the scheme being moved into legislation from 1 January 2010. In a rushed and inadequate attempt to provide some detail on what

types of employees are in and out of the scheme, the coverage definitions in the legislation refer to the coverage clause in the Black Coal Mining Industry Award 2010. This approach was adopted even though at that time the coverage provisions in the Black Coal Award were not settled and the draft coverage provisions were strongly criticised by a Full Bench of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (now the Fair Work Commission). The Full Bench said “we are concerned that the clause as drafted is not simple to understand nor easy to apply. In particular, contractors who perform some work at or about coal mines may have difficulty in determining whether the award covers them”.

The definition of ‘black coal mining industry’ in the Award includes the ridiculous wording that “black coal mining industry has the meaning applied by the courts and industrial tribunals”. A recent judgment of Justice White of the Federal Court included the polite understatement that these words are “not altogether helpful”. His Honour said that the words imply that a single meaning of the term has been recognised in decisions of courts and tribunals but this is not the case.

A voice for policy

The current unsatisfactory situation cannot be allowed to continue.

The vague coverage provisions are unfair on employers, employees and the Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave Funding) Corporation (Coal LSL) which is responsible for enforcing the provisions.

Photo: Clinton Bartley

For contractors to coal mining industry customers, there are major uncertainties about the coverage of the scheme, leading to major cost risks associated with backpay claims for the levy.

Beyond the coverage problems, another major difficulty relates to the interaction between State LSL laws and the Coal Mining LSL Scheme.

Many employees of contracting businesses providing services to coal mining industry customers in the Bowen Basin receive entitlements under the Queensland State LSL legislation. If these businesses are ultimately held to be covered by the Coal Mining LSL Scheme, they will be required to pay the 2% levy but have no way of recouping the LSL entitlements already paid to their current and former employees. Also, the employees will be able to ‘double dip’ on LSL entitlements.

A further problem relates to the limitation on how far back claims for payment of the 2% levy can be made.

Every other portable long service leave scheme in Australia includes a limitation of no more than six years on back-pay claims for the relevant levy.

There is no certainty about whether such a limitation applies under the Coal LSL Scheme. The issue is tied up in complex legal arguments about the interaction between certain Federal and State laws. There are sound public policy reasons for limiting back-pay claims. As the High Court has noted, for 400 years the policy of the law has been to fix definite time limits for prosecuting civil claims, driven by the perception that where there is delay the whole quality of justice disappears.

It is in no-one’s interests for businesses – small and large – to be crippled by financial claims going back more than a decade given the high level of uncertainty that exists about the coverage of the Coal LSL Scheme.

Hopefully, we will soon see legislative changes clarifying the coverage of the scheme and addressing the other major problems. The Federal Government has commissioned an independent review by KPMG Law into the scheme. The review

is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021, with a report and recommendations to be provided to the Government by that time.

In a June 2021 media release announcing the review, AttorneyGeneral and Industrial Relations Minister, Michaelia Cash, said: “The coal industry’s operating environment continues to evolve, and the laws currently regulating the scheme are not serving employees or employers as they should. More than 128,000 employees are accruing or have accrued long service leave through the scheme, and Coal LSL has in excess of $1.9 billion in funds under management. This review is critical in ensuring the scheme, and the corporation that manages it, is a model for the highest standards of governance of worker entitlements with appropriate and robust safeguards in place.”

With an election due by May 2022, there may not be time for legislation to be introduced and passed before the election. Hopefully whichever party wins Government at the next election will see the merit in addressing the current untenable situation which is unfair on both employers and employees.

The Coal LSL Scheme has a long and proud history which has unfortunately been marred by rushed legislative changes. The scheme should not be allowed to continue to fall into disrepute by any further delays in having these obvious problems addressed.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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ESG Developments ESG Developments

Photo: Whitehaven

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ESG developments

Photo: Peter Turnbull

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he recently convened 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) reaffirmed a global joint effort to mitigate climate change. The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) supports this effort and has confirmed the industry’s ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The launch of the MCA Climate Action Plan in June 2020 was a clear commitment to do the work needed to achieve this goal.

To reach this objective, the MCA and its member companies continue to invest in research to better understand the technologies and practices necessary to achieve

decarbonisation across the sector.

This is as the success of Australia’s minerals industry, both now and in the future, depends on its ability to operate in line with community expectations on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

Minerals projects must be safe, and environmentally and socially responsible in order to make an economic contribution and support societal ambitions, such as those expressed in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Australian companies are global leaders in innovative, high-tech mining and lead the way in ESG practice. The industry’s sustainability credentials are recognised globally, and its expertise and leading practice is exported around the world.

waste. The emerging focus on recycling, reuse and reimagining of resources – the circular economy – is an example. Partnerships with local communities, Indigenous Australians and civil society are enabling the industry to support local aspirations and improved environmental outcomes.

Case studies explored below and also in our recently-published ESG report demonstrate the industry’s approach to ESG performance.

They provide real examples of the strong commitment, investment and innovation that is occurring across the whole sector. The industry has acted with major members announcing collaborations with key equipment providers to develop zero emissions haulage, and increased deployment of renewables at mine sites.

Good ESG performance is built off investment in research, new technologies and innovative practice to improve safety and workforce diversity, drive down emissions and water use, and reduce

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ESG developments

Lynas Rare Earths - Lynas takes ‘mine to magnet’ approach A more sustainable minerals sector is not only important for Australia’s post-COVID recovery, it is also providing the critical raw materials necessary for modern and emerging economies to flourish.

From wind turbines to catalytic converters to electric and hybrid vehicles, rare earth elements are used extensively in clean energy technologies.

Glencore - Natural landform rehabilitation at Mangoola

Rio Tinto - Remote mine sites turn to renewable energy

Glencore has set the industry benchmark for natural landform restoration at its Mangoola coal operation in the NSW Upper Hunter.

Mine sites in remote areas of Australia are increasingly being powered by solar and wind, supported by battery energy.

Since 2011, the Mangoola team has progressively rehabilitated 790 hectares of mined land by incorporating natural slopes and drainage suited to native vegetation and returning wildlife.

Fauna monitoring in the rehabilitated area has identified wombats, rednecked and swamp wallabies, eastern grey kangaroos, wallaroos, short-beaked echidnas, brushtail possums, microbats, tree goannas and five species of frogs.

Various reptiles have also taken up residence including bearded dragons, brown snakes and eastern longneck turtles, as well as over 50 woodland bird species.

Rio Tinto is leading the way with its 34 MW solar farm at Gudai-Darri in the Pilbara. Around 100,000 photovoltaic solar cells will generate electricity for its newest iron ore mine due to come online in late 2021.

The solar farm will be complemented by a 12 MWh battery in Tom Price that will provide spinning reserve generating capacity to support a stable and reliable network.

Combined, the solar plant and battery will reduce Rio Tinto’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 90,000 tonnes compared to conventional gas powered generation. That’s the equivalent of taking 28,000 cars off the road.

Yancoal - From open-cut mine to water sports hub, Lake Kepwari is a landmark Lake Kepwari near Collie in Western Australia is testament to the mining industry’s commitment to rehabilitation.

An integral part of the community for many years, Yancoal’s Premier Coal Mine provided jobs, infrastructure and support for local organisations.

Rehabilitation works began in the 1980s and ran alongside the operation up to and beyond the mine’s closure in 1996.

Erosion gullies were filled and re-seeded and the Collie River was rerouted back through the lake to improve water quality, fish life and support ecosystem development.

Spearheading the burgeoning rare earths industry in Australia is Lynas Rare Earths. Lynas is the world’s only significant producer of separated rare earths outside of China.

Lynas’ Mt Weld operation is one of the world’s highest grade rare earth deposits. A responsible supplier of choice, Lynas offers customers products with assured provenance from mine to finished product.

These case studies demonstrate the industry’s approach to ESG performance. They provide real examples of the strong commitment, investment and innovation occurring across the whole sector. Regardless of size or commodity, Australia’s mining companies are translating ESG commitments into action.

The Australian minerals industry remains committed to doing more. These ongoing efforts will ensure the industry keeps pace with changing expectations, to fully realise the opportunities afforded by responsible minerals development. 

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ESG developments

A sustainable energy future includes coal – it’s time to make peace with that Adani Australia

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reating sustainable energy solutions that will cut our global emissions while enabling growth in developing nations is an issue that requires every country in the world to play their part.

This can happen. Our global leaders have the capacity to react effectively to a global crisis – this was demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, reducing emissions to mitigate climate change requires a similar response to the pandemic.

The solutions will be technology-driven, supported by policies and infrastructure to accelerate their adoption.

And while many companies are talking about their future green credentials, at the Adani Group, we are walking the talk as we prepare to invest more than US$20 billion over the next decade in renewable energy generation, manufacturing and distribution.

We are already the world’s largest solar company and we’re on track to be the world’s largest renewable power generating company by 2030.

Hydrogen technologies have the potential to be the ultimate source of green energy.

But while we invest to make them affordable and practical in order to lift people from poverty in fast-growing nations such as India, the current reality is we need coal to create affordable, reliable baseload power.

Yet this remains something that many people simply cannot come to grips with.

What is it about this scene that is so hard to come to understand? The reality is that coal,

gas and renewables are needed to provide a sustainable energy mix.

When Asia experienced a cold winter and economies rebounded in December 2020, thermal coal was in demand to meet the energy gap, according to the International Energy Agency.1 Likewise, a dry period that reduced the capacity of hydropower and wind in early 2021 increased demand for coal-fired generation across Asia.

Global coal-fired energy generation increased about 15% in early 2021 from its COVID-19 decline, according to the International Energy Agency. This demand propelled the Newcastle thermal coal price to an all-time high in October 2021.

Coal-fired power is currently a reliable, accessible and affordable energy source for the developing world. More than a quarter of a billion people in India rely on coal-fired energy, as well as many more millions across the world. They deserve to be able to access power for safety, for their education, to be able to make meals for their family and for their work – just as citizens of the developed world have done.

The lives and livelihoods of people in the developing world should not be sacrificed to manage the global problem of climate

1 https://www.iea.org/reports/coal-fired-power

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change. It is only fair and equitable that they be given the same opportunities to advance themselves as recent generations of people in developing nations have had.

Despite many loud voices proclaiming its demise, highquality thermal coal (such as coal from central Queensland) has a role to play in supporting a sustainable global energy mix. Its high-energy content and low ash percentage relative to some other international coal types makes it a more efficient and lower emission energy source to power electricity generation. After years of support from the central Queensland community, Bravus Mining & Resources began producing coal in 2021.

Photo: Cam Laird

The Project provided more than 2,600 direct jobs during construction and we’re now recruiting for operational positions, as is our Bowen Rail Company.

This was more than the 1,000 direct jobs that we promised when we announced we would selffund and forge ahead with the Carmichael Project in 2018.

Throughout construction, we directly paid more than AUD $1 billion to contractors and businesses in regional Queensland. This does not include the significant investments from our contractors and subcontractors that have also flowed to local central Queensland companies and communities.

Most of this work occurred as Australia grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic that crippled many industries and added $331 billion in costs to the Budget in 2020-2021.2 Australia’s economic lifeblood – our mining and resources industry - generated $271 billion in exports in 2020. This was $3 from every $5 raised and more than 10% of the economy, according to a Minerals Council of Australia analysis of ABS data.

Where there is ongoing global demand for thermal coal, Australia is extremely well placed to meet that demand. Local communities depend on the jobs and opportunities of the central Queensland mining industry, as does the nation.

We work to international standards for sustainability and rehabilitation. The nation’s strong sustainability, safety and environmental frameworks ensure we are among the best coal suppliers in the world.

Climate change is a challenge and an opportunity to develop new technologies that will transform the way we source and deliver energy to all people around the world. Together, our mining and energy companies are contributing to global sustainability and a fair global energy mix that will enable all nations to thrive now and into the future.  2 https://budget.gov.au/2021-22/content/covid.htm

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It contains ambitious sustainability targets to help transform our business, including a commitment to being carbon neutral across our operations by 2040.

At Anglo American, we are re-imagining mining to improve people’s lives.

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Photo: Whitehaven

More than compliance – the rising importance of the ‘S’ in ESG

Ngaire Tranter, General Manager ESG, RPM Global

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ithin all sectors of industry we’re seeing a surge in Environmental and Social Governance (ESG). This new wave of sustainability is different to what has gone before. It’s driven by an era of globalisation and is heavily influenced by geopolitical dynamics, an increase in societal expectations and a rise of nationalism in these current pandemic orientated times.

So, what does this actually mean for projects here in Queensland, and more broadly, Australia?

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Within the current robust regulatory environment, there is pressure to transparently communicate the status of ESG within your project and/or organisation. The minute you supply to market, seek finance or communicate to key stakeholders such as shareholders, community and First Nations People, there is now an expectation that you are able to clearly communicate your ESG strategy and performance. This expectation encompasses all aspects of running your business, from your internal operations to your supply chain, both upstream and downstream.

This ESG pressure has started to align with economic considerations and, where perhaps sustainability was once a “feel good” action, there is now an expectation for clear analysis and metrics that consider all aspects of ESG and underpin your internal and external communications.

In terms of ESG, we miners are well positioned. We’re adept at being compliant on all fronts of ESG, as our policy environment and community demands. However, the dial is shifting, and simple compliance with policy and standards is no longer acceptable.

There is an expectation of proactive and innovative approaches to ESG. The recent Juukan Gorge case is a clear example and highlights that compliance is not necessarily a defendable position.

The pathway for the ‘E’ and the ‘G’ in ESG is relatively clearly mapped out. There is plenty of talk around the E in terms of net zero or decarbonisation planning, which is truly all-encompassing of environmental considerations once you delve into the detail. The G is supported by our policy environment, in particular the ASX, United Nations Compact and the raft of international standards such the Global Reporting Index, Sustainable Development Principles, International

Finance Corporation Performance Standards, the Equator Principles, and the list goes on (to a tally of around 30 international standards).

However, it’s the ‘S’ in ESG that has rapidly emerged whilst all eyes have been focused on the ‘E’ and the ‘G’.

Establishing metrics in this space has been a significant challenge for organisations. Our policy environment has been designed to ensure public participation in our processes, the Environmental Protection Act 1994 often focuses upon the linkage between harm to environment and ultimately people.

Quietly though, the dial has shifted and we’re seeing rapid growth of social considerations, particularly in the finance space. Health and safety considerations are being drawn to the forefront and so too are human rights assessments.

The latter is the element that is the emerging piece of the puzzle that cannot be ignored for our Queensland operations and organisations.

introduction of the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld), all of which leads to the reinforcement of the concept that “mining organisations should ideally be considering human rights and social impacts throughout the whole mine life, from pre-feasibility to closure”.

Human Rights and Social Assessments are naturally grouped together, however, there are nuances here and the two should not be considered one and the same. The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Principle 3: Human Rights defines human rights in the context of mining as “respect for human rights and the interests, cultures, customs and values of employees and communities affected by our activities”.

Given the new Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plan legislative framework here in Queensland, it’s useful if we consider the closure context and the human rights expectations and actions that can be proactively adopted in these activities. One of the most significant impacts an organisation can have is to establish early communication with the wider community around the end rehabilitation goal, or final landform.

Having accessible systems to provide comments on rehabilitation outcomes early in the mine life may garner more community support. There can be social and economic benefits to successfully closing a mine with outcomes endorsed by neighbouring and wider communities (i.e., forestry outcomes, grazing, agricultural outcomes, recreational outcomes). It’s important to acknowledge that these outcomes may change over time, which is juxtaposed with the PRCP guideline requirements of a firm schedule with detailed milestones and with the mine planning process, where options analysis dictates that one option must be selected to move forward in this regime.

Within the Queensland context, we are further guided by the Human Rights Commission Australia and the

To allow for successful navigation of this process, early engagement and true options analysis in line with the financial

considerations being made in prefeasibility is key. Fundamental concepts such as Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) come into play well before the first plan is drawn up, and this is often a critical element that comes to light during project financing. How does one establish FPIC when our legislative process sets forward a path to interact with our First Nations People and communities?

This contradiction of practice highlights the rising expectation for more than just compliance. The process of engagement to develop FPIC should be one of strategic planning for early engagement, enduring beyond the tenure of any particular individual within your organisation. An orchestrated space for this conversation between the mine and key stakeholders must be allowed to truly address the fundamentals of human rights considerations.

And if you don’t consider human rights within your project’s development? The community will speak through regulatory and legal frameworks, causing delay and uncertainty to project progression.

The challenges are sophisticated and considered, and place onus on concepts such as intergenerational rights and broader human rights assessments.

This is a clear and emerging consideration for projects, wherever they may be in their lifecycle. Due consideration of, and a robust plan for the “S” will certainly mitigate risk and prevent issues for your projects.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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ESG developments

In terms of ESG, we miners are well positioned. We’re adept at being compliant on all fronts of ESG, as our policy environment and community demands.

However, the dial is shifting, and simple compliance with policy and standards is no longer acceptable.

Shining light on a wicked problem: how do we measure the good in our industry?

Sarah-Joy Pierce, Director, Strategic Mining Communications

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he mining industry is not the first industry to come across a wicked problem. What’s a wicked problem, you may ask? It’s a social or cultural issue or concern that’s hard to explain and even harder – sometimes impossible – to solve.

For us, the problem centres around how our industry fits into a decarbonising world. When it comes to the global decarbonisation agenda, there’s so many ‘strings’ making up the knot of our wicked problem that it can truly seem impossible. Just flick through this Yearbook and you’ll see them: the necessity of steel for coal-making and of critical minerals for batterymaking balanced against calls to stop mining, the intrinsic importance of the resources industry to regional communities versus the impacts we can have on the environment, the role of affordable energy in developing nations, or even the reliance of Australia’s economy on coal exports.

How we handle the wicked problem of where the resources industry fits in a decarbonising future will shape the economy of our state and our nation for years to come.

Wicked problems and where to find them Since nothing under the sun is truly new, why don’t we look to how other industries have traversed the 78

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space between ‘wicked problem’ and ‘way forward’?

Fast fashion (stay with me, this is relevant to a male-dominated industry) is a wicked problem.

Companies can now manufacture, distribute and retail fashion products in a matter of weeks – not even based on ‘seasons’ anymore, just to meet consumer demand.

However, in meeting that demand, there are environmental effects, labour rights violations, and a huge amount of waste produced. The effects, both positive and negative, hit on an individual consumer level, a society level and a macro government and global level.

To address this wicked problem, the Baptist World Aid organisation in Australia publishes their annual Ethical Fashion Guide. A decade or two ago this wouldn’t even have registered with consumers, but now it can (and does) affect purchasing decisions and stock prices. Companies also use good rankings as a reputational boost, attracting shoppers with ethical concerns. This ranking and rating system isn’t a solution to the

wicked problem, but it certainly helps clarify what the problem is, and who’s taking steps to solve it.

It’s also important to note that ‘wicked problem’ doesn’t necessarily mean wicked industry. A commonly discussed wicked problem is the rise of antibiotic resistance – a problem that the medical sector will have to solve in the coming years, and that the CDC calls ‘one of the biggest health challenges of our time’. This has individual impacts, society-level impacts, and certainly far-reaching global implications. However, stopping the use of antibiotics causes a bigger problem than it solves – so further research is necessary to find a solution to this wicked problem.

It's not hard to draw parallels between either of these industries and the wicked problem facing the resources industry. None of it can be solved overnight, or without significant effort and policy change. But there are people and organisations working now in this space towards sustainable outcomes.

So, if we can’t immediately solve the problem of our future, what can we do about our present?

Seeing the good and calling it out Large consulting firms (among them Ernst & Young and KPMG) regularly publish reports on the business risks and opportunities facing the mining industry.

Social license to operate and environmental/social concerns have been rising to the top of these lists over the last few years. License to Operate has held the top spot in Ernst & Young’s report for the last two consecutive years, and currently holds the fourth spot in KPMG’s report (bumped down only by the global pandemic and economic downturn/uncertainty).

On the ground, we can do relatively little to influence global markets and pandemics. But one area to which we can all contribute is bettering the relationships that our industry has with its stakeholders, strengthening our social license to operate. There are three separate but inextricably linked approaches at work here: • recognising and engaging stakeholders and host communities; • reporting on our social contributions; and • telling our story well.

Corporate social responsibility, a term that most would be familiar with from corporate reporting, is also a relatively new field. If you’re not familiar, corporate social responsibility (or CSR) is essentially about identifying the expectations society has about a business (beyond legal compliance and making a profit) and taking the initiative to meet those expectations. Consumers are becoming more aware of CSR and judging business practices with a CSR perspective. That’s why more businesses are publishing sustainability reports and social performance reports – to report on their contributions in this area.

This reaches a wider audience than direct stakeholder engagement but is important in identifying and lifting standards in our industry.

Recognising the importance of our stakeholders is a relatively new trend. Edward Freeman’s work on stakeholder theory arguably underpins most of modern community engagement, and it was only published in 1984, not yet four decades ago. In our industry, a stakeholder is anyone affected by our operations – from the host community to workers, suppliers and investors. Why are they important?

The third thread of positioning our industry runs parallel with stakeholder engagement – the importance of telling our story well.

This sits squarely in the domain of public relations. Put simply, by communicating the good that our industry is doing, we’ll improve the relationships we have with our stakeholders as well as the media. As a flow-on benefit, these improved relationships will lead to better reputational outcomes (because more happy people = more people in our corner).

The relationships a project has with its stakeholders form the basis for its social performance, building organisational legitimacy. That’s an extremely unemotional way to say that people do care about the things that affect them, and when you recognise that and make them a part of decision-making by consulting with them, they reward you with support that shows up when you need it.

We’re rightly concerned about how our industry fits into a world that’s becoming increasingly occupied with hard-to-measure metrics like social performance, community contributions and reputation. But at the coalface (pun absolutely intended), we see the positive contributions that the industry makes every day, and the disconnect between the media narrative and the mine site.

The way forward Combining the three approaches of stakeholder engagement, corporate social responsibility reporting and telling our story well with the examples of how other industries have solved wicked problems leads us to this: a call for more research into how we can benchmark our projects’ social performance and urge each other to be better.

The industry is making some strong steps forward in this area, but if we don’t talk about it, our stakeholders won’t know about it.

The Minerals Council of Australia has started this conversation by adopting the Towards Sustainable Mining accountability framework, strengthening our sector’s ESG commitments.

But the ‘S’ in ESG is notoriously hard to measure and manage.

Getting clearer on what best practice looks like for Australia means talking about what we do well and acknowledging where we could do better. It’s important for us to pull on those three strings – community engagement, social performance and telling our story. Measuring the intangible is a challenge, but an industry standard is necessary when it comes to social performance and the sustainability of our sector.

While it won’t solve our wicked problem overnight, we’ll get more comfortable in the space in between: where our industry becomes more vocal about the good things we do, and we find our place in the way forward.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Photo: Betty Seeney

Mine Closure Planning – a key part of the ‘S’ in ESG Renee Wall, Director, Wall Planning & Environmental Consulting

Photo: Betty Seeney

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SG is proving itself to be an important corporate evaluation tool across all industries. It’s also an increasingly popular (and necessary) focus in the resources sector. Meeting Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria is fast becoming what sets competition apart and entices investors to provide critical financial backing for projects.

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ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, GOVERNANCE Investors are increasingly seeking out companies that rate highly in terms of ESG; that is, the measurement of a company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance impact, adherence, and ethic. The reputation and transparency of a company has become an important part of the decision of investors in a world that is now scrutinised and discussed to the nth degree, on social media or in the 24-hour news cycle.

Biodiversity Ecosystem Waste Management Air & Noise Climate Change Mine Closure

SOCIAL

Human Rights Land Use Diversity & Inclusion Community Mine Closure Post-Mining Land Use Supply Chain Management

ESG

GOVERNANCE

Legal Compliance Business Ethics Transparency Affiliations Risk Management

ESG developments

The key to social ethics in mine closure planning is proactive sustainability. Let’s not whip the rug out from under our communities – let’s leave a positive legacy.

The troublesome part of the ESG tool is the measurement of the Social criteria.

Environmental impact and Governance adherence is addressed and measured through stringent legislation and regulations set out for resources companies, including the Environmental Protection Act 1994, Mineral Resources Act 1989, and a company’s policies and Code of Ethics.

Meeting obligational, legislative, and ethical standards is part and parcel of extractives from the first day of planning until the day of closure. However, Social is a far more recent criteria for companies to address, and is certainly not fully woven into mine closure legislation, despite it being an ethical obligation in itself.

So, how can we measure something that is seemingly intangible?

SOCIAL ETHICS IN MINE CLOSURE When we think of extractives, coal mining is largely the first thing that comes to mind. This is largely due to the sudden race towards renewable energy, which has divided communities and stakeholders in their opinions about the future of coal in Australia.

Investors are keenly aware of this division, which is why the social impact and reputation of a company in visibly volatile times can be what tips the scales.

Whilst the global demand for coal is high, mine closures still inevitably happen, and these closures are a critical moment in the development of a company’s reputation and social obligation. Acceptance of a company within its communities plays a big part in the success of current and future projects.

It comes down to the bottom line – investment potential. Investors are increasingly seeking out companies that rate highly in terms of ESG. Whilst each area of ESG is a standalone criterion, there is crossover and a reliance on each other for support and to form an overall reputational image. Governance and Environmental criteria have long been embedded in company strategy and operation. Social should be as well, at minimum in the form of Social Impact Assessments, not only in planning and during operation, but particularly in mine closure planning.

Communities benefit in so many ways from the coal mines they support. The economy gets a boost, jobs are created, infrastructure improves – then the mine closes and it’s all whisked away. These small communities cannot support the loss of jobs, loss of income, and damage to all the small businesses that provided services to the mines and their employees.

The key to social ethics in mine closure planning is proactive sustainability. Let’s not whip the rug out from under our communities – let’s leave a positive legacy.

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SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS IN MINE CLOSURE A Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is the formal process of understanding the social effects a project or company has on its communities. This process identifies the social issues of a community, the part the company or project will play within those communities and issues, and the action plan for enhancing positive outcomes and mitigating negative outcomes.

Glencore’s mine closure planning protocol states: “Social transition or mine closure recognises the risks associated with local dependence on the mine and consequently creates opportunities to encourage the development of sustainable post-closure options…This shall include:

Glencore’s Clermont Mine Closure Preparedness Project

a) Identification of community concerns, needs, opportunities, risks and impacts associated with the site closure; and b) An outline of community strategies and social involvement plans focusing on enhancing socio-economic capacity, prosperity and sustainable development of the communities that avoids dependency on a Glencore Coal Assets Australia Operation closure.”

Glencore’s Clermont Mine is anticipated to close in 2027. Wall Planning & Environmental Consulting recently worked with Glencore to prepare the Social Impact Assessment for the Clermont Mine Closure Preparedness Project.

As an integral part of the SIA, we held comprehensive engagement and community consultation that included workshops, mine site tours and focus groups to understand the views of the community and inform Glencore’s activities in preparing for closure.

A SIA is about successfully becoming a PART of the community, helping that community to strengthen and grow, but also ensuring growth and development during the life of the mine is sustainable upon mine closure.

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The SIA addressed the following key issues: • Health and Community Wellbeing • Community and Stakeholder Engagement • Housing and Accommodation • Local Business and Industry • Employment/Workforce Planning While 2027 is still a while away, the project includes ongoing collaboration with Glencore to design and deliver the Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) that addresses workforce management, housing management, health and community wellbeing, local business and industry and adaptive reuse of infrastructure.

ESG developments

MEASURING THE INTANGIBLE It’s certainly not unreasonable to point out that the social aspects of a community can be complex and aren’t something that can be easily measured on a scale. The subtle and incredibly personal nuances of each community dictate that social measures need to be highly tailored to suit the community and increase positive impacts.

It may not be truly possible to measure social impact on a scale, but strict criteria should be addressed to ensure that companies and projects are properly accountable for the impacts they have on their host community.

The ‘measurement’ of the criteria is, perhaps, more of an action plan: Familiarity • Have you thoroughly researched all social aspects of your community?

• Do you believe that you truly understand and know your community?

• Are you continually being an active part of your community?

Accountability & Responsibility • How ARE you socially impacting your community?

• Is your impact positive or negative?

• How can you address and MITIGATE the negative impacts?

• Are you transparent within the project and role in your community?

• Are you taking responsibility for both positive AND negative impacts?

• Are the positive impacts on your community SUSTAINABLE? • What happens to your community after your project is gone?

Notice how I said ‘your community’? The simple truth is this: If you are impacting a community in any way, then you are a PART of that community.

You’re squarely wrapped up in the complex web of connections. The role of a company in a community should be to strengthen the web by boosting positive, sustainable social impacts and community involvement.

It can be easy to forget that the community that makes up the web is actually also a part of a larger web. How you impact even a tiny community can have a profound impact on your future projects and place within the larger web, too.

SO, WHAT’S NEXT? ESG is definitely ‘front of mind’ at the moment. Standards Australia is in the process of creating a measurable criteria for social impact, highlighting its critical value.

Mining companies around the world, like Glencore, are beginning to expand their use of Social Impact Assessments to look beyond the life of the mine and their continued impact on their communities.

With the rapidly growing development of a collective social conscience, the goal is that there be mandatory accountability for social impact in the resources sector - not just in the development and life of the mine, but beyond closure.

Let’s protect and sustainably strengthen our communities, providing a clear plan for their future. 

Photo: Whitehaven

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Aboriginal Cultural Heritage – moving from management to engagement Gavin Scott, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Australia

T Photo: Whitehaven

Engagement with all project stakeholders moves beyond local and State law compliance, to demonstrating that a project has seriously considered the management of ESG risks and has progressed towards the development of strong and sustainable relationships with impacted Traditional Owner Groups.

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he Queensland Mining industry is well versed in the importance of correctly managing the impacts of mining projects on Aboriginal Cultural Heritage. Queensland’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 has remained largely unchanged for 18 years and is considered to be at the forefront of balancing development and meaningful engagement with Aboriginal people. Ultimately, this has meant that statutory concepts such as maintaining a duty of care not to cause unlawful harm to Aboriginal cultural heritage are well understood.

Recently, the industry has seen a greater focus towards understanding and managing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks for natural resources projects.

This has had a marked impact on how project developers, shareholders, investors and the broader community have communicated their expectations on how a project should not only manage Aboriginal cultural heritage, but also engage with all impacted Traditional Owners.

These expectations only intensified following the 2020 Juukan Gorge incident in Western Australia, which saw the destruction of ancient, sacred caves. The incident spurred a Senate inquiry, encouraged reform to Western Australian

The next level sees a shift in focus from “managing” cultural heritage, towards developing meaningful and sustainable relationships with Traditional Owner groups through best practice stakeholder engagement strategies.

A Tale of Two States An interesting test of how management of Aboriginal cultural heritage can evolve can be seen through a comparison of the relevant laws in Queensland and Western Australia.

Queensland When Queensland’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act commenced 18 years ago, it instituted the important concept of an “Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Duty of Care”. This duty imposes an obligation on all Queenslanders (including resources companies) to take ‘reasonable and practicable measures’ to ensure that impacts on Aboriginal cultural heritage are avoided or mitigated.

These measures include the negotiation and implementation of Cultural Heritage Management Plans. These plans typically provide a detailed assessment of prospective mining areas, a step-bystep plan on how project impact can be mitigated, and advise where physical items can be re-deposited during postrehabilitation. Queensland’s cultural heritage legislation is also conceptually and procedurally tied to the Native Title Act, ensuring that any management plans proposed by project proponents are discussed with the correct Aboriginal party or Aboriginal cultural heritage body for an area prior to impacting cultural heritage.

Continued engagement with Aboriginal parties is critical to ensure Cultural Heritage Management Plans are negotiated, implemented and sustained throughout the project’s lifecycle, to reduce delays and cost overruns, and empower parties to work together to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.

Western Australia Perhaps the temperature of community expectations can be more accurately gauged from Western Australia’s Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972, the oldest cultural heritage regime in Australia and arguably the most inadequate in the present day and age.

The legislation embodies a “pre-Mabo mentality” where project proponents can obtain Ministerial Consent to alter, move or destroy cultural heritage sites to make way for a development. Ministerial consent for the excavation or destruction of Aboriginal cultural heritage sites can ultimately be obtained despite any objections from Traditional Owners.

The Aboriginal Heritage Act has been up for review since 2012, with a draft bill providing a series of measures in attempts to reduce the risk of another Juukan Gorge incident occurring. These measures include: • Due diligence and date collection: Cultural due diligence is mandatory including investigations into Cultural Heritage prior to any negotiations; contracts or clauses seeking to limit Aboriginal people's input on Cultural Heritage will be void, meaning Aboriginal people can voice their concerns and objections; and all Aboriginal Cultural Heritage data must be adequately recorded.

• Cultural Heritage Management Plans: Only plans where valid consultation has occurred and informed consent from Aboriginal parties has been obtained will be approved; plan applications must include a cultural heritage impact statement; and all plans require the proponent to disclose any new information about Aboriginal Cultural Heritage located in the area and how heritage will be managed or avoided.

• Ministerial Intervention: The Minister is able to issue Stop Activity and Prohibition Orders in circumstances where an activity is causing harm, or there is imminent threat of harm to Aboriginal cultural heritage; the Minister has the power to amend plans or impose conditions; and if the cultural heritage is of State significance, the Minister can deem it protected even if consent was given to harm it.

Despite this proposed modernisation, the Bill has yet to pass through Parliament.

Even with this reformative step, the draft bill remains criticised by many Aboriginal groups and representative bodies where it does not really strive to seek international standards on engagement with Traditional Owners and First Nations Groups.

So what should we be doing?

In addition to complying with the cultural heritage requirements of local laws, many proponents are looking to a best practice stakeholder management strategy to maintain a project’s social licence to operate. Considering International Conventions and guidelines for social impact and community engagement helps to understand the benefits of early and meaningful engagement with the impacted community throughout a project’s lifecycle.

On an international level, the IFC Performance Standards and the Equator Principles require developers to establish and maintain an ongoing relationship with an impacted community based on ‘informed consultation and participation’ with affected Indigenous communities (Standard 7). As part of this, developers must seek to obtained the community’s ‘Free, Prior and Informed Consent’ (FPIC) in certain circumstances.

The IFC Performance Standards also provide thorough guidance on culturally appropriate community engagement processes to minimise overall project impact and risks to Indigenous communities.

IFC Performance Standard 7 is supported and entwined in the most recent version of the Equator Principles, which commenced in 2020. These principles are applicable to financiers who are current signatories to the guidelines. In turn, it is also worth noting that a significant number of banks who finance major resource projects are signatories to the Equator Principles.

Considering how guidance principles apply to Queensland (and other State) projects The future of development of Cultural Heritage Management Plans or any other similar form of agreement in Queensland requires moving beyond compliance with State-based legislation. While a BBMC Yearbook 2021

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ESG developments

Cultural Heritage legislation, and will prompt most Australian States and Territories to reflect upon the durability of their own Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation. From an ESG risk perspective, Juukan Gorge emphasised that a mere understanding and ‘base-level’ compliance with relevant cultural heritage and native title laws is insufficient in the eyes of stakeholders.

project’s ‘end point’ might involve a comprehensive and ‘implementable’ Cultural Heritage Management Plan, in light of the Juukan Gorge incident, we have seen that this may only be achieved by first developing and implementing a best practice stakeholder engagement strategy – i.e. moving from management to engagement.

Engagement with all project stakeholders moves beyond local and State law compliance, to demonstrating that a project has seriously considered the management of ESG risks and has progressed towards the development of strong and sustainable relationships with impacted Traditional Owner Groups.

A good model for this process could look like the suggestions that follow: 1) Early Engagement: Involvement of the community as a stakeholder in project monitoring in relation to timeframes, delivery and environmental and social impacts is a critical step in ensuring that the support / consent of Indigenous peoples is maintained and

sustained throughout the entire life of the project.

2) Understanding and listening: Reputational problems can occur where projects assume that community support and engagement is no longer required following the initial planning of a project. This could not be further from the reality of ensuring a project’s sustainability.

Proponents, alongside project developers, need to consider the land connectedness of an Indigenous community and the deep spiritual meaning and connection that many indigenous peoples have with the land that will be impacted by a project.

3) Legitimacy, Credibility and Trust: Legitimacy can be shown through community, the provision of information to impacted communities, and the resulting acceptance of the development by the community. Credibility can be demonstrated through standing by the commitments made to communities and the

IT’S TIME TO

establishment of real partnership roles and responsibilities. Trust can be developed by the collaboration of the project proponent and the community, in order to foster a mutually beneficial outcome according to principles of intergenerational equity.

The challenge ahead Following Juukan Gorge, many resources projects have begun a comprehensive audit of their own heritage systems, agreements and relationships with Traditional Owner groups.

For Queensland proponents, the challenge that remains involves continuing to uphold statutory duty of care obligations, while ensuring that cultural heritage and relationships with Traditional Owner groups remain central to the project’s lifecycle. While this will require a shift in project focus from ‘management’ to ‘engagement’, it will ultimately result in a more sustainable process and management of ESG risks in line with community expectations. 

PUT ROCKY ON YOUR RADAR ADVANCEROCKHAMPTON.COM.AU THE MINING & RESOURCES HUB OF CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

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looking beyond coal

Mining matters

We responsibly source the commodities that advance everyday life.

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people, safety and health People, Safety and Health

Photo: AMMA

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People, Safety and Health

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Psychological safety: More than a buzzword

Laurie Willett, Senior Management Consultant, 4PS Safety

P

sychological Safety is much more than a new “buzzword term”. In fact, psychological safety now plays a huge role in workplaces and is of real relevance, particularly in the resources sector where employees are often separated from their loved ones. The effective management of psychological safety is both a moral and a legal requirement for any business today, regardless of size.

Foundational duty of care

The shape of today’s workplaces

Workplace safety has traditionally focused on the Risk Management Process and control hierarchy, around the mandatory duty of care obligations for key stakeholders which are referenced in applicable Acts, Regulations and Codes of Practice.

Jump ahead to 2021 and Australians, particularly in the resources sector, now work more hours than most other developed OECD countries, performing much of this work in isolated and remote locations. The modern business landscape also continues to evolve, including both how and where work is effectively performed.

For clarity, a duty of care is the legal obligation to adopt a reasonable standard of care when performing work activities that could foreseeably cause harm. The term ‘duty of care’ is one of the elements of the common law tort of negligence that’s been incorporated into statutory safety legislation.

At its most basic level it means: • • • •

a safe place of work safe systems of work suitable plant and equipment competent staff and adequate supervision.

While access to work information continues to expand as new technologies emerge, these advancements can also potentially distort our work-life balance. Workplace Diversity is also now a well-established hiring practice and yes, psychological injuries in the workplace are also on the rise.

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While the duty of care legislative requirements remain, ‘High Reliability’ organisational principles are also being adopted now, particularly in the resources sector, to further support the risk management process. ISO 45001 is the current recognised standard for safety management systems. It incorporates additional requirements for business owners and managers to have a clearer understanding of the organisation, its context and the expectations of workers and other interested parties to better manage safety within the workplace.

So, while the control of physical hazards within the workplace must still be effectively managed, business owners and managers must now also identify psychological hazards, if present, and ensure appropriate controls have been implemented as a key component of the safety management system.

Employers have a clear a duty of care obligation to protect both the physical and psychosocial health of all employees. Failing in this essential area means increased absenteeism, staff turnover, compensation claims, workplace conflict, bullying, resentment, and reduced product or service quality.

This in turn leads to poor customer service, declining sales, litigation, and business reputational damage.

The rise of psychological injury The rise in workplace psychological injuries can be caused by differing factors including bullying, harassment, intimidation, poor workplace design, toxic work culture and ineffective management strategies.

Psychological injuries could potentially occur within the workplace. As an example, workplace diversity delivers improved problem-solving and innovation, but that same diversity can potentially work against a business if not managed effectively.

People, Safety and Health

Implementing ISO 45001

Misunderstanding, conflict, bullying and resentment can flourish if we fail to effectively harness the powers of differing attitudes, skills, experience, values, behaviours, and the world views of our diverse and inclusive workforce.

As teams, we must maintain courtesy and respect in all dealings and commit to being responsible for our actions. We must be fair, honest, and ethical in the way we deal with clients, suppliers, and each other.

We must promote diverse and inclusive cultures designed to achieve the highest possible standards of etiquette in the way our team members interact. We must promote environments where team members express mutual respect, trust, and interest in everyone, as team members. Environments where it is safe to speak up if there is a problem within the team, and all opinions are equally valued.

Environments where it is ultimately safe to take interpersonal risks.

Psychological injury claims also present a unique dilemma for business because on average, they are more than twice the cost of physical injury claims, involving significantly more time out of the workplace.

While that all sounds fantastic, exactly where do we begin?

Psychosocial hazards have been increasingly identified as the next real challenge to health, safety and well-being at work in all workplaces, regardless of size. Our workplaces do have a significant impact on our psychological well-being and a psychologically-safe workplace is the only workplace where people will speak freely, share new ideas and collaborate on projects.

Introducing ISO 45003

Enhancing retention levels

As ISO 45001 replaces the original AS/NZS 4801 and OHSAS 18001 standards for (OH&S) management systems, the world’s first international standard to address workplace psychosocial health has also been developed. It’s ISO 45003 Occupational Health and Safety Management – Psychological health and safety at work.

Staff attraction and retention can be one of the biggest issues faced by a business, particularly if there are skill shortages impacting on the sector. Workplaces with the highest staff retention levels are those that monitor employee engagement and workplace wellness levels. They also demonstrate:

This international standard provides guidance on the management of psychosocial risks in workplaces and the promotion of well-being at work, in conjunction with existing (OH&S) management systems based around the principles of ISO 45001. Focusing on PlanDo-Check-Act principles, ISO 45003 reinforces the importance of leadership commitment, effective governance, management styles, consultation, resources, and planning. It also identifies and manages psychosocial hazards that could be bubbling away just under the surface at any workplace if not effectively addressed.

• genuine concern for the health, safety and wellbeing of all people within the business.

• health and safety practices governed by dedicated policies, procedures and standards, consistently and fairly applied across the workplace.

• an unwavering commitment to psychosocial risk management practice within every level of the business.

Remember, success is not only measured by the results that we achieve but also how those results were achieved. What kind of workplace culture would you choose?  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Photo: Betty Seeney

High Reliability Organisations – from concept to reality

Susan Johnston, Program Leader Governance and Leadership in Mining, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland

O

ver the past year many companies with operations in the Bowen Basin have been grappling with the question of how to use High Reliability Organisational (HRO) Principles to make their mines safer.

This follows a recommendation in the Queensland Governmentcommissioned Review of All Fatal Accidents in Queensland Mines and Quarries that the industry 'adopt the principles of HRO theory in order to reduce the rate of serious accidents and fatalities'; and subsequent endorsement of the value of HRO thinking in the Queensland Coal Mining Industry Board of Inquiry into the Serious Accident at the Grosvenor mine.

External encouragement and companies' own commitments to ongoing safety improvement have driven a deep, and timely, reconsideration of the factors that need to change if we are to avoid further serious injuries and deaths in the sector.

HRO theory and principles are not new. For 30 years, researchers have endeavoured to distil what separates those organisations who, day after day, year after year, reliably keep their people safe in very hazardous circumstances - from the rest.

The best of this research identified that HROs were organisations who 'thought differently', who had a 'collective mind', and a 'shared sense of commitment to reliability' across units and levels.

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People, Safety and Health

As many industry leaders are now aware, these researchers also argued that HROs exhibited five core characteristics, often called 'Principles'.

In summary, HROs were seen as: • Sensitive to Operations – meaning they were interested in how their organisation actually worked, not how the organisational chart, or senior executives said that it was supposed to operate. HROs focused on identifying organisational barriers to change, removing silos, and improving communications.

• Reluctant to Simplify – HROs understood that some complex issues cannot safely be simplified. Where simplification was chosen, this was done very deliberately, and mindful of what could go wrong as a result.

• Committed to Resilience – these organisations built the necessary capability to both prevent incidents and respond to them quickly when they occurred, to ensure impacts were minimised.

• Deferring to Expertise – in HROs those with the most relevant knowledge were heard, and could have impact, regardless of where they sat in the organisational hierarchy.

• Preoccupied with Failure – an essential component of being a HRO is to be continually aware of the potential for error. In these organisations, small failures were tracked, analysed, and responded to.

It is worth noting that the researchers argued that all of these Principles were essential attributes of HROs. Being very good, even exceptional, in one area alone would not allow an organisation to become a HRO. For many Queensland mining companies wanting to follow through on the recommendations that HRO Principles be put into practice in the sector, the full package of HRO characteristics initially seemed too complex, and too vague, to implement. Perhaps unsurprisingly, some industry leaders have focused on what seems like the most familiar territory – enhancing efforts to report incidents; and learn from them. Introducing, or reinforcing, a genuine Preoccupation with Failure has become the priority.

There is a danger, however, that a singleminded focus on reporting incidents, while very worthy in itself, will divert attention away from the wholesale, multifaceted effort that is required to achieve higher organisational reliability in safety, environmental management, social performance, or many other aspects of company operations.

If, for example, poor internal relationships, excessive workloads, or conflicting priorities are not addressed – as they could be in an organisation Sensitive to Operations – incidents are very likely to continue to occur, even as we get better at reporting them.

Truly adopting HRO Principles requires us to invest time in organisational improvement in multiple ways. As a first step we need to understand, before any initiative is introduced or change is made, exactly what the current state of play looks like. In effect, as some companies have recognised, there is a need for a HRO baseline assessment allowing both areas of strength, and weakness, to be identified.

A reliable baseline assessment should answer some key questions.

Understanding whether, for example, an organisation is Sensitive to Operations might involve ascertaining whether there are any silos, conflicting priorities, poor interpersonal relationships, or unreasonable expectations that, in real practical terms, make it unlikely that organisational aims will be achieved.

Assessing whether a company exhibits Deference to Expertise might involve testing whether worker input is encouraged, welcomed, and acted upon, even when that input conflicts with a company's existing approach. Deciding whether an organisation is Reluctant to Simplify might require an examination of the extent to which simplification is seen as an end goal in itself; and of how often the potential consequences of simplification are thoroughly considered before change takes place.

A comprehensive HRO baseline assessment can provide companies with a solid foundation for a tailored HRO improvement plan. One of the fallacies in current discussions on HRO Principles is the argument that there can be one, standardised, journey to higher reliability.

In fact, as The University of Queensland's own engagement with Bowen Basin operators over the past year has affirmed, site and company needs will vary. For some, internal organisational issues of the sort the Principle of Sensitivity to Operations is designed to address are the most significant barriers to improvement. For others, inadequate attention to building capability, in line with Commitment to Resilience, is the core issue. Every company, and indeed, every site, is likely to have its own particular baseline and need its own particular improvement pathway.

What is a constant is the need for a certain kind of leadership. The early researchers noted that leaders in HROs were not only (or even primarily) focused on the work that needed to be done; they were most interested in the individuals doing the work.

Personalities, personal needs and interrelationships were factored into leaders' thinking about how a task could best be carried out. More recent research has recognised that unless leaders fully engage their teams; and unless a shared sense of what matters is developed; no amount of process change will succeed in facilitating the deep organisational shift the industry is seeking.

As the great scientist and thinker Charles Darwin told us more than a century ago, 'in the long history of humankind, [it is] those who learned to collaborate most effectively who have prevailed'. Understood deeply, actioned thoughtfully, and approached holistically, High Reliability Organisational Principles provide us with a means to prevail in the collective aim of achieving a stepwise improvement in safety and health in the Bowen Basin mining industry.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Commitment precedes performance: Your people hold the key to digital transformation Terry Henrikson, General Manager, Asia Pacific, Commit Works

A

s the mining industry continues to deal with disruption from the pandemic, mines around the world are adjusting in a still-uncertain environment to recover their business and scale quickly.

They’re implementing new protocols around worker safety and reimagining the “next normal” on-site, while navigating new parameters for the industry overall.

COVID-19 aside, the mining industry is being shaped by major trends which cascade top-down from productivity to commitment.

The industry is under pressure as resources become more scarce and harder to mine. Despite a recent profit boom, productivity increases are threatened by the challenge of managing complexity in scaled up operations with expanding workforces.

In a recent article, Bain & Company identified the essential role digital transformation plays in the four key objectives mines might have post COVID-19, and offered two critical next steps leadership teams must take to achieve them. The first is shoulder-to-shoulder leader alignment. The second is one I find most relevant in work we do with mines around the world: “making sure each business unit has the capability to deliver changes from the bottom up.”

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To mine leaders who are currently weighing their own organisation’s readiness to transform, three critical capabilities will determine the future success of any project: People, processes, and technology – in that order.

People: The humanity of every project Good transformation leaders recognise early there is ‘humanity’ in every project, and regardless of the critical technology, processes and procedures being implemented, people lie at the heart of successful change. The 70% failure rate of organisational change programs to meet their objectives connects back to how committed their people were to begin with. Unless change management is given an equallycritical status, the project will stall or worse, become little more than a costly venture that generates no real value to the business.

The 70% failure rate of organisational change programs to meet their objectives connects back to how committed their people were to begin with.

People, Safety and Health

Change begets opportunity.

For mine leaders grappling with transformations thrust upon them due to the pandemic, here are four guiding principles to keep in mind when gauging organisational readiness for transformation and the essential role your team will play in it: 1. Choose a partner who doubles down on change management.

In everyone’s best interest they will take an honest assessment of your organisation’s readiness for change and build out timelines accordingly. And when they timelines are longer than you think they should be, extend them. It is easy to get lost in the gloss of technology and charge ahead for the shortest timeline to save costs in the name of good returns. Resist the urge.

2. Change management is never done. Change is a must for companies of any size, industry or geography, and winning hearts and minds takes time.

Particularly in a COVID-19 world, when so much is in flux, transformation does not stop when the partner departs or the software is up and running smoothly. There will always be room for refining, improvement and tweaks. If you’ve chosen the right partner, they’ll be equally invested in your success long after the engagement has wrapped up. The project may be done, but the relationship shouldn’t be.

3. Start early. Once the need to change and destination have been identified, bring the entire impacted organisation along on the journey – even and especially if unknowns still exist. This is for two reasons: First, commitment precedes performance. Input from teams should be part of the process and can inform procedures and processes that will impact them later, driving better engagement and commitment. Second, speaking early and openly about the destination, the journey, and the still-unknowns, creates opportunities for leaders to listen, answer questions, and continually reinforce the essential role teams will play in the transformation.

4. Broaden the change agent/ champion bench. Alignment at the top is essential to drive the project. But so are nextlevel leaders, and champions throughout the organisation.

Successful organisations are driven by people who make commitments to each other and then deliver on them. Identify and empower a network of frontline change agents early to lock in behaviours aligned with continuous improvement.

They are part of the employee network colleagues rely on in their work.

Finally, make it visible.

At Commit Works, we’ve had the privilege of working with mine leaders on five continents, across multiple resource types and mining methods. Our frontline work management solution has helped to coordinate day-to-day work and organise a site, so time and again, we’ve witnessed projects not just succeed but thrive, lifting their performance significantly.

This has happened because mine leadership seized every opportunity to be visible – physically present – when discussing the project and its potential impact on the business and the team. So frequently, in fact, we believe it to be the best predictor of a transformation’s success. They took a bottom-up approach to link commitment to the project’s success. With visible leadership, expectations were clearly communicated and agreed, and their teams committed wholeheartedly to the project. Commitment preceded performance. Your people are the key to unlocking successful transformation. Make recognising the humanity at the centre of every transformation the first step you take.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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People, Safety and Health

Skills challenges reach boiling point

Brad Thompson, Senior Communications Advisor, AMMA

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aving a clear ‘full picture’ understanding of the everevolving skills landscape continues to be a critical challenge for Queensland’s mining employers, says the Australian Resources and Energy Group, AMMA. The disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified workforce and skills challenges for Australia’s resources sector – challenges the industry must overcome to successfully take advantage of future growth opportunities.

Forecasts suggest significant growth is at the industry’s fingertips. Earlier this year, the Department of Industry described the resources and energy sector as being on the verge of a “new growth cycle”, with $334 billion worth of new major projects in its investment pipeline.

At a national workforce level, AMMA’s forecasting reports identified 98 projects that are advanced in planning stages and could create over 100,000 jobs between now and 2026.

“This is why now, more than ever, the industry must be on the front foot to work through the complex challenges of skills shortages, both present and into the future,” AMMA Chief Executive, Steve Knott AM, said.

“Assessing and understanding the complexities of future workforce

demand is not only critical for employer and industry level workforce planning, but also in assisting government in directing skills and labour mobility initiatives.”

As the peak employer group for the resources and energy industry, AMMA has recognised the value that comprehensive skills reports can provide to employers.

In October the Group produced a new skills report, Resources and Energy Workforce, State of Play, collating insights, data and projections on key occupations for the mining, oil and gas and allied service industries.

It highlighted the level of disruption the COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted on long-established interstate FIFO practices, including significant migration of select occupations, including LNG operators and electronics trade workers, from the Eastern states into Western Australia over the past 12 months.

The report shows many occupations are presently in critical undersupply and are forecast to have continued strong demand to 2025. This includes Mining,

Petroleum and Civil Engineers; Building and Engineering Technicians; Structural Steel and Welding Trades; Chefs; and Human Resources Professionals.

“This report is a critical tool for one of Australia’s largest and most dynamic industries to understand the scale and complexities of labour market supply and shortages,” Mr Knott explained.

“Over the past two years, AMMA members in every subsector and resource region of Australia have reported that challenges in sourcing skilled labour is their greatest ongoing workforce-related issue.

“While resources investment and commodities demand are not at the level of the historic resources boom of 2002 to 2012, anecdotally members are telling us that skills shortages are today more acute than they have ever been.”

A number of complex, overlapping factors are to blame. Some skilled occupations, for instance mining engineering, have seen a long and sustained decline in university intakes and graduate levels.

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Other long-term challenges include attracting skilled workers into the regions, boosting apprenticeship levels in key trades and overall promoting the industry as an attractive place to make long-term life-changing career choices – the latter especially challenging in the face of anti-industry activism.

“We know it is a challenge that must be met head-on, collaboratively, by industry and government. Employers, peak industry bodies and state and federal governments are united in our desire to be well prepared for the workforce demands of this next phase of industry growth,” he said.

“Add to this the unexpected shock of the COVID-19 and the perfect storm has been created for skills shortages,” Mr Knott said.

“We must avoid a scenario where nationally significant mining projects are delayed by skills shortages, or competing for engineers, trades and skilled operators with the $100 billion worth of public infrastructure projects reportedly in Australia’s pipeline.”

“The pandemic has caused great disruption to Australia’s domestic labour market - border closures, lockdowns and general reluctance of skilled people to travel for work."

“In addition, Australia has always relied on a proportionately small but very important number of skilled migrant workers to supplement the national labour market. Without access to this pool of supplementary international skilled labour, Australian industries are cannibalising each other for talent – from operators and tradespeople to chefs, hospitality professionals and cleaners.”

Mr Knott said it was patently more clear than ever that securing the pipeline of skills to support future project growth will be a significant challenge.

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Queensland’s talent bleed Delving deeper into the report’s Queensland data and insights, it finds several developments and trends of interest for employers.

For example, in the engineering subsector, those in Mining and Petroleum are spread much more evenly between metro and regional areas compared to WA. Additionally, in the 12 months to August 2021 there was 40.7% growth, with 22.6% uptake in the five years to August 2021.

Regional analysis of Civil Engineering Professionals shows similar growth, with approximately 70% of these workers in Queensland located in the South-East.

In the Operations / Production space, Drillers, Miners and Shotfirers in Queensland make up 33.8% national share), dropping in the 12 months to August 2021 by 3.9% after rising nearly 30% in the five years to August 2021.

In the Chemical, Gas, Petroleum and Power Generation Plant Operators subsector, the 12 months to August 2021 saw an alarming 50% drop, compared to 14% rise for the five years to August 2021.

“The big challenge for Queensland’s mining industry, coming out of COVID-19, is that the associated border policies have resulted in a great deal of its engineers and technical production personnel relocate permanently to Western Australia,” Mr Knott said.

“For example, we estimate Queensland has likely lost around half of its LNG operators to Western Australia over the past 12 months.

“Even in construction, maintenance and electrical trades, Queensland’s talent pool has dipped by over one-third in the 12 months to August 2021.

“Addressing these skills issues is the number one threat to the ongoing growth prospects of Queensland’s mining and energy sectors.”

People, Safety and Health

Becoming an 'industry of choice' As skills shortages continue to bite, the resources and energy industry’s ability to attract and retain talent has never been more important.

Offering safe and diverse workplaces, while promoting the breadth of career options and benefits within the industry, will be vital to securing the skills required to fuel our enormous pipeline of project growth.

“Unless we rapidly transform into an industry of choice for school leavers and job-seekers, these skills shortages will be prolonged,” Mr Knott said.

“Not only is it a serious concern for employers, it will also leave an irreplaceable void in the many billions of dollars in revenues our industry delivers to state and national accounts, which fund public infrastructure and services, and support regional areas and businesses.”

While the solutions will be multivaried, Mr Knott points to two areas which have been under the microscope in 2021 – the industry’s track record on diversity and inclusion and promoting working environments and practices that are conducive to employee mental health.

“We want to get as many people into the industry, from all walks of life, as possible. And we want to ensure the sector has the right working conditions and focus on overall wellbeing, to keep those people in the industry,” he said.

“Improving mental health and wellness outcomes, building diversity and inclusion, and actively promoting the sector’s future, are all non-negotiables if we are to attract the next generation of resources and energy employees.”

Building and maintaining mentally healthy workplaces will require deep considerations to navigate the industry’s distinct workforce mental health challenges, including varying rosters, remote isolation and fly-in, fly-out working arrangements.

In particular, we need to better understand and work to overcome one the biggest factors affecting employees’ mental health at the moment the impact of the COVID-19 global health pandemic.

AMMA has been heavily involved in driving positive mental health outcomes across the industry, guided by its Mental Health Advisory Board comprising a range of industry executives and professionals.

“The physical and psychological safety of the people in our sector is the number one priority. There is strong motivation of industry participants to better understand mental health at work and the kinds of actions they could take to drive improvement,” Mr Knott said.

“In particular, we need to better understand and work to overcome one the biggest factors affecting employees’ mental health at the moment - the impact of the COVID-19 global health pandemic.”

“Many factors must be addressed to assist leaders and employees in the recovery from the impacts of COVID-19, such as maximising organisational productivity and improving their general wellbeing.”

Another significant focus for the industry in 2021 has been eradicating workplace sexual harassment from the sector.

This is both critical for safety and wellbeing, including mental health, but also to send a message to talented women that the industry is a suitable place for them to spend their careers.

Overall the industry is making slow, but gradual improvements in its female participation rates, with the LNG and ‘Metal Ore Mining’ sectors being the best performers but only recording a 2% increase in participation since 2016.

“With the level of women participating in our industry hovering around 16% for the past decade, stamping out the abhorrent instances of sexual harassment in resources and energy workplaces has been a key focus in our pursuit of attracting new female talent,” Mr Knott said.

“As an industry we must continue to explore contemporary best practice initiatives, collaborate on where the industry is making progress and where barriers remain, and develop future industry and government interventions.

“In line with employers’ relentless drive to stamp out abhorrent and inappropriate behaviours and cultures within their workplaces, we must drive accountability, new initiatives and cultural improvement across the sector.”  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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operational and technology trends Operational and Technology Trends Photo: Peter Turnbull

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Mining: creating positive legacies for regional areas David Moult, CEO, Yancoal

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he mining industry’s immediate and present benefits to regional areas are clearly and widely communicated. Mining is a critical generator of regional jobs, regional economic activity, and regional government revenue. This has been especially true in challenging times, such as throughout the COVID-19 pandemic or periods of prolonged drought. In these times, mining operations become an important economic lifeline for nearby communities as other sectors such as agriculture and tourism suffer temporary downturns. However, mining is not a ‘forever’ industry: mines inevitably close. What is often overlooked is the very real and lasting future legacies that mining companies can provide to regional communities and their economies after mining ends.

Long gone are the days when mining leaves behind scarred landscapes or abandoned mine workings. The industry recognises that it is merely a temporary steward of the land while resources are extracted. Part of the ‘whole of life’ mining process now requires careful and informed planning for post-mining land use, which requires consultation with environmentalists and ecologists, surrounding communities, and governments. In many aspects, the level of planning that contributes to the rehabilitation, eventual relinquishment and re-use of mined land is just as intensive as that involved in the mining process itself.

The aim is to leave beneficial and sustainable assets for the generations that follow.

There are many examples of how this has been achieved in varying forms across Australia, although the promotion of these achievements is usually the sole domain of industry groups and individual companies. Some recent examples include: Anglo American’s progressive rehabilitation since 2012 of its Dawson coal mine in Central Queensland, at which a 165-hectare area has now been fully rehabilitated and is being used by local farmers for cattle grazing; and the relinquishment of Lake Kepwari in Western Australia by Premier Coal, a Yancoal-operated mine, following the successful rehabilitation of an open cut coal mine into a recreational hub for water-skiing, wakeboarding, boating, fishing and swimming.

In some regional areas mining is just the latest (and in some instances probably the last) industry that will serve as a steward of the land.

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Operational and technology trends

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In some areas of the Gloucester Valley, where rehabilitated land is being used for grazing, local farmers often comment that the quality of the rehabilitated pasture is better and more valuable than it was prior to mining activity.

In some parts of the Gloucester Valley in New South Wales, the original industry last century was the logging of native forests, which was followed by dairy farming on the cleared land and finally, mining. On the conclusion of mining, the post-use intention is to return some of the land to native forest, therefore (ecologically) coming full circle. In some areas of the Gloucester Valley, where already-rehabilitated land is being used for grazing, local farmers often comment that the quality of the rehabilitated pasture is better and more valuable than it was prior to mining activity.

As the transition to a lower carbon economy advances, a very likely and inevitable use of post-mining land will be the transformation of rehabilitated mine sites into renewable energy

Image: Lake Kepwari after view

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hubs. Indeed, many mining companies are already actively assessing how their sites, often located close to critical infrastructure such as electricity transmission lines, could be converted to pumped-hydro projects or wind and solar farms (or a combination of all three) once mining ends. This outcome will be a win on three fronts: • for the sustainability of mining companies that pursue renewable energy business strategies into the future • for the climate • for the regional communities, which will benefit from a continuation of jobs and business opportunities, because another legacy for regional communities from mining should be skilled workforces and successful small businesses.

Mining provides people with careers and livelihoods, and communities with prosperity. Over the next few years alone, mining will create almost 5,000 new apprenticeships across the country. Many mining companies have policies in place to ensure these opportunities are prioritised for residents of surrounding communities.

In addition, many successful local businesses in regional areas with mining activity have been established to take advantage of the vast range of opportunities that the mines offer, from earthmoving, to cleaning, maintenance, and catering. You only have to visit the main street of a regional town like Mudgee or Blackwater to get a sense of the consistent economic activity that is generated just by the daily regulars who drop by for a coffee or a meal on

their way to and from work at the local mines.

The challenge of the future is to ensure that after mining ends, regional communities continue to prosper and take advantage of these positive legacies the mines have generated. If former mine sites are progressively converted to renewable energy hubs, it is not unrealistic to consider that these skilled local workforces and established businesses can benefit and be sustained from the jobs and services required for the construction phases of these projects and their ongoing operation.

Mining companies, communities and governments need to start having a conversation now to ensure regional areas can continue to take advantage of the lasting positive legacies that mining provides. 

Operational and technology trends

Changes and challenges in the Queensland Coal Industry – a Geologist’s perspective

Photo: Peter Turnbull

David Green, Chair, Bowen Basin Geologists Group

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hat has changed in the Queensland coal industry in the last 40 years? David Green has participated as a geologist over that time and for the last six years has been the Chair of the Bowen Basin Geologists Group (BBGG), which organises the Bowen Basin Symposium every five years. He has observed numerous developments over those years, including substantial improvements to safety in exploration and mining, shifts from manual recording and interpretation of data to the use of computer techniques, the increasing use of automation and remote techniques, as well as the changing attitudes towards coal. He reflects on some of those changes in this article.

The BBGG was established in 1985, the same year as the first Bowen Basin Symposium (BBS) was held. These were initiated as an opportunity for coal geologists working in the Bowen Basin to get together to share the latest developments and technologies, as well as to socialise with colleagues across the mine sites. The BBGG has long been recognised as the primary interest group for coal geoscientists and associated personnel who study, explore, evaluate and mine the occurrence of coal by

those who work throughout the Bowen and other basins in Queensland. The BBS is always a milestone event for presentation and discussion about the results of exploration, mine development and research undertaken in the previous five years.

After many years of operating as an independent, informal interest group, the BBGG became a part of the Geological Society of Australia (GSA) Coal Geology Specialist Group (CGG) in 2018.

Whilst the BBGG and BBS continue to operate in a similar manner, a great deal has changed since they started. We are all familiar with how the coal industry has changed from being seen as a reliable contributor to Australia’s energy sector, export earnings and job market, to being held 'responsible' for climate change.

Instead of community support, there is now increasing pressure being applied to every facet of a coal project, from financing to approvals to community attitudes, in order to stop mining and using coal.

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Rather than focus on those familiar changes, this article will explore three key challenges facing both geology and the coal mining industry in general: 1. Access to mine sites and sharing of information 2. Decline of teaching of geology and mining in our universities 3. The impact of new technologies 1. Limited access: reduced ability to visit mine sites and share information The BBGG was created by merging a couple of separate groups of geologists working in Bowen Basin coal mines from the northern Bowen Basin and from the Blackwater area. Initially, this was a small group of geologists who had sometimes literally met over the back fence for a chat. It developed into a group who would then meet every three or four months at a mine or in Brisbane to discuss a broad range of topics.

These regular meetings have provided significant professional development opportunities, stimulus for research and development, and great networking opportunities for everyone.

However it has become increasingly difficult to access mine sites for these meetings. Safety and other concerns about sensitive information being shared with competitors have limited movement and access to interesting and significant geological features for a group of 30-50 geoscientists to inspect and admire. Everyone has benefitted from the sharing of challenging geological conditions and how they were investigated and dealt with.

2. Skills and supply: the decline of teaching of geology and mining in our Universities The number of geologists and mining engineers entering the resources industry has always fluctuated with the boom and bust cycles of commodities. However, over the last few years we have seen a fundamental change in this supply and demand fluctuation, as well as changed attitudes towards mining. As a result, we have seen tertiary institutions in Australia remove teaching of geology and engineering subjects and reduce numbers of teaching personnel. This has generally been in response to reduced demand, exacerbated by the lack of overseas students and consequent

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diminished funding. The decline appears in part to be a product of the disconnect between commodities people use every day, for example, electricity and steel, and recognition for where enablers for those commodities, like coal, come from.

Combined with increasing negative perceptions of mining, students are less inclined to take up geology and engineering subjects, which is now likely to have a significant impact on their availability for the whole resource industry. Companies already have to employ geologists and engineers from overseas. Conversely, high salaries and a long and varied work life remain attractive.

The BBGG and CGG are investigating more options for providing specific training courses in coal geoscience for early career geoscientists, but this does not fully address the lack of interest by students to become geologists or the availability of tertiary teaching. Companies which mine and utilise coal especially need to educate school students, encourage them to take up a career in engineering and geoscience, and provide meaningful support to universities.

3. Hands-on vs. computer-based work: the impact of new technologies Forty years ago, geological maps were hand-drawn and the evaluation of a deposit was a manual process.

Downhole geophysical logging was in its infancy and other geophysical methods had limitations. Since then, the development of computers and increasingly powerful software has enabled the easier and faster modelling of geological features and, consequently, the estimation of resource volumes and quality. More detail can be collected and utilised, meaning more data for input to increasingly complex estimation methods and models. Improvements to geophysical and remote sensing surveys have increased understanding of geological and other features that are hazards to safe and productive mining.

Other techniques have provided more tools for the coal geologist to understand the variability in a deposit and better predict key parameters.

The BBGG has been at the forefront of supporting R&D, and was instrumental in the establishment of ACARP. It continues to encourage and support ACARP projects with biannual seminars to enable transfer of knowledge from

researchers to practitioners as well as providing direction for future initiatives.

The 2021 BBS (now being held in March 2022) includes a number of papers on machine learning and a timely discussion about automation. These tools are likely to require different skills and approaches to those required 40 years ago and have the potential to further remove geologists from being ‘hands-on’ with the rocks.

However, until tools and techniques are sufficiently developed to accurately determine critical coal quality and physical parameters remotely, it will continue to be necessary to drill boreholes to obtain suitable samples.

What’s next for geology in the Bowen Basin?

Reduced access to mine sites, limited engagement with interesting and important geological features, and increased impediments for company geoscientists to share basic information about their mine or project have decreased opportunities for professional development, shared experiences, and greater understanding of the geological environment we work in.

All geoscientists need to share their passion for understanding how the earth works and its relevance (especially with secondary and tertiary students), as well as highlighting the varied and interesting jobs that are available.

Many geologists were attracted to the profession by the idea of learning about the earth, the diversity of study areas, opportunity to work outdoors, and the chance to be hands on with the rocks. As our industry introduces more remote data acquisition, interpretation and automation, as well as increasing limitations on direct measurement of geological features, we may continue to see a decline in geoscientists wanting to work in resource exploration and extraction. A different set of skills and training will be required in an increasingly digital world.

Whilst there have been many changes over the last 40 years, the BBGG and the BBS will continue to provide the forums and support for geologists studying, working and researching in Queensland’s coalfields and beyond, for as long as there is a coal mining industry here - which we expect will be for many years yet. 

Legislation

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY FOR EFFECTIVE MINE REHABILITATION Mapping closely to rehabilitation completion criteria, DENDRA SYSTEMS provides a holistic view of ecosystem restoration and management.

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Drone Highwall Mapping: Unlocking the next level of safety and accessibility on your mine Christopher Clark, Director, Rocketmine and CEO, Delta Drone International

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ach year across the globe, highwall failure is responsible for numerous fatalities and injuries.

Miners understand that safety is implicitly bound to productivity. However, building a culture of safety goes beyond simply documenting a company’s commitment to safety or “treating safety as a purely armslength, procedure-driven activity”.

Often, this approach overlooks the potential benefits offered by technologies that can contribute on several fronts; most importantly, in saving lives.

The exponential growth in adaptable drone technology has the capacity to unlock unparalleled safety and production benefits across all mining activities. This is particularly true in highwall mining, where inaccessibility means continuous surveying and mapping is crucial in mitigating safety issues.

In its 2019 response to a highwall fatality, the Queensland Mines Inspectorate recommended that, “sufficient geotechnical data for safe pit design is collected, analysed, interpreted, and communicated” and that Open Cut Supervisors, “carry out thorough inspections of pit walls looking for signs of potential strata failures”.

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difficulty in assessing the state of highwalls and resources needed to effectively conduct slope stability monitoring. Nevertheless, the words are a sobering reminder to the industry of the burden on geotechs, supervisors and mine owners to constantly consider and reassess their responsibilities.

Due diligence as a routine practice, not only prior to new exploration or expansion, is essential to providing teams with all geotechnical tools necessary to ensure the safety of staff and sustain production.

Drill and blast make highwall sites volatile.

Acquiring the most accurate and current data is vital to safe practice because it’s impossible to mitigate risk if you don’t know it’s there.

This is where harnessing the power of drone technology truly delivers.

The capability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to fly at close quarters or ‘Beyond Visual Line Of Sight’ (BVLOS) gives them a versatility to explore inaccessible areas and provide real-time data for critical decision making.

Drones can accurately map the face of highwalls while keeping personnel safely out of harm’s way.

Operational and technology trends

Further, flying at low level altitude enables high resolution data collection for greater image accuracy, and the density of information capable of being accumulated by drones far outweighs the traditional methods of data gathering, making it considerably more efficient and cost effective.

With a drone’s capacity to capture high resolution images or provide data points every two or three centimetres, teams can identify everything; from current safety risks to potential future development.

The impact of a 2019 project undertaken

by Rocketmine on a highwall operation at a Namibian open cast uranium mine illustrates how the data collected enabled the client to improve and maximise outputs leading to a safer operation.

Initially engaged to run test flights on a highwall of geotechnical concern to complement radar and prism systems and physical onsite inspections by staff, the unprecedented speed and valuable data gathered during the drone flights exceeded the client’s expectations.

At the mine, where face approach was a critical risk control, drone imagery provided a close-up view of a highwall, close to 300 metres, identifying hazardous features with the potential to lead to incident or injury. The drone also proved an extremely useful tool for post-failure assessments. Data capture enabled generation of 3D models, allowing geotechs to anticipate modes of failure, especially those occurring on inaccessible benches. The models also helped to determine whether further failures might be imminent in the same area.

The highwall mapping project was first and foremost focused on ensuring the safety of mine workers, while also looking to reduce downtime at the mine and deliver cost savings. In the light of situational awareness delivered by the drone technology, projects previously shelved due to inaccessibility issues were dusted off and reconsidered. Visual interventions and accurate, point cloud data collection provided insight and efficiency gains at the site.

The captured data created the opportunity for georeferenced 3D meshes to be created via the appropriate software and used to map rock structures on the entire exposed face, whether accessible on foot or not. The ability to record these structures is crucial for kinematic analyses of pit slopes and therefore critical to the overall safety and stability of the mine.

An additional benefit emerging from the operation enabled the client to maximise accumulated drone data to build information flow between different mining departments to improve the quality of blasting and mining practices and achieve the highest level of highwall stability and conformance. Arming various departments – Drill & Blast, Load & Haul and Geotech - with the same critical data at the same time created an information loop that linked the departments to ensure a unified approach to continued improvement.

Continents away, Australian highwall miners will recognise the same dilemmas. The pressures to mine economically, safely, and sustainably are the same for Bowen Basin miners as for their African counterparts but the case study highlights how the technology can help support growth and safe practice.

Global recognition of the power and versatility of UAVs and BVLOS has meant that investment in the technology, both its production and uptake, has grown exponentially. This growth also means that the initial uncertainty about the early drones has given way to strong confidence in what they can deliver.

The reticence to spend on a technology that might become quickly outmoded has also receded as customers recognise that drones deliver fast, accurate and reliable data in a format of their choice. With more financially-viable options from drone service providers who are keen to tailor packages that help companies troubleshoot, there is now a reliable resource at their fingertips which is proven to deliver improved safety and productivity; giving Australian miners the opportunity to protect their most important assets – people and product.  BBMC Yearbook 2021

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Supporting miners to net zero emissions Rod Saffy, Global Head of Mining, Aggreko

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he energy market is undergoing significant change marked by a strong shift to renewable energy, and discerning METS companies are taking significant steps to support miners on their respective journeys toward achieving net zero carbon emissions. Some of the ways these companies have already innovated include:

• Turning waste gas into power • Adding battery storage and solar power to existing fleets • Finding creative ways to reduce generator emissions Some of the renewable power technologies and fuels available today offer the same – if not better – levels of reliability and competitiveness than traditional thermal technology.

During the next few years, METS companies will increasingly need to lead by example, setting their own emissions targets (if they have not already), and ensuring their own vehicle fleet and equipment are prepared for the energy evolution of e-fuels, hydrogenready engines and fuel cells.

It’s important that investment in new technology is a core part of a company’s values and actions, as new innovations will be critical for the mining industry’s clean energy revolution.

The mining industry in Australia is moving forward with its commitments. On October 1, 2021, The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) confirmed the industry’s ambition 110

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to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in support of the goals of the Paris Agreement – a statement the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) endorsed. The QRC supports the Paris Agreement and its reductions goals to limit global warming to well below 2°C – preferably to 1.5°C – compared to preindustrial levels.

Here are just some of the pathways that miners can embark on in the short term to reduce their emission targets.

• Remote microgrid for mines Grid connection is not always available as mining companies are forced to push new frontiers of exploration due to scarce resources. To reach those resources, mines are increasingly being established in offgrid locations and their lifecycles can vary, meaning it is no longer always financially viable to build permanent power infrastructures to service the mine. Instead, remote mines are now utilising scalable microgrids that can evolve with the lifecycle, improving flexibility and efficiency. These microgrids also offer an independence from the grid that can often result in a cost-effective solution that doesn’t compromise on reliability. Whether it’s a

Case study example: Offgrid renewable power station Aggreko has started construction of an off-grid renewable power station for Gold Fields in Chile at their Salare Norte mine.

That station will be about 4,500m above sea level and is located 190km from the nearest town. Our engineers are creating a unique offgrid hybrid power solution, comprising of diesel and solar.

We estimate the mine will experience $7.4 million in energy cost savings across the 10 years, which means we have become a major investor and partner at the mine.

• Hybrid power plants Hybrid solutions combine renewables with thermal generation and battery storage, and benefit miners in locations with limited or no access to permanent power. Hybrid power plants provide customers with flexible and reliable solutions that are cost competitive.

Once solar or wind plants are installed, running costs to generate are relatively low and at zero emissions. But unlike thermal generation, wind and photovoltaic (PV) are variable power sources.

Battery storage strengthens a mine’s grid by buffering the impact of fluctuating power demand and supply. At the same time, generators’ lifespans are increased and there is a decrease in costs associated with operations and maintenance (O&M) as they are being run less often and more efficiently.

With a modular solution, power can be scaled up or down depending on the mine’s needs.

Case study example: Granny Smith mine Aggreko has worked closely with Gold Fields at their Granny Smith mine in Western Australia to successfully transition to a renewable energy plant, which at the time included the installation of the biggest offgrid renewable microgrid in the world. Aggreko installed a 28MW gas-fired thermal power station, an 8MW solar farm and a 2MWh battery energy storage system. This was all engineered, procured and constructed by Aggreko and is run as independent power to Gold Fields.

• Virtual gas pipelines Gas power generation offers a greener and more costeffective alternative to diesel and heavy fuel oil, however, not every mine has an existing gas pipeline they can leverage.

Even where a gas pipeline exists, insufficient supply during peak periods may cause issues. A virtual pipeline is a substitute for a physical pipeline where gas that would typically be conveyed through a conventional gas pipeline is instead transported as LNG or CNG to the point of use by sea, road or rail. Where no gas pipeline or grid connection exists, the gas virtual pipeline enables natural gas to be used as primary fuel for power generation using our modular generators. In addition, a virtual pipeline can provide back-up fuel where natural gas pipeline capacity is limited.

For mines that aren’t connected to a physical pipeline and looking to switch to gas from diesel, the virtual pipeline model simply imitates their current supply solution. For users who are connected to a gas pipeline but are looking to supplement insufficient or unreliable pipeline capacity, the virtual power plant solution has

Operational and technology trends

thermal, renewable or hybrid, a mine’s power strategy needs to address capacity and how this is likely to change throughout the lifecycle of the mine.

several advantages over diesel as the system is simply using stored natural gas to augment pipeline natural gas and can use the same delivery system.

Case study example: From diesel to virtual gas pipeline In Western Australia, Aggreko has assisted a miner to move away from diesel without a significant capital outlay. We built a worldclass gas plant at Ora Banda Mining’s Davyhurst Gold Mine, which is about 150km north of Kalgoorlie. The LNG station project helps the miner get closer to its net zero emission targets and uses a virtual pipeline of gas trucked more than 650km.

It is expected to slash the miner’s carbon emissions by 25,000 tonnes in the first five years of operation.

The power station is highly efficient, scalable and very suitable for transient loads and for the introduction of solar at a later stage. With flexible contracts and no capital outlay for the miner, Aggreko can upgrade the technology and scale the level of power the mine needs as it evolves. We currently operate five virtual gas pipelines on mining projects in Australia (2), Spain (1), Canada (2) and have started commissioning our sixth in Chile. All are about 6-10 MW projects and use LNG or CNG gas trucked over a distance of 500-1000 kilometres.

• Hydrogen Investment in hydrogen as a fuel is on the rise because of the role it can play in supporting a global transition to net zero. Its versatility and compatibility with existing furnaces, engines and generators make it particularly appealing for the mining industry. Until recently though, using hydrogen was thought to be BBMC Yearbook 2021

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too tricky, risky and expensive for it to really take off as it was challenging to transport and store. That’s all starting to change now, with large-scale investment and growing interest meaning hydrogen is finally on the cusp of becoming truly viable. It’s important not to look at hydrogen as a direct replacement for oil, coal or gas, or a direct competitor to wind and solar, but to find applications where the unique properties of hydrogen give it a technical and commercial fit.

Hydrogen also offers a useful alternative source of electricity; one that isn’t subject to the availability issues of weather-dependent renewables like solar and wind. Hydrogen production and refueling can happen around the clock. Fuel cells provide a constant power supply for generators and other equipment. It can also be fed as raw fuel into large-scale engines, creating a way to supply temporary, off-grid power.

As the technology improves, powering modular generator units with hydrogen power could allow off-grid users to scale up their local power production into entirely clean, on-site, temporary power plants. All of these suggest exciting possibilities for decentralised power that is not reliant on the grid.

Importantly, green hydrogen, or hydrogen fuel created in plants using entirely renewable energy sources, is becoming increasingly viable. Along with efficient hydrogen storage and transportation, this is the only way to ensure hydrogen is considered a sustainable renewable source.

Case study example: Hydrogen As well as being an energy carrier, hydrogen is used to create several clean-burning, synthetic fuels. We are already able to use hydrogen-based e-fuels within some of our existing fleet and are accelerating our investments in hydrogen technology. Our first hydrogen power generation units, developed in conjunction with our clean technology partners, have been piloted in field trials in the Netherlands.

• Other power sources Energy sources likely to become more prevalent in mining in the next few years include: 112

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o Biofuels: Biofuels, including ethanol blended fuels and biodiesel, are made from vegetable and animal products whereas petrol and diesel are made from nonrenewable resources like crude oil.

While using biofuels is not new, as technology advances, biofuels are expected to become less expensive and provide a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. o Wind power: Electricity generated from wind turbines is a source of renewable energy on mining sites.

Wind power takes advantage of unused land on mine sites and is used to augment the energy supply when the wind is blowing. o Hydropower: Miners already generate a substantial amount of their energy from hydropower.

Further developments in microturbine technologies are likely to provide opportunities to recover energy from gravity flow liquid systems within a mine. This will generate more renewable energy. o Solar energy: Energy generated by the sun is an effective way of integrating renewable energy at mine sites, particularly at mines with large amounts of unused land. o Energy storage: Battery energy storage systems (BESS), pumped storage, and electro-mechanical flywheel energy storage have the potential of being incorporated into a mine’s microgrid. The technologies help to level demand by reducing peak loading and storing excess energy generated from renewables. o Gas: There is an increasing trend for miners running on diesel to convert to gas. There is also no reason why mines cannot add a solar power system, battery storage and wind power, or any other renewable you might find, to the arrangement. Gas generation systems can run with hybrid renewables too.

Other new technologies being experimented with across industry include mobile wind solution, re-deployable solar panels, and tidal wave power.

Increasingly, as mines electrify and need more power, miners are needing energy on their sites provided as a service.

A collaborative future The world’s reliance on power – particularly renewables – will grow significantly in the next 10-30 years.

Investing in long-term power stations will be considered higher risk for mining companies when technology is evolving so rapidly. Increasingly, as mines electrify and need more power, miners are needing energy on their sites provided as a service. Miners are increasingly wanting hybrid solutions which use a combination of power options such as diesel, gas, solar and battery power. They also want that power to be scaled up or down and upgraded as needs change or new technology comes online.

For these reasons we are seeing greater collaboration between the energy and mining sectors. Partnering with an energy provider can bring about many benefits. What this might look like is a power company becoming an investment partner at a mine for the whole life of the project, or for part of the project. The energy provider would take care of the power, monitoring and all the technological upgrades as they come online, while the mining company focuses on its core skill which is mining.

This type of model de-risks the threat of future innovation and technology for miners and frees up working capital for profitable uses without increasing the debt ratio for mining projects. Modular power also gives miners the ability to leverage innovation at low risk and not be concerned about having sunk capital or ageing equipment.

It’s a very exciting time in the mining sector, and it will be amazing to see the innovations presented during the next few years as some of the industry's best minds collaborate for a greener future. 

Operational and technology trends

The critical role of interoperability in mining automation Jeff Sterling, Managing Director, Universal Field Robots

I

n Australia, the resources sector is a critical sector, responsible for an estimated 10% of our GDP and contributing to almost 35% of Australia’s GDP growth in 2019.

Photo: Peter Turnbull

Advanced digital technologies are enhancing – and in many cases revolutionising – equipment, processes, planning and execution to enable more productive, safe, and cost-effective mines.

The remoteness and vast distances between resources operating sites and difficulties related to technology connectivity and integration present considerable challenges for the industry. This has accelerated Australia’s push into robotics and automation, particularly over the last decade.

Automation, digitisation, and integration initiatives are at the forefront of most mining companies’ technological roadmaps. Interoperability is a necessity for the success of these initiatives and can only be solved using collaboration and communication in order for the mining industry to build an interoperable future.

According to the Global Mining Guidelines Group, interoperability is the ability of two or more systems, components, or processes to exchange contextualised information so that they can act on this information to achieve business and operational outcomes. Mining equipment and systems interoperability is a high priority for the international mining community.

Universal Field Robots has been heavily involved in interoperability in mining automation, running robotic machines on the surface and underground, within different jurisdictions and diverse corporate cultures. This presents varied and unique challenges.

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Given the numerous Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) active across global mining operations, the ability to develop machine-agnostic autonomy solutions is critical to enable integration with numerous brands, such as Caterpillar, Komatsu, Bobcat and Kubota. Autonomy applications can be created by configuring a machine and attachment combination to complete specific tasks, such as loaders, mobile radio coverage and specialised handling activities.

Interoperability is challenging, as it is required to exist on multiple levels.

At the first level, integration with the machine to monitor health and capability such as battery voltage, fuel level and sending alerts to the operator is needed.

A further level of integration involves various sensors that are required to deliver robotic functions, and a third level of integration is the robotic machine with the mine infrastructure for communications, security, GPS adjustment and data curation.

A next level challenge is the interaction of multiple vehicles, robots, people, and systems. Collision Avoidance Systems (CAS) are pushed forward with a new ISO standard 21815 part 2 and are applicable for an operator in the seat but it is still early days as to how interoperability is achieved with robotic machines.

Communications are very much at the core of interoperability. This is handled by different layers, protocols, and application software. A Pandora’s Box of possibilities exists, including CAN J1939, TCP/UDP, profisafe and websockets. The complexity is daunting, but the magic happens with the clever application and configuration of software realising surprising new capabilities and outcomes.

We have recently been working on a project to deliver teleremote and autonomous capabilities for ancillary tasks in an underground mine block cave automation area. This involves autonomy being integrated into both a Bobcat S770 and Caterpillar 262 loader to provide options for mine operators. The loaders must be interoperable with the mine systems, such as traffic management and be controlled from a control station in a common surface control room.

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Functional safety is a key requirement, and it was necessary to implement safety critical communications over propriety systems and develop our own safety critical communications protocol.

This better suits mobile equipment and interoperability and can be implemented more readily on mine sites. In more basic terms, this means that when the control room operator presses stop, the loader will stop as designed and will meet functional safety requirements.

Autonomous mining equipment, such as drills, require constant communications.

Given the remoteness and distributed nature of most mine sites, potential reduced or failed connectivity risks costly downtime. A new solution to this challenge is an autonomous teleremote tracked machine that acts as a radio point of presence. Robots can drive to a location on the mining bench to support autonomous drills. At the required location, the machine establishes a high bandwidth microwave data link with the mine network and extends a tall mast to rebroadcast radio coverage to the drills.

When a blast is scheduled, the machine can drive from the control room to a safe place away from the blast. Safety surveillance is an additional potential use case for these robots, where machines are fitted with a pan tilt zoom camera on the mast, allowing remote control room operators to observe activity from a high vantage point and ensure the safety and security of their drilling machinery and operations.

On a more future-facing horizon, developments will advance persistent autonomy. We have been collaborating with other METS companies and investigating digital twin simulation for earth movement, which will be used to create discrete commands to control robotics and scan, monitor, and map new mine surfaces. The intent is to compare the created work with the digital twin plan and use AI to update the planning settings.

In this way, autonomous operations can be orchestrated reliably at a high level and achieve increased levels of consistency and independence of operation. This has the potential to become version 4.0 of fleet management.

Future scenarios will be demonstrated with the aim of controlling all machine activities on the mine and minimise the need for operators to be in the loop to achieve persistent autonomy.

The novelty of these challenges is absorbing much discussion with mining and robotics cross-functional teams.

Seemingly simple things like symbols are potentially challenging, by needing to convey meaning to operators with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Introducing automation requires re-engineering processes and workflows and a high level of attention to human factors. We have created a granular development process to evaluate the new ways of doing things and to map human interaction with the system and the Graphical User Interface (GUI). Success will be determined when operations begin, and only minimal changes are requested.

Advanced digital technologies are enhancing – and in many cases revolutionising – equipment, processes, planning and execution to enable more productive, safe, and cost-effective mines.

Interoperability is a requirement for maximising the capabilities and benefits of mining automation, digitisation, operational integration, and data analytics initiatives and can be a huge innovation driver. It is the most critical component in achieving an industry 4.0 operating model.

UFR is continuing to develop new applications to accelerate adoption and customer benefits, which have led to four product releases this year alone.

Enhanced capabilities and new customer requests can be developed on one site and then rolled out to sites around the world to quickly spin up new benefits.

What we are now seeing with digital transformation in mining is tremendous, with stranded value being unlocked that can be harvested by savvy and progressive organisations.

As more mining companies pursue digital transformation initiatives, the need for industry-wide interoperability has become very urgent. It is, however, difficult to solve. Are you up for the challenge? 

Operational and technology trends

Reliable wireless networks in mining

Nigel Slater, EVP Business Development, 3D-P

T

echnology plays a vital role in keeping operations competitive.

As mining applications get more and more sophisticated, reliable wireless networks are essential in optimising their benefits and supporting the higher capacity requirements.

LTE (Long Term Evolution) and Wi-Fi technologies have been prevalent in mining for a number of years now, but each have their own limitations, pros, and cons. By using innovative tools and technologies, hybrid networks can enhance connectivity beyond any single technology and eliminate significant limitations. These innovative wireless concepts are becoming a reality and could be the way of the future for mining wireless networks.

The Challenges: Wi-Fi vs LTE, blackspots and highwalls For many years now, miners have used unlicensed Wi-Fi spectrum to allow connectivity between mining vehicles, applications servers, and operators. The spectrum (2.4GHz and 5GHz) is free and available to anyone who wants to use it, and industrial grade Wi-Fi radio equipment is readily available with plenty of choice in terms of technology and products.

The difficulties of these types of mining networks are mainly in interference and network density; that is the number of access points (APs) and supporting infrastructure (such as solar trailers) required to keep mining applications working.

In terms of interference, as the Wi-Fi spectrum is unlicensed, there is often a risk that the miner’s network will be interfered with by someone else’s network. This can create ongoing headaches for miners as application performance is degraded due to a suboptimal network caused by interference.

Photo: Peter Turnbull

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The image below shows the planned LTE coverage over a given area of a mine.

Also, due to the non-deterministic nature of Wi-Fi (you can’t always tell how the network will perform based on things like noise and client device contention at any given moment) and its relative inability to achieve high data rates over long distances, there is a need to have a highly dense network. That equates to many APs for connectivity to a given number of clients over a given coverage zone. The result is lots of solar trailers that must be maintained and moved regularly.

When the government regulator (ACMA) allowed miners and other private businesses access to the LTE spectrum, it offered an alternative to Wi-Fi networks. LTE is licensed and therefore protected from interference. It can also be designed for capacity based on throughput, uplink, downlink, latency, and client density (the number of mining vehicles in a given area, in this case). The higher the network capacity required, the higher the network cost to achieve it.

LTE client devices on mining vehicles connect to the LTE base station.

LTE also offers a less dense network in that each LTE AP can provide connectivity to a far greater area and number of client devices than an equivalent Wi-Fi AP. This becomes particularly appealing to miners, as it means less solar trailers to move and maintain.

LTE isn’t all good news though - there are a number of downsides. As mining progresses, pits become deeper and dumps become higher, and resulting blackspots appear. With fewer mobile solar trailers available to move and cover the appearing blackspots (relative to Wi-Fi), there is quite often a difficult choice to make over what area you lose coverage in, to then gain it somewhere else. Moving a Cell-On-Wheels (COW), which is a more expensive unit than Wi-Fi trailers, requires more attention and skill due to the intricacies of LTE. Personnel trained and experienced in LTE are also difficult to find, and the technology is significantly more complex than Wi-Fi based technologies.

Over time, the dumps grow higher, and the working face continues to move with mining. The coverage provided by the LTE Tower is no longer available in part of the mining area, due to changing terrain which now blocks the link. This is a common occurrence on a mine site.

A Hybrid Solution One promising solution that overcomes the constraints and issues of both Wi-Fi and LTE technologies is a hybrid network that combines Wi-Fi-based meshing and LTE. Wi-Fi mesh differs from simple Wi-Fi in that all mesh radios can connect to any other mesh radio within line of sight, creating multiple paths of data routing.

Here’s an example of how a hybrid network operates.

On initial deployment of an LTE network, the equipment is fixed to multiple locations such as towers and other available infrastructure, including COWs or cells-on-wheels.

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In a traditional LTE only network, the operator would need to rely on moving a COW.

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As mentioned earlier, moving the COW is resource-intensive and can come at the cost of lost coverage in its previously deployed location. Furthermore, under ACMA’s requirements, a license amendment needs to be made each time the COW is relocated. Mine sites with current LTE networks estimate this costs about $5,000 in fees and resource every time a COW is moved – representing significantly more effort and cost than moving a small Wi-Fi trailer.

The following images show how simply a hybrid network solution attends to both scenarios. The first shows a small low-cost solar trailer providing in-fill coverage where mine movements have blocked LTE coverage. Data connections are made by Wi-Fi mesh from the vehicles in the LTE blind spot to a mesh solar trailer (orange link) which is then connected via industry standard Cambium Point to Multipoint link (blue link) back to the tower.

Hybrid Benefits – getting the best of both worlds Hybrid, or heterogenous networks offer a number of benefits to miners: • Filling in LTE coverage holes that are created as mining progresses • Increasing LTE network capacity Enhanced Coverage Our hybrid client device (mounted on a vehicle) that can operate on both LTE and Wi-Fi mesh networks presents two simple, flexible, and efficient ways of dealing with coverage holes.

The image below shows a broken link or coverage black hole to one vehicle in an area of the mine where coverage has degraded over time. Nearby is another vehicle that can connect to the LTE base-station. The hybrid client device with connection to the LTE tower also provides a mesh communications path to the vehicle that, in a traditional LTE only network, would be unable to transmit or receive data.

The second example is where the magic of some meshing technologies like Rajant Instamesh come to life. In the following image the in-place LTE network is hitting capacity issues that results in an experienced loss of application performance. There is no quick way of either understanding why the applications are not performing or the ability to do anything about it with a traditional LTE network.

By using mesh solar trailers, the meshing technology’s ‘cost’ measurement allows the individual client devices to determine the least-cost-route for the transmission of data. If the LTE is reaching capacity the data will automatically be routed to the small supporting Rajant network thus alleviating pressure on the LTE network. Consider it to be a pressure valve for the LTE network.

Each potential link, be it LTE or mesh, is automatically optimised for maximum performance without any manual intervention.

A second and more powerful way to leverage the hybrid technology is using a small number of mesh network nodes (think Access Points), typically several small highly mobile solar trailers.

Enhanced Network Capacity When LTE networks can’t deal with any increase in data, or the number of connected clients, this is called hitting capacity ceiling. This can be very difficult to fix in a traditional LTE network and can occur for many reasons.

Firstly, the density of fleet can increase dramatically as mine plans or other externalities occur. Shutting down operations in a pit and moving diggers and auxiliary equipment into another pit can see client density and throughput requirements increase substantially. Additionally, miners often look at enhancing operations by bringing in supporting technologies like additional IP cameras, new applications, etc. A traditional LTE network cannot be altered easily to adapt to these capacity changes. To do so often requires high cost and skills that miners do not have internally.

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Rather than viewing different network technologies as competing either/or choices, with their individual pros and cons, the time has come to look at combining them in ways that enhance performance and ultimately make the life of our miners simpler. 

Mining Services directory Mining Services Directory

Photo: Betty Seeney

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Mining Services Directory ACCOMMODATION & BUILDINGS

Civil Contractors

Civil Contractors

Civeo is a leading workforce accommodation specialist. Whether we're operating our own villages, or our customers' villages, we provide a comfortable place to rest and relax while living and working away from home. With villages conveniently located in Coppabella, Moranbah, Nebo, Dysart, and Middlemount we're where you need us.

A proud Queensland-owned company, ALLROADS have amassed over 19 years' experience in civil construction. Our clients benefit from our integrated multidisciplinary approach to delivering projects across the mining, commercial building, transport and urban development industries. We offer a diverse range of earthworks, road and concrete construction, water, wastewater, electrical and surveying solutions.

On Country Roads Civil & Mining provides civil construction, recruitment, resourcing, and cultural heritage management solutions.

When choosing On Country Roads Civil & Mining, our clients have the knowledge that they are supporting the growth, development and upskilling of Indigenous communities and businesses, and are championing diversity in the civil construction, mining and defence industries.

www.allroads.net.au 1300 255 762

www.oncountryroads.com.au 1800 845 116

Civil Contractors

Construction

Construction

SPA are 100% Australian-owned. The SPA Mine Haul Road Solution: 90% Reduction in dust 85% Reduction in water consumption 18% Reduction in operator fatigue 15% Reduction in Tyre Wear 22% Increase in production 7% Reduction in rolling resistance. Delivers cost savings, less downtime, less fuel, more margin.

DBS operates across Central Queensland and surrounding areas in resource, civil and commercial sectors. We are the preferred supplier for all your community infrastructure solutions specialising in the rural and mining industries. -Building and Construction Recruitment and Labour Hire -Plant and Equipment Hire - Grounds Maintenance

For over 40 years, we have been providing specialist maintenance and construction solutions for the resources, energy and infrastructure sectors. Taking a multidisciplinary approach to deliver safe, on time, cost effective solutions for blue chip clients around Australia and internationally.

www.stabilisedpavements.com (07) 4412 0100

www.dbsqld.com.au 1800 327 753

Construction

Drill and Blast

Electrical Services

iCutter Industries is an Australian-owned and operated Indigenous business that services the drill and blast mining sector on the east coast of Australia from Mackay. We have over 30 years' combined exploration and mining drilling industry experience and specialise in supplying, refurbishing, and recycling fixed cutters and other drilling consumables.

iConductix Wampfler are world leaders in Power and Data Transmission Systems. We have supplied solutions to the resources sector in Australia for over 30 years. We design, manufacture, supply and service cable reelers, festoon systems, conductor bar systems, as well as HV and LV slip rings, radio remote controls and buffers.

www.icutterindustries.com 0448 184 443

www.conductix.com (07) 3902 6000

www.civeo.com 1300 622 222

Waste Water Works are specialists in potable and waste water treatment facilities along with planning, design and install of septic systems.

We travel to remote areas across Queensland, installing and servicing systems to comply with ERA Permits. We are equipped to deal with all levels of sewage treatment upgrades. www.wastewaterworks.com.au (07) 4774 2525

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www.walzgroup.biz (07) 3367 0344

Mining Services Directory Electrical Services

Engineering Products & Services

Environmental

Pedros Underground Cable Protectors has supplied mines in Queensland and NSW since 2009. Our high-quality Fras Cable Protectors are used for shuttle car and HT cables underground and above ground and has proven to be robust and versatile for universal application. Interested? Call Jason Petta to talk about the full range of safety innovations available.

Aletek is a leader provider of heavyduty exhaust systems, thermal insulation blankets, emission control (DPFs), and sound suppression solutions. From design to manufacture, we provide innovative solutions for the mining industry. Aletek strive to be recognised as a global leader dedicated to improving safety and efficiencies.

With 85+ years of research, product innovation and expertise Hach offers cutting edge solutions for water quality and analysis.

Manufactured and distributed worldwide, Hach systems are designed to simplify analysis by offering sophisticated on-line instrumentation, accurate portable laboratory equipment, highquality prepared reagents, complete easy-tofollow methods, and life-time technical support.

0421 277 434

www.aletek.com.au 1300 886 628

www.au.hach.com 1300 887 735

Environmental

Environmental

Environmental

Hall Water & Tailings is an Australian-owned company providing dredging, slurry and water management, rehabilitation and civil construction services to the mining and heavy industrial sectors. Our team possesses extensive experience in tailings management and working within highly regulated environments, and works with clients to customise safe and effective solutions.

METServe provides approvals, mine closure, terrestrial ecology and environmental management solutions to mining and energy proponents. We have a 20-year track record of successful approval project management under State and Territory legislation and the Commonwealth EPBC Act. Contact enquiries@ metserve.com.au and follow us on LinkedIn.

Xylem is a leading water technology comcpany committed to 'solving water' by creating innovative and smart technology solutions to meet the world's water, wastewater, and energy needs. In a world of ever-growing challenges, Xylem delivers innovative water technology solutions throughout the entire cycle of water.

We solve your water challenges.

www.hallwaterandtailings.com.au +61 7 5445 5977

www.metserve.com.au/core-team/ 1300 078 518

www.xylem.com/au 13 19 14

Equipment & Services

Equipment & Services

Equipment & Services

Our Wellmaster layflat hose is the trusted choice for hoses. Manufacturing for 221 years, our hose is preferred because our clients know that every metre of hose undergoes numerous quality assurance tests, coupled with our unwavering commitment to excellence.

Applied Resolution Technologies is your primary source for IECEx Certified laser products.

Australian owned and manufactured, leading the field in semiconductor laser products since 1991. Products include CM-guidance, fibre optic testing, and soon to come - laser range-finding.

Contact us for special requirements to meet your mining applications.

Aquirian Limited (ASX:AQN) is a provider of integrated services, people and products to the mining and resources market. The Aquirian Group includes TBS Mining Solutions (ancillary and underground mining equipment, including Collar Keeper System), TBS Workforce (recruitment agency), MagLok (explosives storage solutions) and Modular Training (RTO 51694; shotfiring courses).

www.angusflexiblepipelines.com.au (07) 3256 7624

www.appliedresolution.com.au (02) 6645 8868

www.aquirian.com (08) 6370 5400

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Mining Services Directory Equipment & Services

Equipment & Services

Equipment & Services

Energy Power Systems (EPSA) Rental Division provides short or long-term rental solutions for Power Generation, Temperature Control and Compressed Air equipment. Emergency, Temporary, Commercial, Remote Power and Cooling solutions for a range of of projects from large multi megawatt power stations and cooling packages through to individual units.

The Ezy Group of companies consists of Ezy Vehicle Rental, Exy Mechanical Towing, EL Flexible Signs and Ezy Sign Solutions. We specialise in mine-spec vehicle rentals, fleet maintenance and mining and safety signage for mining and allied industries. Find us in Mackay and Moranbah.

GreaseBoss verifies industrial machinery is greased correctly. GreaseBoss track and trace technology verifies each manual greasing on a per-point basis, ensuring the right grease, the right volume at the right time. GreaseBoss Endpoints can be used to monitor and manage auto lubrication systems, giving you confidence your machinery is greased correctly.

www.energypower.com.au 1800 800 441

www.ezygroup.net (07) 4952 6555

www.greaseboss.com.au (07) 3186 0203

EQUIPMENT & SERVICES

EQUIPMENT & SERVICES

We have repaired and serviced hydraulics in NQ for over 25 years. With 40 years-plus experience, we're supported by some of the largest hydraulic companies in Australia. Our workshop includes an air-conditioned clean room for motor, pump and valve repairs. We also stock a wide range of hose fittings and adapters. Email hayhyd@bigpond.net.au

Kelair Pumps is committed to providing solutions, technology and innovations-based pumping equipment for industry. Offering a comprehensive selection of world renowned, high-quality pump brands, wide range of pump types and first-class customer service along with ongoing support and routine service maintenance packages. When Pump Knowledge Matters, you can rely on Kelair.

www.haywardhydraulics.com.au (07) 4783 5550

www.kelairpumps.com.au 1300 789 466

EQUIPMENT & SERVICES

EQUIPMENT & SERVICES

EQUIPMENT & SERVICES

SEW-EURODRIVE is a global designer, developer and manufacturer of mechanical power transmission equipment, systems and motor control electronics. Our integrated solutions include geared motors and gear units, high-torque industrial gear units, high-efficiency motors, electronic frequency inverters, servo drive systems and decentralised drive systems. We offer complete engineered solutions and after-sales technical support/training.

An Australian owned and operated company for over 30 years. Superior Industrial supplies standard or custom designed Pump Pontoons, Gangways, Floating Walkways, Platforms, Pipe Floats and Pipe Collars for mining/ quarrying, dewatering/ water treatment, oil/ gas and dredging industries. Expertly designed and built to suit any application and comply with international standards.

www.sew-eurodrive.com.au 1300 SEW AUS

www.superiorindustrial.com.au (07) 5594 8211

NQ Water sells, designs, installs, hires and maintains water-related equipment for the industrial, commercial and mining sectors. Backed by a fully equipped workshop, with testing facilities up to 500L/S. NQ Water provides a full range of products from leading suppliers. We also design, supply, and manufacture poly pipe fabrication work and provide auditing services for pumping equipment, pipeline and water management procedures.

NQ Water on time and on budget. www.nqws.com.au (07) 4952 2252

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EQUIPMENT & SERVICES

Martin Auctioneers and Valuers is a family-owned and operated business providing valuation, sale and auction campaigns throughout Australasia of: - Fixed plant; - Mobile plant and light vehicles; - Spare parts, consumables and minor equipment.

Please get in touch for information on our services and an obligation free quote. www.martinauctions.com.au 0413 411 499

Mining Services Directory EQUIPMENT HIRE

EQUIPMENT HIRE

EQUIPMENT HIRE

FleetCo is a global dry hire heavy mobile equipment provider. Whatever your challenge, we can help with quality machines, service, and support packages that go the distance. At FleetCo, relationships come first. Whether it's a one-off deal or a long-term partnership, we're here as your business partner.

Larsen's Air Conditioning Hire specialises in confined space cooling requirements and also general HVAC backup. Based in Rockhampton with fully compliant equipment, and supported with modern facilities, we can meet all your requirements. We offer 24/7 support in CQ for power stations, gas, refineries and mining.

We are a specialist B2B equipment rental management business. We have over 30 years of experience with 490+ employees across 35+ branches and targeted co-locations in the mining, industrial and construction markets. Our branch networks enable our nimble approach to fulfil rental plant and machinery requirements wherever your next shutdown, turnaround or project is located..

www.fleetco.com.au 1300 089 354

www.larsenhire.com.au 0448 818 466

www.onsite.com.au/ 134 040

Fabrication

Government & Council

Heavy Machinery / Equipment

Weldlok has served the Bowen Basin for 65 years, fabricating and supplying aluminium and steel products to meet industrial, civil, infrastructure and architectural needs. As design and fabrication specialists, Weldlok produces durable and high-quality grating, handrail, flooring and drainage solutions for projects of all sizes. We're proudly Australian-made and owned.

Mackay Regional Council is a big supporter of the resources and METS sectors. Our Economic Development team is committed to facilitating development and investment in the region, and is an ideal first point of contact for general business enquiries or for companies looking to expand or relocate to the region.

Hastings Deering is the exclusive distributor of CAT Equipment, technology, parts and service throughout Queensland. We offer the broadest range of mining solutions for both surface and underground mining. We believe our people are our advantage; our workforce is diverse and powerful and it's our differences that make us truly understand our customers.

www.weldlok.com.au 1800 935 935

www.investmackay.com 1300 622 529

www.hastingsdeering.com.au 131 228

Heavy Machinery / Equipment

Heavy Machinery / Equipment

Heavy Machinery / Equipment

CEA is proud to distribute leading capital equipment brands- JCB, Atlas Copco, Ditch Witch, Dynapac and Komptech. Providing extensive sales, parts and service support, CEA supplies a diverse range of equipment to a wide range of industries. These include mining, infrastructure, construction, agriculture, government, defence, and recycling.

JSG Industrial Systems provides access to SKF and Lincoln Industrial Lubrication Systems across the Asia-Pacific. With unmatched technical knowledge and drive for quality engineered systems, JSG has been delivering its products and systems to the Bowen Basin through a network of local distributors servicing the mining and industrial sectors.

Martin Auctioneers and Valuers is a family-owned and operated business providing valuation, sale and auction campaigns throughout Australasia of:

www.jcbcea.com.au/ 1300 788 757

www.jsgindustrial.com 1300 277 454

- Fixed plant; - Mobile plant and light vehicles; - Spare parts, consumables and minor equipment.

Please get in touch for information on our services and an obligation free quote. www.martinauctions.com.au 0413 411 499

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Mining Services Directory Heavy Machinery / Equipment

Heavy Machinery / Equipment

IT & Technology

Mining & Construction International provides quality equipment and parts to the mining and construction industries worldwide. We can provide alternative sourcing of new, used and reconditioned equipment and parts depending on your requirements and budget through many reliable international contacts. We strive to establish long term relationships with our clients.

SBK Solutions specialise in delivering customised products and asset management services for the mining industry. Following our fit-for-purpose principles, we work with our synergy partners and clients to achieve best results. SBK is a trusted provide of Shermac Service Vehicles, Mine Payload Technologies (Payload Scanning), and ChromeGuard, all backed up by our finance and hire solutions.

4PS Software takes you from error-prone spreadsheets into a real-time cloud-based software that manages people, plant, procedures and processes. Automated notifications, equipment registers, training matrix and maintenance management. Australian developed software. 4P Mobile for Digital Inspections, Incident Reporting, Timesheets, Change Management, Risk Assessment, Training, Meetings, Observations, Permits and more.

www.macint.net +356 7965 5366

www.sbksolutions.com.au (07) 3075 6893

www.4ps.com.au 0417 789 681

IT & Technology

Lubrication & Fuel

Lubrication & Fuel

Damstra, a global leader with the Enterprise Protection Platform, keeps your people prepared and equipped, your workplaces safe and productive, and your assets and information delivering the highest value while protecting your business from unforeseen risk. This comprehensive platform helps you maximise performance, safety, and profitability by enabling you to orchestrate across all your disparate sites.

Chevron Australia Downstream delivers quality fuel products across Australia. We deliver products to the mining and resources, agriculture, construction, transport, marine bunkering, aviation and other industries. We also manage and operate three seaboard import terminals, and operate or supply a network of more than 360 retail locations primarily under the Puma brand.

East Coast Lubes is a Strategic Distribution partner for Mobil™ lubricants.

ECL supplies quality Mobil oils and greases to industrial, mining and power generation facilities throughout Queensland, available from small pack sizes right through to bulk oil and grease deliveries in a fleet of specialised delivery vehicles.

www.damstratechnology.com 1300 722 801

www.australia.chevron.com 1300 723 706

Lubrication & Fuel

Lubrication & Fuel

Maintenance & Repair Services

GreaseBoss verifies industrial machinery is greased correctly. GreaseBoss track and trace technology verifies each manual greasing on a per-point basis, ensuring the right grease, the right volume at the right time. GreaseBoss Endpoints can be used to monitor and manage auto lubrication systems, giving you confidence your machinery is greased correctly.

JSG Industrial Systems provides access to high quality fuel flow management equipment including meters, pumps and nozzles from worldleading brands such as Kobold, ALL-FLO and Flomax. JSG has been delivering its products and systems to the Bowen Basin through a network of local distributors servicing the mining and industrial sectors.

Berendsen Fluid Power Mackay are Australia's leading hydraulics company, with over 30 years' experience providing quality hydraulic solutions for the mining, civil and construction industry. We hold a large range of Hydraulic Service Exchange Cylinders and offer comprehensive hydraulics services - from cylinder overhauling to custom design, engineering and more.

www.greaseboss.com.au (07) 3186 0203

www.jsgindustrial.com 1300 277 454

www.berendsen.com.au (07) 4999 5400

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www.eclubes.com.au 0429 631 562

Mining Services Directory Maintenance & Repair Services

Maintenance & Repair Services

Maintenance & Repair Services

Performance Under Pressure

At Coxons Group Australia we supply, repair and overhaul radiators and cooling componenents. We minimise equipment downtime with innovative solutions, including nosecone exchange and sesrvice exchange. This unique service dramatically reduces downtime. We send a fully assembled nosecone module to your site while the used module is returned to us for overhaul.

FMS Group is a major maintenance and shutdown provider across Queensland. Our specialist divisions include Field Services - PM and repairs on all fixed plant and electric rope machines. Diesel Maintenance - PM and repairs on all diesel hydraulic machines. Projects - Shutdowns and construction. Workshop Offsite fabrication, repairs and overhauls.

www.coxonsgroup.com.au 1300 120 468

www.fms-group.com.au (07) 4952 6557

Maintenance & Repair Services

Maintenance & Repair Services

Maintenance & Repair Services

NB Industries deliver tailored on-theground solutions to get your sites, machinery, and vehicles working at full capacity. From fleet management to onsite networks and remote power grids (and everything in between), we offer the greatest range of support to the mining and resource sectors in Australia.

Royal Equipment are specialists in electric drive mining equipment.We're committed to customer service and satisfaction. Whether you need a complete re-manufactured machine or fleet support through our Service Exchange program, we have the expertise, inventory, and facilities across Australia to provide timely and very competitive supply options..

SMW Group is Central Queensland's leading one-vendor solution for heavy equipment, fleet maintenance, repair and rebuild services. Our design, engineering and fabrication innovations will save your project time and money. We're ideally located in Rockhampton and Mackay for swift response to Bowen Basin sites, or to work on your project in our modern, expansive workshops.

www.nbindustries.com.au 0422 814 546

www.royaleq.com (02) 4932 4525

www.smwgroup.com.au 1300 SMW GROUP

Parts & Accessories

Parts & Accessories

Professional Services

EagleXP is an importer and supplier of machinery components, spare parts and industrial products for companies operating in the mining and civil construction industries. We also stock and create custom service and repair kits specific to your fleet that deliver convenience, cost saving and speed of fulfilment.

RIMEX is a world leader in the custom manufacture of off-road wheel and rim assemblies, with primary markets in mining, forestry, agriculture and industrial equipment.

In addition to wheels and rims the company now dominates in tyre pressure and temperature monitoring with TyreSense. RIMEX is also a distributor of BOTO Tyres 25" to 35".

We manage assets! At Asset Management Australia we help our clients achieve their business objectives through collaboration and personalised solutions. Providing a broad range of multidisciplinary professional services across diverse market sectors, AMA is committed to securing a sustainable future for our business partners with a strong focus on new technologies, economic viability and diversity.

www.eaglexp.com.au (07) 3217 0050

www.rimex.com.au (07) 4952 5585

www.ama.net.au 0409 470 386

McElligotts was founded in 1954 creating a 60-year track record of experience in asset protection. McElligotts has developed and grown to become one of the largest privately-owned protective coating contractors in the Australian coating industry. McElligotts have fostered a reputation of providing consistently high service and the finest quality finishes. www.mcelligotts.com.au 0403 665 729

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Mining Services Directory Professional Services

Professional Services

Professional Services

Black Owl Design is a pioneer on the Queensland scene. Good design takes skill but great design takes understanding and consideration. We take the time and care to understand your business, target market, and the results you want to achieve. Offering affordable graphic design, branding, websites and digital solutions with exceptional customer service.

Burdekin Printers specialise in in-house commercial printing, all office stationery, safety equipment and signage, inkjet and laser printers and cartridges, office furniture, business signage, plan printing, stickers, design, booklet production, t-shirt printing and much more. Your one stop shop! Call us for a free quote! See www.burdekin.officechoice.com.au

Construct Health delivers physiotherapy, injury management and prevention and wellbeing services to mining countries across the Bowen Basin, Mackay and beyond. With 14 years of direct coal industry experience, plus construction, oil and gas experience, Construct Health works with its clients, applying latest technologies to deliver enhanced health and injury outcomes.

www.blackowldesign.com.au (07) 4942 8994

113 Edwards Street, Ayr QLD 4807 (07) 4783 4044

www.construct-health.com.au 0422 181 187

Professional Services

Professional Services

Professional Services

Helping businesses have brand confidence with clear and consistent branding through strategy and visual identity. Through *strong foundational* design, together we create a business brand that you AND your customers can connect with. Branding that you’re truly passionate about putting into the world and an identity that holistically represents what you do.

Martin Auctioneers and Valuers is a family-owned and operated business providing valuation, sale and auction campaigns throughout Australasia of:

Please get in touch for information on our services and an obligation free quote.

Mine Super is an industry super fund committed to the retirement outcomes of our members and being a trusted partner in the communities we serve. Turn to Mine Super for award-winning super and pension products, financial advice and insurance tailored for workers in the mining and supporting industries.

www.kingstcreative.com.au

www.martinauctions.com.au 0413 411 499

www.mine.com.au 136 463

Professional Services

Professional Services

Professional Services

Premise has been involved with the resources sector since 1975. We're experienced in the planning, design and documentation of resources and port infrastructure. Includes haul roads, environmental dams, power systems, process elements, water management, ecological and structural audits, mine rehabilitation and camps.

Branches in Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Gladstone and Brisbane.

PRIMED Global provides independent technical advice, study, project and asset management services to the exploration, resource, power generation, LNG and infrastructure sectors.

We specialise in high quality services and resolving complex issues by understanding the relevant technical, compliance and commercial considerations, and then developing and delivering integrated solutions.

www.premise.com.au (07) 4829 3660

www.primedglobal.com.au 0455 742 995

Get ready for the brand confidence and clarity you’ve been looking for.

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- Fixed plant; - Mobile plant and light vehicles; - Spare parts, consumables and minor equipment.

The team behind Strategic Mining Communications have years of experience in creating relationships between key mining industry businesses and stakeholders. With the ability to help you present your business (through websites, capability statements, events and more), our specialty is getting you in front of the people who matter. www.strategicminingcomms.com

Mining Services Directory Professional Services

Professional Services

Professional Services

Are you working in coal and having issues obtaining finance? Stratum Capital are finance specialists for the resource sector.

We work with lenders, specialist funds and capital markets that support: - SMEs and corporations in the coal sector - Asset Finance - Working Capital Sale and Leaseback - Hire to Buy (OPEX Solutions)

Specialising in commercial and industrial photography and video. With almost four decades in photography, journalism and magazine production, I know what it takes to make a statement. Whether it's updating your corporate image, freshening up your online presence or creating an image library, I'lll tell your story through images with impact.

West Insurance Brokers is a locally owned Insurance Brokerage operating from Yeppoon & Rockhampton, servicing all of Queensland.

We deal in all genera insurance products, specialising in mining and commercial insurance.

Contact us for an obligation-free quote.

Email sapphire@westinsurance.com.au

www.stratumcapital.com.au 1300 504 069

www.turnbullphotography.com.au 0409 387 336

Recruitment & Training

Recruitment & Training

Recruitment & Training

Global Product Search (GPS) is a highly regarded, Queensland-owned company specialising in People, Products & Training Solutions, with emphasis on supplying civil and mining operators, trades and white-collar professionals. Our customer and clientbased employment strategies, supported with a competitive industrial instrument ensures GPS is the employer of choice for you.

Kickass Women connects and supports womens' careers. We offer industry education, preparation, networking, and mentoring.

We're a work in progress providing learning environments that not only teaches the what, but more importantly the how to. Services include individual coaching, cohort learning, access to industry advisors, specialists, and virtual self-paced micro lessons.

Optimised Mining are industry leaders in preparing candidates to pass Queensland coal statutory legislation exams through unique interactive coaching and leveraging learning techniques. Courses on offer for Queensland include the Site Senior Executive (SSE), Open Cut Examiner (OCE), Underground Deputy and Underground Mine Manager (UMM 1st and 2nd Class).

www.globalproductsearch.com.au (07) 4952 5244

www.kickasswomen.com.au 0427 291 440

www.optimisedmining.com 0429 059 171

Recruitment & Training

Recycling

Safety & Security

Our industry-linked STEM Education brings industry into communities and provides career pathways into STEM-related jobs. Our handson learning programs give kids an insight into fields which encourage future careers in STEM. Give back with outreach to the communities that support your industry. Our immersive engagements enables stronger connections between your brand and communities. www.stempunks.com.au (07) 3289 5092

Raw Metal Mackay offers total scrap metal site recovery services, from oxy cutting to commercial clean-ups including transportation to our Paget yard. Free scrap metal pick-ups included, or deliver directly.

www.westinsurancebrokers.com.au 0428 531 688

We buy all scrap metal including heavy machinery, coppers, cars, electric motors, aluminium and stainless steel, whitegoods and lead batteries.

Bollé Safety, the global brand for eye protection since 1888. We design and manufacture glasses and goggles for industrial compliance. Since the introduction of the exclusive PLATINUM double-sided anti-scratch, anti-fog lens coating, Bollé Safety has been at the forefront of industrial eye protection, becoming synonymous with quality, comfort and style.

www.rawmetalcorp.com 1300 028 922

www.bollesafety.com.au 0487 221 308

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Mining Services Directory Safety & Security

Safety & Security

Safety & Security

Motorola Solutions is a global leader in public safety and enterprise security. Our long term experience in mining and resource industry and our solutions ecosystem including mission-critical communications, video security and access control, and command centre software, bolstered by managed and support services make communities safer and help organisations stay productive and secure.

Muster Fire Suppression Systems introduces innovation into the fire suppression industry with leading-edge technology for automatic detection and actuation. Muster is a preengineered system designed for environments where superior performance and innovation are consistently demanded. Made available by JSG Industrial Systems, Muster is capable of monitoring mobile mining equipment 24/7.

SHOWA is a private, family-owned Japanese glove manufacturer established in the early 1950s. We own 58 patents and employ more than 6000 people through our global network. Being self-reliant in all we do, we own and operate nine global production facilities and specialise in the design and manufacture a large range of safety gloves.

www.motorolasolutions.com (03) 9847 7500

www.musterfire.com 1300 277 454

www.showagroup.com/au-en 0418 330 075

Safety & Security

Safety and Security

Transport & Logistics

With more than 125 years' experience, Wormald is the specialist in fire safety.

Operating in over 35 locations and with a large local presence in the Bowen Basin and Mackay Region, Wormald is the perfect choice when it comes to fire protection of your assets. For more information, visit our website or call our friendly team.

Greyhound Resources provides superior tailored bus services for the mining and resources sector, as well as community organisations, moving around 6 million people in seven key regions across Australia annually. Part of Kinetic, one of Australia's leading bus networks, Greyhound Resources sets a new standard with reliable, safe and comfortable bus services.

United Safety are market leaders at installing & maintaining Mobile HME fire suppression systems. All mining solutions include: - Located in Mackay, servicing the Bowen Basin region 24/7, - Comprehensive after-sales service, - Robust ERP system to track and monitor your fire equipment - Bulk Fluorine Free Foam.

Email us at sales@ussc.com.au www.unitedsafetycorporation.com.au 1800 424 889

Want to be seen in next year’s directory?

Express your interest now by emailing yearbook@ bbminingclub.com Photo: Betty Seeney

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www.wormald.com.au 0408 438 687

info@greyhoundresources.com.au 1300 304 199

Performance Under Pressure

Specialists In Radiators, Aftercoolers & Oil Coolers SERVICING A DIVERSE RANGE OF INDUSTRIES Mining Agricultural Heavy Haulage Rail

1300 269 667 MACKAY

ROCKHAMPTON

Industrial Power Generation Automotive Underground Mining

coxonsgroup.com.au

NEWCASTLE

SINGLETON

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SAFER. SMARTER. THE PAKKA JACKS LIFTING SYSTEM IS PACKED AT EVERY STAGE OF THE LIFT. MITIGATING THE RISK OF UNCONTROLLED MOVEMENT.

From 165 tonne to 2200 tonne, Pakka Jacks lifting systems offer a huge range of capabilities across a broad spectrum of applications for hydraulic excavator and mining equipment maintenance, including but not limited to:

• • • •

HEX shutdown Slew bearing change out Hydraulic shovel maintenance Track frame removals

HEAVY MACHINERY GLASS REPLACEMENT

CYLINDER OVERHAUL, MANUFACTURE & EXCHANGE

ENGINE, GEARBOX & SWING BOX REMOVAL

SLEW BEARING REPLACEMENTS & MACHINING

GENERAL MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL SERVICING

BOLT REPLACEMENTS & SUPPLY

SADI CONDITION MONITORING SYSTEM PAKKA JACKS LIFTING SYSTEM

UNDER CARRIAGE COMPONENT CHANGE OUT

TRACK FRAME REPLACEMENTS & COMPONENT SUPPLY

TEL 07 3426 3800 PAKK AJACKS.COM 130

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