VOA新闻杂志2023--Mining Companies Consider Renewable Energy

Mining Companies Consider Renewable Energy

Mining companies produce important metals needed to build electric car batteries and solar panels.

Devices called smelters process the rock and minerals so the metal can be purified and sold to manufacturers. The work requires a lot of energy.

The advisory¹ business McKinsey & Company says mining operations produce between four and seven percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions². Those are gases released into the atmosphere that some scientists say are warming the planet.

Some of the companies that use mined materials include Apple, Hyundai and Mercedes. Those companies are now putting pressure on mining companies to use less energy. Many of those companies have environmental, social and governance, or ESG, commitments. The ESG commitments require companies such as Apple and carmaker Volvo to choose materials that are made in a less harmful way when possible.

Some mining companies are thinking about how they can change their business methods to use less energy and create less pollution.

The pressure is changing the way mines in Indonesia, Chile and Canada operate.

On the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, the Brazilian mining company Vale runs its smelters using hydroelectric power instead of diesel³ fuel. The hydroelectric power comes from three dams the company built years ago. Vale now says it can reduce its carbon dioxide by over 1 million tons per year. The company says its greenhouse gas emissions are down by one-fifth since 2017.

The smelter in Sulawesi produces 75,000 tons of nickel each year. The metal is used for batteries, electric cars and many machines used around the home. While the company runs the smelter on hydroelectric power, other machines still require coal power.

The demand for metals such as nickel and cobalt is rising as more people drive electric cars and use solar panels to power their homes. But as new mines open and active mines increase operations, environmental activists⁴ wonder if the mining companies can continue to reduce pollution.

Activists say pressure is important to get industries to create less pollution. In Chile, mines that produce copper⁵, lithium and other materials use some energy from solar farms. In Canada, the Raglan mine in the far northern part of Quebec produces nickel with the help of wind power.

Michael Goodsite teaches civil and environmental engineering at the University of Adelaide in Australia. He said the mines that are moving away from diesel fuel are setting a good example.

"How they move from fossil fuel operations to other energy sources can and should be learned from by others," he said.

In Indonesia, President Joko Widodo has pushed for his country to develop its own industries. One of those industries is mining. Indonesia is the world's largest producer of nickel and Vale recently signed a deal for a $4.5 billion processing center. Some of the investment came from Ford⁶, the U.S.-based automaker.

Ford is concerned about how its materials are produced. Ford official Christopher Smith said the company can "help ensure that the nickel we use in electric vehicle batteries is mined ... produced within the same ESG standards as...our business around the world."

But mining companies may not be able to change fast enough for people worried about climate change.

Coal is used to power some of Vale's metal processing in Indonesia. Febriany Eddy⁷ is chief of Vale Indonesia. She said the company plans to change from coal to liquefied natural gas. Experts say the gas is not as bad as coal.

Eddy said it is the best current choice. The company believes better options may not be available for 15 to 20 years.

She said she could wait for the perfect solution, or she can work with natural gas saying, "it is a transition, only." Eddy said natural gas will reduce emissions by 40 percent.

Some climate activists say natural gas still produces methane⁸ and carbon dioxide, which, they say, hurt the environment.

But Eddy said Vale can save money in the long run by producing its own energy in Indonesia. She said hydroelectric power reduces the company's carbon emissions and also permits the company to save money. "We are no longer that (vulnerable) to fuel and coal costs – because we have hydropower," she said.

Some products will still be made by businesses that are not making energy changes Goodsite, the university professor in Australia, said when asked about China.

He added that some of the changes will come because businesses want to reduce their energy use. However, he said change will happen if people, who he called "end users," who buy cars and mobile phones and other products choose to buy things made from different materials.

And he said people have to be ready to pay a lot more for these new products. "We all need to be prepared to pay a significant premium⁹ for that," Goodsite said.

Words in This Story

battery –n. a device that stores electricity and provide direct electrical current

solar panel –n. a device that turns strong sunlight into direct electrical current

smelter –n. a machine that melts rock that contains minerals to purify the mineral or metal

greenhouse gas –n. a gas believed to trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere

commitment –n. a promise to do something

ensure –v. to make something likely to happen

vulnerable –adj. easily hurt, harmed or weakened

premium –n. something with an added cost compared to a regular cost

1 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

2 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

3 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

6 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

7 eddy   

n.漩涡，涡流

参考例句：

• The motor car disappeared in eddy of dust.汽车在一片扬尘的涡流中不见了。
• In Taylor's picture,the eddy is the basic element of turbulence.在泰勒的描述里，旋涡是湍流的基本要素。

8 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

9 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。