Welcome to the latest issue of MINE Australia.
This month, we consider some of the biggest technological innovations in Australian mining, from a number of perspectives. We begin with a look at a 22-strong consortium, bringing together industry leaders from across the country, which aims to decarbonise Australian mining and hasten the adoption of electrification across the sector.
We consider the potential of such an initiative, and ask whether the combined financial and logistical might of these companies could help them collectively achieve that which is beyond the means of a single company. However, with few binding rules in place to prevent competition between the partners, and each firm ultimately being motivated by self-interest beyond altruistic principles, how long will this alliance hold, and what lasting impacts could it have on Australian mining?
Elsewhere, we ask where Australian miners are investing in digital transformation, and profile some of the cutting-edge practices and patterns in the industry, as mining becomes increasingly reliant on digital processes. We also consider the cloud in particular detail, and consider how miners are adopting cloud storage as a way of shouldering the logistical burden for a sector under increasing pressure from the sheer volume of data it collects.
We also speak to Business for Development about its mine rehabilitation work in Africa, and see what Australian companies can do to help minimise environmental damage, and ask how miners are dealing with waste and tailings, unfortunate necessities of the mining industry that have the potential to affect the environment long beyond the lifespan of a single mine.
For all this and more, read on.
JP Casey, editor
