TOWARD SUSTAINABLE MINING

This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) argues that the mining industry represents a significant, untapped opportunity for gigaton-scale carbon emissions reductions. It highlights that while mining is inherently energy-intensive, the transition to renewable energy is now economically viable due to falling costs of solar PV and wind, which can replace expensive diesel generation at remote sites and reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-dominated grids.

• The mining industry is a massive energy consumer, accounting for between 1.25% and 11% of total global energy consumption, depending on the source. In 2014, global energy consumption in the mining industry was nearly 1,400 Terawatt hours (TWh), a figure comparable to the total energy consumption of Spain in the same year.
• Mining operations are often carbon-intensive because they are frequently located in remote areas without grid access, forcing a reliance on expensive and polluting diesel fuel. Even grid-connected mines often rely on electricity mixes dominated by fossil fuels.
• Significant opportunities for decarbonization exist through the electrification of mining functions. Except for trucking, almost every mining function—including shoveling and the on-site movement of minerals—can be electrified. RMI estimates that the average mine in the United States could convert an additional 30% of its existing energy load to electricity.
• Renewable energy has become cost-competitive with fossil fuels due to dramatic price drops since 2009, with the global levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for onshore wind falling by 66% and solar LCOE falling by 85%. This allows mining operators to hedge against fuel cost volatility and lock in competitive prices for up to 25 years.
• Sub-Saharan Africa serves as a critical testbed for renewable integration in mining due to its severely underdeveloped power sector. IRENA reported that solar PV additions in Africa exceeded 800 MW in 2014 and 750 MW in 2015, with the potential to reach over 70 GW of solar PV capacity by 2030.
• Transitioning to sustainable mining provides 'social license to operate' and community benefits, including job creation in energy services and the potential for mines to act as energy suppliers to local grids. In Chile, where the mining industry consumes 38% of all national electricity, such a transition would significantly help the country meet its national target of 20% renewable energy by 2025.
• There is a vast gap between current renewable capacity in mining and what is needed for full substitution of fossil-based electricity. While 32% of mining energy is already electricity (requiring roughly 180 GW of renewables for full substitution), only about 1 GW is currently installed globally, with another 1 GW in the pipeline.

APA

Natali, P., & Haley, K. (2017). TOWARD SUSTAINABLE MINING. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/07/RMI_Insight_Brief_Toward_Sustainable_Mining_2017.pdf

Chicago

Natali, Paolo, and Kevin Haley. TOWARD SUSTAINABLE MINING. RMI, 2017. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/07/RMI_Insight_Brief_Toward_Sustainable_Mining_2017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Natali |first1=Paolo |last2=Haley |first2=Kevin |title=TOWARD SUSTAINABLE MINING |publisher=RMI |date=July 2017 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/07/RMI_Insight_Brief_Toward_Sustainable_Mining_2017.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{natali2017toward, author = {Natali, Paolo and Haley, Kevin}, title = {{TOWARD SUSTAINABLE MINING}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2017}, month = jul, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/07/RMI_Insight_Brief_Toward_Sustainable_Mining_2017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }