TOWARD SUSTAINABLE MINING

The mining industry is a major global energy consumer, with 2014 consumption reaching almost 1,400 TWh, representing between 1.25% and 11% of total world energy use. Much of this energy is provided by carbon-intensive diesel generation, particularly at remote off-grid sites. However, falling costs for solar PV and wind energy—with global LCOE dropping by 85% and 66% respectively since 2009—now make renewables cost-competitive with diesel and grid power. The document suggests that most mining functions, excluding trucking, can be electrified, and that U.S. mines could convert an additional 30% of their energy load to electricity. Beyond carbon reduction, transitioning to renewables can provide mining companies with a 'social license to operate' by creating local jobs, improving community relations through microgrids or community solar, and helping national governments meet Paris Agreement NDCs. The 'Sunshine for Mines' program aims to catalyze the installation of 8 GW of renewable capacity in the mining sector by 2025.

• The mining industry is a massive energy consumer, using between 1.25% and 11% of the world's total energy consumption. 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.
• Renewable energy technologies have become economically viable for mining due to dramatic cost reductions since 2009, with solar LCOE falling by 85% and onshore wind LCOE falling by 66%. This makes solar energy cost-competitive with diesel generation globally and competitive with grid-power prices in some regions.
• There is significant potential for electrification within mining operations. While trucking remains a challenge, all other mining functions—including shoveling and the movement of raw minerals—can be electrified. RMI estimates that the average mine in the United States could convert an additional 30% of its current energy load to electricity.
• Sub-Saharan Africa serves as a critical testbed for renewable integration in mining due to its severely underdeveloped power sector and poor electricity access. IRENA estimated that solar PV costs in Africa for 2015-2016 ranged from US$1.30/watt to US$4.10/watt, with the lower end competing with global utility-scale fossil-fuel costs.
• Transitioning to sustainable energy provides 'less tangible' benefits that help mining companies secure a 'social license to operate.' These include creating local jobs in installation and maintenance, implementing community solar or microgrids to stabilize local infrastructure, and assisting national governments in meeting Paris Agreement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
• There is a vast gap between current renewable capacity in mining and what is needed for decarbonization. While approximately 180 GW of renewables would be required to substitute the 434 TWh of electricity currently consumed by the industry, 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} }