June 2015
|
World Coal
|
81
M
ining is a water intensive industry and coal is
often found in regions of the world where water
is scarce. Growing public concern about the
scarcity of water resources poses a threat to the
social license to operate for many mines. Restricted availability
in water-limited regions requires mining companies to view
water as a strategically important, valuable, non-renewable
resource and to practice responsible and sustainable water
management.
Reliable access to water is essential for coal mining
operations. Limited water availability poses a significant risk
to the industry, both in the short term, as well as for long-term
sustainability, yet historically, the economic, social and
environmental value of water was underestimated. Water
supply shortages impact on the viability of current and future
operations, adding to project and operational costs and risk.
Consequently, the value of water must be integrated into
business processes and decisions.
The largest costs associated with water are those associated
with treating excess mine-affected water to meet discharge
quality during operations, at closure and post-closure. Sound
planning and water management practices ensure that the
impacts on water quality are minimised and mines can secure
water without compromising the water resource for other
users.
Proactive water management
Anglo American is focusing on understanding the value of
water to its business, both financially and in the broader sense.
Water management cannot be limited to the boundaries of
mining operations. Stakeholders and processes that occur
outside of the direct control of the operations must be
considered, as this can have significant implications on how a
mine operates within the geographical, environmental, legal
and social frameworks.
Anglo American believes that the optimal stewardship of
water resources, improvement of water and energy efficiencies
and management throughout the business framework must be
seen as a strategic advantage for any mining company. A core
focus of the Anglo American water strategy is to obtain water
resilience in all of its operations.
The pillars of water resilience typically include
combinations of the following: secure water supply, efficient
use of water, prevention of water pollution and reduced
post-closure liabilities, legal compliance, investing in water
treatment and technology innovation, good stakeholder
relationships and minimal risk of interruption at operations
(excess or shortage).
Begin with the end in mind
Central to mine water management is the application of the
Hierarchy of Water Management, the basic premise of which is
to anticipate and prevent rather than assess and repair. The
first priority should be to prevent or avoid impact on water
through mine design and layout. For example, well-designed
storm water management infrastructure with clean and
impacted water separation will prevent the contamination of
storm-water run-off, thereby reducing the mine water make.
The greatest impact on mine water management can be made
during the pre-feasibility stage by pro-actively including it in
mine planning and design.
Geohydrological and geochemical studies during the
project development stage should be sufficiently in-depth to
informmine designs. Geophysical, structural, geohydrological
and geochemical studies can be used to establish initial
conceptual site models to predict the early consequences of
mining. Variability in climate, operations and mine designs
need to be considered to ensure water impacts are mitigated.
Reducing liability costs
Governments internationally require financial assurance for
mine closure to ensure that mines do not leave a negative
legacy. Financial considerations need to be given for water
treatment; therefore, minimisation of the impact on the water
resource will ensure resource exploitation remains financially
feasible. The costs associated with treating mine-affected water
are high and a pre-requisite for obtaining government issued
closure certificates is that sustainable and long-term control
measures are in place to mitigate environmental
contamination, which includes mine impacted water.
Appropriate mitigation of closure liability costs can be
achieved through a number of other pro-active interventions,
