Besides, the company has completed phase I of the so called Inventory of the Copper Life Cycle, impulsed by the International Copper Association, which will identify the carbon footprint through a cadaster of the consumed resources and the direct emissions caused by the use of fuel in the operation of their divisions, as well as those indirect ones coming from generation of energy used by the state. This work has been extended to all their chain of suppliers and distributors, from whom they obtain the basic raw material for copper processing purposes.
The copper companies said that these results will be disclosed this year.
The company is also encouraging the use of their installations for Non Conventional Renewable Energy (NCRE), for example in Gaby, North Division, where solar energy is used in some of the processes.
Following this same guideline, Collahuasi - mining deposit owned by Xstrata (44%), Anglo American (44%) and Mitsui (12%) – is developing research on the Geothermal potential of the five sites owned by them in the Tarapacá region.
At the same time, they are executing a program on energetic efficiency, focused on the Reduction of the intake, which together with decreasing their operational costs, allows them to diminish the green house emissions.
In the company, they explained that this initiative included the development of an energetic intake profile of their operations, which is controlled on a monthly basis, allowing them to identify the areas and production processes in which the intake can be optimized.
The need for a model country
In spite of highlighting the initiatives developed by the mining companies, the general manager of Aquiles, who is a Specialist on this subject matter, Daniel Barreda, pointed out that these are based on a sustainability policy more than in the reduction of emissions.
This is, Barreda said, due to the lack of governmental initiative to reduce the green house emissions, which could be sustented starting with the commitment to reduce this item in a 20% by the year 2020, which Chile just subscribed at the Copenhaghen Summit.
“The individual initiatives on alternative energies adopted by the mining companies, will benefit the Reduction of emissions, but a global initiative is missing, because the guideline should come from the Government, influencing all the productive sectors”, he said.
Diario Financiero.
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