What do mining and motorsport have in common? (Sounds like a bad joke, I know. But bear with me, it’s a serious question.) Answer: pathways to net zero. Which is, conveniently, The Intelligent Miner’s editorial theme this month.
I won’t pretend there isn’t a personal interest here – I’m a big Formula One fan. It delights and intrigues me that there’s been a narrowing of the gap between these industries in recent years in the name of decarbonisation. The two actually have a surprising amount in common. Think about it: the name of the game is to get vehicles around a fixed track repeatedly in the most fuel and energy efficient fashion while maintaining operator safety and vehicle integrity.
Iron-ore miner, Fortescue, set the tone with its 2021 collaboration and subsequent acquisition of Williams Advanced Engineering – an offshoot of the Williams F1 team founded by the late Sir Frank Williams – for its battery-electric technology which it said will help to “decarbonise Fortescue’s mining haul fleet”. McLaren Applied’s Fuel Analytics Service has also been deployed by Indonesian mining contractor, PT Pamapersada Nusantara, to achieve a 4.5% fuel saving on trucks at its MTBU mining operation.
And it’s not just about technology… Canadian Uranium miner, NexGen, is a partner of the Aston Martin Aramco F1 team. “Our partners are more than just a decal, they are part of the team, with purposeful relationships helping to drive us forward as we shake up the order and change the game on and off the track,” said the team.
Komatsu and Williams Racing also reignited their partnership in February; Komatsu was a key partner of Williams Racing during the 1980s and 90s, and the new multi-year deal has seen become the mining equipment heavy become Williams’ principal partner for the 2024 FIA F1 World Championship season and beyond.
What does all this activity mean? I’m not sure, but I’m down for it. I’m a great believer that, if there are companies in other industries that miners can work with to accelerate their own decarbonisation journies and make smarter technology choices, then they should absolutely do that.
We have no time to lose after all. February 2024 was the hottest on record globally, and the average temperature for the 12 months between March 2023 and February 2024 was the highest on record at 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
There is a literal need for speed in decarbonisation. And who better to partner with than an industry that lives and breathes that?
Carly
The need for speed
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“Mining is the most basic of all human endeavours and yet we live in a world where people don’t know where things come from”
Robert Friedland