Metal Tech News - The Elements of Innovation Discovered

With net-zero carbon emissions from Canada's natural resource sectors being elevated to a national priority, Natural Resources Canada has teamed up with MiTRAQ to offer the Mining Energy Benchmarking Platform to promote energy efficiency and support a low-carbon future for Canada's mining sector.

Unveiled on Dec. 14, the Mining Energy Benchmarking Platform enables analysis of power generation and consumption at mine sites and provides data-driven insight into energy use productivity.

MiTRAQ, an operational benchmarking platform of the mining industry, was established in 2016 by a coalition of leading gold mining companies with assets in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Anonymous and secured with the latest encryption technology, MiTRAQ allows mining companies signed up for the platform to perform custom benchmarking to improve their operational efficiency.

Using the platform, miners can anonymously compare their sites' energy efficiency to the aggregated data supplied by their peers. The platform includes customizable indicators designed specifically for open-pit and underground mines that produce 46 different minerals, and power sources ranging from diesel to renewables. Data is entered at regular intervals, providing a dynamic and up-to-date benchmark. The tool also offers flexible analysis options and custom reporting on energy performance.

"We are excited to bring our data-driven benchmarking tool to the energy efficiency sector," said MiTRAQ Managing Director Ghaleb El Masri. "The achieved cost-savings for our members from our operational benchmarking platform have been significant, and I am confident that this platform will amplify the positive effect by driving down energy costs and improving ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) performance."

To allow Canada's mining companies to give MiTRAQ a try, the Department of Natural Resources Canada will subsidize licenses to access the Energy Benchmarking Program until June 2021. A single license allows a company to enter data for multiple mine sites. For the free enrollment offered by NRCan, however, at least one mine site must be in Canada and the company is required to be registered in the Canadian Industry Partnership for Energy Conservation.

The applications for enrollment are accepted until Jan. 15, 2021. Application forms can be obtained by contacting MiTRAQ at [email protected] or NRCan at [email protected].

Natural Resources Canada also recently invested in efforts to develop electric haul trucks for Canada's mining sector. More information on this program can be read at Ottawa, Quebec invest in mining EV tech in the November 4 edition of Metal Tech News.