“Energy Transition & Emission Reduction Forum 2022” was held in Stockholm on the 9th-10th of June with both days consisting of relevant content presented by experts in the field. The event allowed delegates to engage with industry leaders while learning more about the future of sustainability in the metals and mining sector. This hybrid event included a combination of different elements, including presentations, networking possibilities, Q&A sessions, and panel discussions. With the top 23 metals and mining companies participating, the forum turned out to be a unique opportunity to exchange experiences, explore best practices, and gain industry insights. The event featured discussions between key players on strategies for making mining more sustainable with respect to emissions reduction.
The forum highlighted the need for the mining industry to accelerate its efforts in enforcing sustainable practices, creating and implementing strategies for greening the mining industry, as well as identifying which assets are fit for use in emission reduction processes. This forum was also an invitation to explore a future world of the cutting-edge commercial technology designed for facilitating NRMM electrification & hybridization/usage of Hydrogen and other alternative fuels, developing storage and charging infrastructure, as well as electrifying underground mining. Finally, conference participants addressed potential challenges that might arise with those technological advances. The theme of the summit is especially important, as Steffen Zendler, Heavy Industry Strategy & Marketing Manager for Rockwell Automation mentioned, “The main challenge that the mining and metal industries are facing right now is the matter of decarbonization. Where to start and also how to develop new technologies to achieve this goal, because everybody knows about the Paris agreement, which is to decarbonize by 2050. So, the major companies are committed to that, but the main question is how do we reach that.”
Participants attended presentations prepared by key specialists in the sector, including metals and mining company leaders, finance and technology experts, as well as business innovation and development specialists. “I think we really had a good mix here today…and the consensus of all those different components is really critical because everybody comes from a specific angle, and I think having all the different pieces in the same conversation exposed the nature of the problem,” said Hein Hiestermann, the Director of Mining Business Development at Rockwell Automation.
The event was sponsored by Rockwell Automation, Wabtec Corporation, Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG, and Schneider Electric Sverige AB. ABB was summit’s business development partner. Other companies that attended the event were Eurobattery Minerals AB, Boliden, H2 Green Steel, KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., Euromines, CELSA Nordic, International Council on Mining and Metals – ICMM, Barclays Investment Bank, Grängesberg Exploration AB, Credit Suisse, ING Wholesale Banking, Kaunis Iron, Citi, Nordea, Talon Metals, Nussir ASA, Anglo American, and Svemin. The “Coffee & Networking” sessions at the “Energy Transition & Emission Reduction Forum 2022” brought attendees together to network and discuss such pressing issues as emission reduction, sustainability in energy transition, and environmental regulatory compliance. Reinaldo Arreaza, Vice President of Field Services and Maintenance at Wabtec Corporation, commented, “We were pretty busy talking to different people and thinking through opportunities, and we have several leads that we are going to pursue.”
The event was sponsored by Rockwell Automation, Wabtec Corporation, Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG, and Schneider Electric Sverige AB. ABB was summit’s business development partner. Other companies that attended the event were Eurobattery Minerals AB, Boliden, H2 Green Steel, KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., Euromines, CELSA Nordic, International Council on Mining and Metals – ICMM, Barclays Investment Bank, Grängesberg Exploration AB, Credit Suisse, ING Wholesale Banking, Kaunis Iron, Citi, Nordea, Talon Metals, Nussir ASA, Anglo American, and Svemin. The “Coffee & Networking” sessions at the “Energy Transition & Emission Reduction Forum 2022” brought attendees together to network and discuss such pressing issues as emission reduction, sustainability in energy transition, and environmental regulatory compliance. Reinaldo Arreaza, Vice President of Field Services and Maintenance at Wabtec Corporation, commented, “We were pretty busy talking to different people and thinking through opportunities, and we have several leads that we are going to pursue.”
The summit covered three primary topics: enterprise-level planning for sustainability, green technologies/alternative fuels/infrastructure, and ways to reduce on-site emissions through an asset-specific approach.
- Throughout the first day of the event, participants discussed reaching the Green Deal goal, responsible and sustainable mining, the electric future of surface mining, the Nussir project, the case studies of the Dannemora and Connected mines, Pit Crushing & Conveying (IPCC) Technology, and reaching climate neutrality. The first day also welcomed two panel discussions dedicated to financing and investment needs as well as cross-industry collaboration.
- The second day welcomed presenters that focused on a variety of relevant topics, including hard industries and scrap-based steel value chain decarbonization, optimized power systems design for mining and metals decarbonization, fossil-free mining, new ways to decarbonize and offset carbon intensity, ICMM’s cleaner and safer vehicles initiative, and ways to reach net zero in mining.
“There are very few people here today who did not go away with a clearer understanding of what the challenges are, there is no question about that,” noted Hein Hiestermann, the Director of Mining Business Development at Rockwell Automation.
“Energy Transition & Emission Reduction Forum 2022” was a hybrid event that welcomed a significant number of participants in person. Alex Richards, Vice President of Mining, Minerals & Metals at Schneider Electric Sverige AB shared his positive impression of the conference’s model. “It’s fantastic to be back doing these kinds of things face to face; nothing beats the opportunity to network, collaborate, share ideas, and speak to people face to face, especially if you are meeting them for the first time. Having said that, there were several attendees that joined online, and the panel discussions all worked well; the technologies did not fail us, so we were able to have great interactions between speakers on the stage, the live audience, as well as the people that were joining online. So, for me, it worked very well,” said Richards. The summit was a memorable experience for mining and metals industry decision-makers, leaving participants with a clear idea of how to make a difference in today’s business environment.