The Water in Mining 2014 Vice-President highlighted three dimensions of the challenges with regard to water: supply, energy and social responsibility.
What are the major challenges for the industry in terms of water supply?
Three things stand out as major challenges. First, estimating and managing risks related to future uncertainty about water supply: Variability of water supply is changing; and mining companies in many regions will need to look more carefully at characterising this risk, and managing it in their strategy, project planning and operations. Energy is part of this, and achieving a balance of water and energy risk adds a new dimension to the challenge. Major challenges on the social side are identifying acceptable balances between mining's water consumption and competing uses of water, creating solutions to ease tensions over water, and effective communication of water management issues.
Is desalination a solution in searching for new water supplies?
Desalination makes a major contribution to new sources of water and should continue to do so where it can be justified economically, environmentally and socially; and it offers opportunity for providing benefits for multiple water users in a mining region. Continued progress in reducing energy use and waste, creating useful by-products instead of waste, and creating water tailored to particular chemical requirements, are needed to maximise desalination's potential.
Where is new research involving the use of water in mining headed?
There are many valuable directions for new water research. Integrated water resources management is proving beneficial in some regions, but in most regions needs new data sets, models, stakeholder engagement and decision frameworks that can support a meaningful integrated approach. Connected to this is the need for new research in water legacies of mines and how to create and demonstrate neutral or positive legacies. On the processing side, new research on embedding water and water chemistry in minerals processing models will allow us to more deeply explore how to improve the marginal economic value of water.
What should become the central themes of discussion at Water in Mining 2014?
I think the Water in Mining 2014 programme has got this right. The multiple dimensions, time scales and space scales of the challenges are recognised. I hope there is discussion about linking across these dimensions and scales, for example on how components of mine sites, projects and regions can be embedded into integrated planning and operations.
What motivated you to be the Vice president of Water in Mining 2014?
It is a pleasure and privilege to work with esteemed academic and industry partners to help deliver this important conference. The scale, urgency and multiple dimensions of the water challenge make this an exciting time to be involved, and the diversity of challenges in South America make this event especially interesting.
