Mine closures creating new regional opportunities

The International Mining and Resources Conference & Expo (IMARC) in Sydney will bring together environmental, economic, and social research experts to discuss the potential of rehabilitation and repurposing of abandoned mine sites.

In a statement, IMARC said most mines could not be restored to their natural state due to essential land disturbances. IMARC highlighted the need to consider how to repurpose mines to generate long-term economic prospects and lessen the impact on the environment.

CRC TiME CEO Dr Guy Boggs said mine sites have long-term advantages that outlast their lifespans.

“Everybody is focused on energy transition at the moment and the need to decarbonise. There are some really novel projects happening, looking at old mine pits and turning them into pumped hydropower sites,” Boggs stated. 

According to Boggs, the Kidston gold mine in Townsville has integrated a sizable solar energy farm and is beginning to generate electricity using pumped hydro. 

“The mines have strong electricity grids so you can make use of the infrastructure that was built during the mines,” he added.

The Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro project will provide 900 employment in North Queensland and 250 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power 143,000 homes.

Old mine sites are being used all around Australia, according to CRC TiME, for a variety of long-term initiatives that the general public may not be aware of. These include scientific advancements like an underground physics lab within the Stawell Gold Mine and environmental sanctuaries in Western Australia’s Goldfields region.

As many mines near the end of their operational lives, it is anticipated that the rate of new mine closures in Australia will rise shortly. A mine should run for between 10 and 30 years on average, with the resources boom starting 30 years ago, IMARC said.

Australia is in a great position to take advantage of the opportunities given by the closure of mine sites, according to IMARC speaker Meg Kauthen, Sustainability Designer at Business for Development.

“If we get infrastructure aligned to the community’s needs, it’s a fantastic investment beyond the life of the mines. We have been working in Africa where we have repurposed old mine infrastructure to help boost the agronomics of the region in partnership with the Cotton On Group. We suggest that Australian mines and mining communities need to approach the development of infrastructure in the same way,” Kauthen said. 

According to IMARC, many regional communities facing mine closures will need a diverse workforce to take advantage of their economic opportunities, including engineers, business and operations managers, accountants, hydrologists, and others.

It is intended that by expanding the economic options available in regional Australia, more people will move there to support the growth of smaller towns.

This is just one of the numerous mining-related prospects being investigated at IMARC, where world leaders and up-and-coming innovators will come together to work on enhancing the future of the entire value chain in terms of automation, communication, safety, and sustainability.