Diversified miner Anglo American would be disposing of more assets in 2010 as the com- pany continued to focus on attractive commodities, CEO Cynthia Carroll said last week.

Carroll told the Mining Indaba conference that Anglo had realised $2,4-billion last year from the disposal of assets that were not seen as being part of the com-pany’s long-term future.

She said that Anglo was in “great shape” to take advantage of the upturn.

She said that world primary energy demand was projected to increase by more than 50% in the next 25 years, which meant that reliable, abundant, cost-competitive and secure energy supplies would be vital and critical to long-term investment decisions.

In South Africa, industry, government and Eskom needed to work together, which could entail seconding senior management to Eskom, as Anglo had done, supplementing supply by the self-generation of power and assuming nonelectric technologies.

“As an industry, we should collaborate with Eskom on a shared electricity vision and simultaneously pursue energy efficiencies and take the lead in looking at other energy alternatives,” Carroll said.

Anglo was committed to minimising water use and to reusing and recycling water. The com-pany’s initial aim was to improve water efficiency by 10% over a decade to 2014.

“Our ultimate goal is zero discharge,” she said.

On safety, Carroll said that the company was convinced that it could reduce fatalities to zero.

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