Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services provider Black & Veatch will meet with new and existing clients at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba to explore the ways in which its sustainability-focused solutions can benefit their operations.

Black & Veatch mining CTO Dennis Gibson stresses that the industry event forms an invaluable part of the company’s market outreach programme. He notes that this year’s Mining Indaba, which will be held in Cape Town from February 6 to 9, will provide a key platform for the company to raise awareness in the mining industry about its power, water and infrastructure solutions and services.

“These have applicability to all mining attendees, from the largest global companies in the industry to more localised organisations seeking customised resource management approaches. We aim to use the event to partner with companies and explore how miners can strengthen their bottom line by focusing on their core competencies and improving sustainability.”

Gibson highlights that water and energy comprise a significant amount of mining operations’ business, or sustaining capital, costs, adding that, in many cases, these expenses are rising as the search for resources is taking industry to more challenging locations.

“Reducing resource input costs directly benefits a business’s bottom line. But it’s more than that – using energy and water more efficiently can also improve the sustainability of a project, helping miners to fortify their relationships with the communities in which they operate.”

Having a social licence to operate is becoming increasingly important, he notes, with mines embracing this concept and working to practically incorporate it into their operations, in addition to increasing their focus on resource preservation and power supply reliability and diversification.

“Black & Veatch’s experience in building and improving power and water infrastructure networks enables us to work with clients seeking more resilient, sustainable and flexible systems.”

Gibson highlights that, with regard to power supply, the company has significant experience in the latest technologies for on-site generation using natural gas, renewables and microgrids. “We can also help develop and execute unique transmission and distribution projects, as well as power pooling systems, with the latter providing the opportunity to dramatically reshape regional power markets.”

He notes that many mines in countries such as Australia, Canada and Chile are incorporating renewable-energy power sources, such as solar and wind, into their electricity supply. These renewable sources are integrated alongside traditional fuels, rather than replacing them entirely, as this mitigates weather fluctuations that can disrupt renewable-energy production and interrupt mining operations.

“By lessening the cost of transporting diesel to a remote site on unreliable logistical infrastructure, or by building a source of solar or wind power generation close to a remote mine site, energy costs can be significantly lowered, compared with using a traditional grid connection.”

In terms of water services, Black & Veatch provides supply and conveyance solutions, wastewater treatment, desalination solutions and advanced data-driven systems that enhance performance and efficiency.

“Despite the recent uptick in commodity prices, the mining sector in Africa – and throughout the world – continues to grapple with the end of the commodities supercycle and a laser focus on capital spend, operational efficiency and sustainability has become more critical to business success,” Gibson says.

Events like the Mining Indaba create a forum for stakeholders across the value chain worldwide to gather and discuss the developments shaping the industry; the event has also successfully evolved alongside the industry, remaining highly relevant, he adds.

Black & Veatch has consolidated its presence in Africa through the creation of Black & Veatch South Africa, a Level 4 broad-based black economic-empowerment-rated company. Its Johannesburg office, which was formally established in 2015, includes 50 of Black & Veatch’s roughly 135 regionally based professionals. It has also been identified as the initial base from which the company will pursue power market prospects in Southern, East and West Africa.

The company is optimistic about the energy prospects across Africa, where it says more attention is being given to addressing the prevailing electricity constraint. Black & Veatch’s largest project on the continent is at State-owned power utility Eskom’s R161-billion, 4 800 MW Kusile coal-fired power station project, in Mpumalanga.

However, the company stresses that its client base has extended to include renewable- energy and conventional power station developers, mining and the oil and gas sector, as well as construction management and EPC services.