Oil and gas company Shell is showcasing and recommitting its support to sustainable mining through its products and solutions that help customers achieve their performance and profitability objectives with minimal impact on the environment, says Shell service manager Mpho Mokwena in a video interview at the Investing in African Mining Indaba.
The company is also committed to socioeconomic development as part of mining sustainability.
“We want to ensure beneficiation and inclusivity of local communities through our enterprise development programmes to include small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) within the local communities,” Mokwena emphasises.
Over the last year, Shell collaborated with its mining clients and appointed local enterprises to become part of its procurement value chain for mines to facilitate economic inclusivity and redress historical economic imbalances.
“The appointment of local SMEs as part of our procurement value chain remains one of our very important successes as we seek to improve economic inclusivity in South Africa. The acquisition of Panolin Oil by Shell Global means the African mining industry will now have access to fully biodegradable lubricants contributing to sustainable mining.”
Shell’s products are developed using its gas-to-liquids technology. Instead of crude oil, Shell GTL converts clean natural gas into high-quality and environment-friendly products for improved critical equipment performance.
“Further, our online digital services MachineMax and Shell Remote Sense provide real-time data on equipment performance and condition, helping customers make proactive maintenance decisions,” adds Mokwena.