Canadian intermediate miner Alamos Gold will aim to reduce absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2030, from the 2020/21 average baseline year. This includes Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
The company, which operates three mines in North America, notes that its GHG emissions intensity of 0.38 t carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO2e) for each ounce of gold produced is already industry-leading and on average 43% lower than the mining industry average of 0.67 t CO2e an ounce.
The 30% absolute reduction in GHG emissions will decrease Alamos’ emissions intensity by 55%. This includes the development of the Lynn Lake project, in Canada, which is expected to be producing before the end of the decade.
As part of the emissions reduction strategy, Alamos has developed an Energy and Greenhouse Gas Management Standard. This included completing energy and carbon management system assessments at all its operating sites to develop a baseline for existing energy management programmes. The company costed more than 30 different GHG emission reduction opportunities across the organisation and used a marginal abatement cost curve to prioritise projects that will support the achieved emissions reduction target.
Alamos says it has investigated renewable energy and clean grid capacity, green fleet (hybrid or battery electric vehicles), electrification of process, and conversion to cleaner fuels.
Electric conveyance systems were installed during the lower mine expansion at the Young-Davidson mine reducing the company’s reliance on diesel consumption and the company is working to connect to grid power at the Mulatos mine to offset diesel power generation. Alamos is also considering increasing use of biodiesel rather than conventional diesel at all operations, and replacing propane with compressed natural gas for mine-air heaters at underground operations.