Mining companies featured strongly in a multipage feature in the edition of Time magazine that followed closely on the heels of the influential World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
Mining majors like South Africa’s Anglo American, America’s Newmont and Canada’s Goldcorp got their messages across about the rewards that can be reaped from having long-term vision.
But the biggest takeaway of all, from South Africa’s point of view, was the benefit of mining companies and industrial companies working together to market each other’s offerings.
This was exemplified by 13 large companies choosing Davos to launch the Hydrogen Council, which has the potential to be the biggest marketing tool ever introduced for a metal, namely platinum.
With the launch of this council, the broadest of visions has been created between not only Anglo American but also 12 other giants, all working together to prove to the world that hydrogen is the answer to reducing climate change – which simultaneously boosts the outlook for platinum-group metals that catalyse the fuel cells that turn hydrogen into clean, noiseless, low-maintenance and competitive electricity. (Also see page 19 of this edition of Mining Weekly.)
Collectively representing revenues of €1.07-trillion and 1.72-million global employees, the new Hydrogen Council has promised to go all out to position hydrogen as the answer to the world’s search for a carbon dioxide-free environment.
The other 12 companies involved are Air Liquide, Alstom, BMW Group, Daimler, Engie, Honda, Hyundai, Kawasaki, Royal Dutch Shell, Linde, Total and Toyota and wanted by them is an exponential acceleration of the €1.4-billion yearly investment already under way to ensure the Paris Agreement’s 2 ºC temperature-rise containment.
These companies will urge governments the world over to provide large-scale hydrogen facilitation so that platinum-catalysed fuel cells are able to capitalise on that to provide competitive electricity in mobile and stationary applications across the industrial, commercial and residential spectrum.
Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani took the Davos opportunity to make the point that hydrogen-powered platinum-catalysed fuel cell electric vehicles offer the most natural solution for zero emission vehicles – “emitting only water and requiring little change to the way we’re all used to driving and refuelling our cars”.
This is an example of how giants in mining and related businesses can use the biggest of platforms to boost their offerings for the good of the planet.
On a smaller scale, there are also good examples of mining companies using their own business to prove necessary points.
For example, Impala Platinum is using platinum-catalysed fuel cells to power forklifts at its refinery in Springs and Anglo American Platinum has installed platinum-catalysed fuel cells to provide electricity for households in the Free State.
All this activity has the potential to create colossal future demand for the benefit of mining companies and the economies of the countries that host mining.