By Bastián Del Mauro, analista de Mercado de Commodities Minerales de Plusmining y adherente de Compromiso Minero.
Those of us who closely follow the mining industry have seen how the conversation has evolved. Competitiveness will continue to be measured in terms of costs, productivity and quality. Today, however, when dealing with international buyers, metal traceability and carbon footprint have become attributes that can position mining operations more favorably.
For Chile, this represents a major opportunity. Our mining industry has incorporated a high share of renewable energy, and this is beginning to differentiate the country from jurisdictions in Latin America, Africa and Asia whose energy mixes are more carbon-
intensive.
The next step will be to extend this advantage to processes that still rely on fossil fuels. The clearest example is ore haulage. According to Cochilco, fuels accounted for nearly half of all the energy consumed by Chile’s copper mining industry in 2024. More than 80% of that fuel consumption occurred in open-pit operations, primarily in haul trucks.
As electrification becomes more firmly established across mining operations, producing metals with a lower carbon footprint will no longer be merely an environmental attribute, it will also become a competitive advantage in global markets.
Source: G5 Noticias