Mining is an unloved, misunderstood sector. Its potential to catalyse the green energy transition is vast and critical. Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) is a leading diversified natural resources group at the vanguard of that catalysation.
ERG has more than 80,000 people working for it and has a foothold in more than 16 countries. ERG is leading the call to ensure that mining plays a key role in the transition and occupies its rightful place in the court of sustainability.
With the increase in demand for critical raw materials, coupled with their paucity, ERG is undertaking innovative methods to reprocess historic tailings such as in its flagship facility in the Democratic Republic of Congo – Metalkol – where it has expanded production capacity tenfold in the past three years.
ERG is a founding member of the Global Battery Alliance (GBA), a public-private platform, hosted originally on the platform of the World Economic Forum. The GBA is dedicated to ensuring an ethical and sustainable global value chain for the lithium-ion batters that can power the Fourth Industrial Revolution and a low carbon economy through electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies and smartphones.
Earlier this year, the GBA launched the world’s first Battery Passport, a digital twin of a battery which includes information relating the battery’s technical specifications, material provenance, and sustainability performance. The technical feasibility of the battery passport has been recognised by the EU and will become a mandatory requirement by 2026 – with other regions likely to follow suit.
Mining is a sophisticated endeavour, and ERG is harnessing cutting-edge technology effectively. Its NOMAD, for example, is a teleoperated remote sampling system which has been purpose-built for early exploration in harsh terrains, as those found in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With temperatures rising and early exploration geological work becoming more arduous than ever before, the NOMAD exemplifies smart exploration tech: it enhances safety by reducing human involvement in perilous operations, while minimising environmental disturbance and enabling expedited analysis through its remote, mobile analysis station.
Featured Photo by Albert Hyseni on Unsplash.