As Australia moves towards a target of net-zero emissions by 2050, all of industry has a role to play in supporting this commitment, including those throughout the mining value chain.
Komatsu recognises it has an important part to play as the industry transitions and is committed to collaborating with customers to provide the solutions and support that will move towards a more sustainable future in mining.
Henrietta Jukes is the recently appointed General Manager, Safety and Sustainability at Komatsu Australia. Her newly created role further strengthens the company’s internal focus on sustainability along with looking for ways to create impact in the industry via safety and ESG strategy initiatives.
“It’s an exciting time for the business, especially as our innovative mining solutions offering expands, our sustainable partnerships continue to strengthen, and our workplace practices evolve to become even more sustainable and safe. This will continue to be my focus, supporting our teams to create value together,” she says.
PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE FUTURE
Komatsu is proud to be a founding member of the Komatsu GHG (Greenhouse Gas) Alliance alongside Rio Tinto, BHP, Codelco and Boliden. These alliance partners work directly with Komatsu to actively collaborate on product planning, development, testing and deployment of the next generation of zero-emission mining equipment and infrastructure.
“The alliance’s initial target is advancing Komatsu’s power agnostic truck concept for a haulage vehicle that can run on a variety of power sources including diesel electric, electric, trolley (wired), battery power and even hydrogen fuel cells,” Henrietta says.
“We’ve already had a successful introduction of a 930-E autonomous fleet at the South Flank iron ore mine in Western Australia, which started in June 2022, and we’re working together with other mining sites to expand and upgrade their fleets with these models.
“Through this alliance, we co-create with customers to accelerate the development and deployment of the next level of equipment designed to reduce greenhouse gases from mining operations and ultimately achieve the goal of zero-emission mining.” Other members of the GHG Alliance include AMSA, Kinross, Freeport-McMoRan and TECK.
MEETING TARGETS JUST THE START
Working towards sustainable targets is not a new concept for Komatsu, with sustainability commitments a central part of the company’s overall vision and strategy.
Komatsu is targeting a 50 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions from use of its products and production of equipment by 2030, and a challenge target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
In their most recent annual report, Komatsu’s FY22 results show a reduction in CO2 emissions by 37 per cent, and an increase in the rate of renewable use by 14 per cent.
“Each year, we revisit our targets and results, and look at ways we can continue to reduce our carbon footprint. We’ve seen some progress, but we’ve still got a journey ahead, and collaboration will be key as we all look towards a more sustainable future for mining,” Henrietta says.
